not really powerful

[deamon3]

The more I think about it, the more I don't think there is a real issue here, or we just don't have enough information.

Well let me sum up the "information".

If I even just take it on a normal highway for a bit it punishes me later by "chugging" when it starts.

I get somewhere about 14mpg.

I also just got back from the grocery store and it was "chugging" again in the parking lot. I didn't even drive it that fast really.

The transmission always was kinda broken even when I bought it (takes a while to change between reverse , forward ect..).

My transmission also leaked all of it's fluid out this year a few times when it got hot and I replaced it maybe twice so I think I'm good on transmission fluid.

So If this is all normal stuff then I guess my explorer is fine?

 

[Maniak]

I'm not getting my point across, I am just trying to say, there isn't really enough info for anyone to make a real determination as to what is going on..

For example.. 14mpg means nothing.. if its 14mpg highway then yes, that is bad.. if its 14mpg in city driving or with lots of idling (like warming up the car in the morning) then it is right where it should be.

tall gear ratio (numerically low) will give poor acceleration and even more so with bigger tires.

Running the trans hot or out of fluid isn't good for it, and it might cause issues, but I have yet to hear of it killing gas mileage. They seem to just "break" when abused.. For example, no OD, which of course will kill mileage, but that is something you would notice.

You can try to fix everything listed and spend tons of money and still not have a fast truck.. Thats all I am trying to say.. There really is no reference to say how bad it really it.. If it was a daily driver and driving the same way over the years and all of a sudden it lost power and mileage then you know there is an issue, but you stay may not be able to fix it. If the motor isn't taken care of the compression could be way down, which would really give you less power..

With that said.. A tune up is a good thing to do.. heck, it should be done before it ever needs it but all in all, it really need someone to go over the vehicle and see what needs to replaced as it sounds like quite a bit should be replaced or could be replaced since they, as normal maint. items were neglected.

~Mark

 

[deamon3]

I do get the feeling that I'm not doing enough to it. I've owned it for over a year and to date all I've done is

get a tuneup in last fall
changed tires in spring
added maybe 7 quarts of transmission fluid over the summer
got and oil change in summer
got another oil change in fall

And that's it. Sure I've done little fixes like the radio and body work and such , but those are the only significant engine/important things I've done thus far.

 

[ahodges]

man... it just sounds like there is no "quick fix" to your problem.. here is what i would do..
1. run some type of really good fuel injector/ system cleaner through it
2. if the fuel filter hasn't been changed within the past 2 years or so that you know of, change that.
3. run your Vin number through a dealer or the internet (somewhere that can tell you the specs. of your X. namely the gear ratio to find out what to expect as far as acceleration.
4. if your trans. works ok through the gears in drive, don't worry about it since you've changed the fluid so much already.
5. If it isn't burning much of any oil through the engine, chances are the compression is fine so check that off.
6. This is kind of a last resort but worth a try. If you haven't had the battery disconnected in over a year or so, reset the computer by disconnecting the battery for about 30 sec., this will reset the computer information and let it start learning the way you drive and the basic sensor inputs over again. (sounds crazy but it works sometimes in getting more performance.)

By the way these vehicles are not "fast" especially with a 4.0 push-rod engine and a four speed. Also even with stock air-intake and exhaust, the engines are louder than most other cars. With an aftermarket exhaust I definitely noticed the engine being smoother and more responsive.

I have a 1996 XLT 4x4 with the 4.0 push-rod engine with a K&N cold-air intake, Gibson performance exhaust (which has a bigger exhaust pipe from the cat-back), 4-wheel disc brakes, a 3.73 gear ratio, and stock tires. I'm here to tell you, it is NOT fast. 18.1 sec. at 74 mph in the quarter mile and about 11.6 sec. 0-60. It will never do a power-braking burn-out and i have to try real hard to get it to do one in a straight line with no brakes applied.

I hope this helps you out.

 

[Tony H]

I'm wondering if you have a Clogged Catalytic convertor.
That would cause this. Usually you can't get the car to go above 50 mph when teh Cat is clogged.

 

[ahodges]

The cat being clogged is possible too.. How many miles are on it?

 

[deamon3]

139,000

If my catalytic convertor is clogged where would I go about getting a new one?

 

[ahodges]

If you're going to do it your self you can get one off line from anywhere pretty much, summit racing or ebay, something like that. Otherwise any good muffler shop can tell you if its bad and put a new one on. (it could get a little pricey if there is a lot of rust on the exhaust.)

Honestly on a 94 like that you could get away with no cat at all and put a straight pipe in it.. not advised if they do smog/ emissions checking in your area though..

 

[deamon3]

OOOoooo , they don't do smog here . So I can add "remove catalytic converter" to my list?

 

[ahodges]

lol, yep.. the reason for that is that all vehicles made up to 1996 had OD1 which doesn't need the cat to run right. Starting in 1996 OD2 started and the cats are needed for it to run right.

I mean its still technically illegal but its a really cheap way to get more power and check to see if the cats the whole problem. Around where i live in the Toledo, OH area the cops don't bother you as long as its not obnoxiously loud.

 

[deamon3]

Will my car still be quiet w/o a cat? I don't want it to sound like a junky old car. The one thing I like about my ex is that it still visually looks nice and it quiet (well at least outside it's quiet).

 

[ahodges]

with a muffler it will still be quiet but not as quiet as it is now.. you'll probably be able to hear more exhaust noise but it will not sound like junk, just more aggressive you could say..

 

[colintrax]

0-60 your truck, then we can tell you if its even slow (for an explorer) or not.

 

[Rhett]

I can tell you, 3.27 gears, 31" tires = slow off the line.
No way can it do 20 foot burnouts like you 3.73 guys do

And, 14 mpg is right on the money for in-town driving with that ratio and tire and engine. That's actually pretty decent for winter mileage.

 

[deamon3]

Ok I "zeroed to sixty'ed" my car and it took 24 seconds. I keep telling everyone I don't expect a race car but to me that seems kinda bad.

And it's not zero to sixty speed I worry about. It's that on the highway it just sounds like the poor thing is screaming at me to stop , and when I do it sounds like it's gonna die.

 

[deamon3]

I also just thought of something , there's a tiny rubber hose hanging down under the front of the car and am wondering if it's suppose to be connected to something.

 

[Maniak]

24 seconds on flat ground from 0 to 60 is not normal for a stock vehicle. If you had 3.08 or 3.27's with say 31" tires, that is possible with an auto trans but I've never driven a vehicle that way (wrong gear ratio for the tire size and an auto trans).

As for the hose. . Take a look at where it goes.. If it is coming from the front differential, then its not a big deal. It is normally just clipped to the frame above it and is a vent. Just put it back in its clip.

~Mark

 

[deamon3]

When I floor it from the start the entire card vibrates really loudly , like I'm running over rumble strips. I don't know if it's just the wheels spinning or what , but that what takes the longest.

I'll have a look at that hose and see whats it connected to , hopefully nothing important!

 

[deamon3]

The hose goes into the bottom of my radiator , but I think it's the least of my problems.

While I was under there I saw the entire bottom of my engine was soaked with leaking coolent , which seems to be coming from then "engine block area". I guess that's why it smells kinda like burning coolent after I drive it.

 

[deamon3]

Is there anyone in or near wisconsin that could come take a look at my ex , I think there's a lot of problems that I can't solve but somebody else may know these cars better.