1994 xlt questions

[mgv366]

I've owned a 1994 xlt for about 3 years now. Well actually I've owned it and my wife used it!! Now that she is in the brand new minivan, I have the explorer.
I have a few questions and if anyone can help me out it would be great.
1. The paint on the hood and the top of the rear door is starting to get spider cracks in it. Real annoying to look at and a disaster to wax!! Does anyone know if this is a Ford defect in the paint finish? I've been told this condition is called "microchecking" and is the result of Ford not allowing the base coats to dry before the top clear coat is applied.
2. I hear all this talk about Tranny's and Hubs going soon (i have 100k on mine). I'm wondering how will i know if the hubs are going bad?
Thanks....

 

[TPLYNCH]

If the tranny's been maintained properly and not stressed (towing), it should be fine. The hubs..... When they start making all sorts of nasty noises, thats when you'll know they're shot....

 

[mgv366]

THANKS...NOPE NEVER TOWED ANYTHING....ONLY PROBLEM IS ..ONCE IN A WHILE THE ENGINE SHIFTS OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND DOESN'T GO BACK INTO IT...

 

[TPLYNCH]

Check the alternator..... if it is not working properly it can effect tranny shifts, since the tranny is electronic.

 

[diablo5969]

I also have a '94 XLT, and I'm having the same problem with the paint on the hood. It's not too bad yet, but it's getting there.

Also, as far as the hubs: I had an, ummm, incident at about 80,000 miles that killed the hubs, but the guy at the dealership said that the hubs just tend to go out at about 85,000 miles anyway, so it wasn't that big a deal.

 

[mgv366]

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY...THE VOLT GAUGE ON THE DASH SHOWS A GOOD CHARGE...SHOULD I CHECK THE ALTERNATOR WITH A VOLT METER AND NOT RELY ON THE GAUGE? IF I DO THIS WHAT SHOULD THE READING BE ON THE METER?
I NOTICED THAT YOU INSTALLED A KKM...HOW DO YOU LIKE IT AND WAS IT REALLY THAT EASY TO INSTALL?
DID YOU PURCHASE IT FROM THE COMPANY OR A SEPARATE RETAILER?
SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTIONS!!

 

[diablo5969]

I don't know anything about the electronics behind it, but I know that 6 out of my 7 guages either don't work at all or work but show the wrong thing, so I wouldn't trust the guage by itself. (Luckily, I still have the speedo. When that goes I'm going to need new guages. Oh well.)

As far as the KKM, I gotta say it's great. As soon as it was on I got better acceleration, that was the main thing I was looking for. Also, it sounds badass. It's the only engine mod I have, so it'll work even if it's not in conjuction with other things. The install should be pretty easy. I had a couple issues with my install, but chalk that up to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. I've never heard of anyone else having problems with it, so you should be alright. I got it from the company. This is it: KKM

 

[Speedfreak]

The alt should put out 14.5 volts approx.

When your are coasting in gear do the revs stay up or does the engine return to idle regardless the speed you're going. If it returns to idle and doesn't compression brake then the planetary is toast and its time for a rebuild.


My auto locking hubs made no noise and still failled to work when offroading. I switched to manuals after my first 4x4 trip and haven't looked back.