Anyone still driving 2nd gens?

[Mercury Mike]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.
if you’re still running a 2nd gen, any trouble or recent issues?

Dude I love mine.
2000 V8 mountaineer. on 32s
Love hitting moab

 

[RichardsMobile]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.
if you’re still running a 2nd gen, any trouble or recent issues?

96 XLT. 4wd. Daily driver for my wife. 4.0 is torquay.

 

[collinstm57]

You guy's are making me wish I had not sold my 98. Except that it was the SOHC version. I had 205k on it and only had to replace water pump, Alt and the intake gasket...

Oh, another draw back was gas mileage. My 04 V8 get better mileage than the v6 did

 

[Polardogg]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.
if you’re still running a 2nd gen, any trouble or recent issues?

I dumped my 98 on my cousin all stock with 250,000 , mile long list of problems lol but it will still pass smog and i still got my 94 stock

 

[Richard_Wilson]

My 2001 XLT 4.0SOHC is my daily driver. Now at 122k. Everything works, plus 4wd. Yes, timing chains have been replaced.

 

[Pete Deering]

You've gotten 549,000 miles? Nice to know I'm at 231,000. Yes, maintenance every now and then hopefully. When my truck was running basically perfectly, I would put it up against a lot of **** out there.

I am still drive my 95xlt as a daily driver. You need too keep up with the issue. AC compressor just lockup. When the weather gets warmer, planning on replacing the system, have all the parts. Will rebuilt the radiator support at the same time. Rear brake shield need to be replaced. Also have to check the vapor line. Need to repair rusted out gas fill area. I seem the paint peel and rust on explorer in Florida.

 

[239]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.
if you’re still running a 2nd gen, any trouble or recent issues?

I’ve got a 2000 OHV that I’ve been driving since 2011. It was my first car. I’ll be getting a 2020 ranger soon but I’m keeping the X. It has 287,000 miles with a head replacement from overheating, but the original 5R55E is still shifting fine.

 

[prince402]

Mine is not a DD. But the FL weather destroys the body. Again(3rd one) to have the paint peeling & rust starting on the roof from sitting. Dumb Ford design to make the roofs slots. They just pool water when it's not driven.

On my white 94 EB in Florida, I keep a small can of white oil base paint with a small paint brush. I periodically paint over the rust that develops and have kept it in order for nine years so far. I don't bother to remove the rust. It disappears under the paint and the deterioration is arrested. It's an easy job once or twice a year.

 

[eblightning]

Heck yeah, here’s my daily driver.

 

[XLTrunner]

I've had my '98 XLT for 9 yrs now. Bought it in Phoenix and had it shipped home to MN. I probably defy logic in that I drive it VERY sparingly during the winter months. It's a novelty to own a rust free vehicle in my part of the country (other than seasonally driven classics) and I'm doing everything I can to keep it that way. Road salt destroys. Still looks as clean as when I first bought it.

 

[TsherryUSA]

99 OHV with 110kish miles. This was wednesday:

Details of my camper setup here: My 99 EX-Camper Build

 

[TsherryUSA]

How do you like those window cover things? Any added noise?

I’ve got a 2000 OHV that I’ve been driving since 2011. It was my first car. I’ll be getting a 2020 ranger soon but I’m keeping the X. It has 287,000 miles with a head replacement from overheating, but the original 5R55E is still shifting fine.
View attachment 327999
View attachment 327998

 

[Ritsui]

99 Sport in my profile pic is still running strong. Not a daily driver and has some electrical gremlins (we pull fuses before parking for a long time), but still a nice truck for around town or when the snow or mud is too deep for the Tacoma.

 

[Mike65]

Heck yeah, here’s my daily driver. View attachment 328000

Nice looking Sport. I like the wheels, are they from a Mustang?.

 

[justmej]

I have a 93 limited with ?54k (she only has 5 digits on the odometer), and I love her. I have put quite a bit of money in her front end. Then I was hit in the front end, the other guy was going 70 mph when he side-swiped my front end (without insurance). The wreck only tore my bumper cover off and wrinkled the fenders a little from smashing the front end. Other than body parts I only needed an alignment after the wreck. The wreck didn't damage my grill at all! I do have trouble finding parts for my little explorer. She looks a little funky now, I can't find a bumper cover so she is an Eddie Bauer edition in the front and the original limited in the back.

Still have some engine issues, but I love my truck. Check engine light comes on going up a hill, then goes off on the downside of the hill. Light is never on long enough to put a code reader on her. She is drowning my spark plugs, once I have turned her off and try to restart her, I have to rev her a lot to get her to idle, but overall she runs well.

Either way, I love my explorer, she is stout and safe, big enough but not too big! I will keep dumping money in her no matter what other people say. As Mr. Alligator said, I will drive her until she falls apart, then I will put her back together, and drive her some more.

 

[J_C]

My '98 isn't a daily driver but is used to haul things, and has gotten more use recently as it's my go-to when it snows, though with the salted roads here, rust is slowly taking its toll. Poor thing gets driven specifically to save other vehicles from rust in addition to having 4WD and newer tires.

Latest rust related "need" is shackles and before that, spring seat/strut mounts, and before that a floor pan hole, brake lines, and otherwise mostly just wear items like brakes/tires/wipers unless going back a few years. Rust repairs have far exceeded any other costs, paid a body shop to do rocker panels and doglegs a decade ago, was largest expense then tires, everything else DIY, more like ~$100 or less at a time.

 

[spinnn]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.
if you’re still running a 2nd gen, any trouble or recent issues?

Absolutely. Take a look at my signature and profile. Love these trucks...small enough for tight trail use, but bigger than a wrangler or samurai...can take a collision pretty well due to full frame...parts are fairly common, although not as much since Obama pulled his cash for clunkers stunt...and, when properly maintained, can get 400k out of one simply by using the brain that God gave us.
I have 3 that are daily driver quality, tho the 96 I am still ironing the bugs out of, and my 95 is getting a fresh trans atm. I hope to begin cornering the market on manual transmission trucks in my state, since I have the room to keep a few on my property.
Really, the auto trans is the main problem I have come across. Also the stupid power window bushing thing. Oh well, no biggie, there is no mountain that I can't overcome with the wealth of knowledge on this site.

 

[prince402]

Curious if anyone still running a 2nd gen explorer set up? I’ve seen a ton roll out of the garages since we got dumped on with snow up here in the north.

Mine is not a DD. But the FL weather destroys the body. Again(3rd one) to have the paint peeling & rust starting on the roof from sitting. Dumb Ford design to make the roofs slots. They just pool water when it's not driven.

For my 94 EB I keep a small can of oil base point and a small paintbrush. I'v kept my roof channels from rusting through by painting over the rust areas once or twice a year. I've kept my going for 11 years now with no rusting through.

 

[Poohdaddy]

I have a 93 limited with ?54k (she only has 5 digits on the odometer), and I love her. I have put quite a bit of money in her front end. Then I was hit in the front end, the other guy was going 70 mph when he side-swiped my front end (without insurance). The wreck only tore my bumper cover off and wrinkled the fenders a little from smashing the front end. Other than body parts I only needed an alignment after the wreck. The wreck didn't damage my grill at all! I do have trouble finding parts for my little explorer. She looks a little funky now, I can't find a bumper cover so she is an Eddie Bauer edition in the front and the original limited in the back.

Still have some engine issues, but I love my truck. Check engine light comes on going up a hill, then goes off on the downside of the hill. Light is never on long enough to put a code reader on her. She is drowning my spark plugs, once I have turned her off and try to restart her, I have to rev her a lot to get her to idle, but overall she runs well.

Either way, I love my explorer, she is stout and safe, big enough but not too big! I will keep dumping money in her no matter what other people say. As Mr. Alligator said, I will drive her until she falls apart, then I will put her back together, and drive her some more.

Well said. There's something about the early explorers that grab you

 

[spinnn]

Mine is not a DD. But the FL weather destroys the body. Again(3rd one) to have the paint peeling & rust starting on the roof from sitting. Dumb Ford design to make the roofs slots. They just pool water when it's not driven.

Agree, but it's really hard to hide that pinch weld, both during factory assembly as well as when performing collision repairs. When replacing quarter panels on these trucks, as well as pretty much any vehicle with that channel, I would sandblast and prime the heck out of the channel, and apply a full fresh bead of sealer from stem to stern to try to avoid future problems. They used to use lead for this purpose back in the good old days lol