insulator shock absorber........

[wetdog]

.....does a north face have one and where is it?

hi all, just had a look under mi truck and i cannot see the 5th shocker.
my truck has developed a s'kitty back end', oohh matron and all that.
now, bighvm had a similar problem, and i believe he fixed it with new shockers, was this just the back twomor all around.

cheers guys,mick.( still got a dodgy box/transfer box)

 

[jays1]

you should find it on the drivers side about a foot in front of the wheel,opposit the fuel tank so to speak,its only little about a foot long,(thats what i tell all the girls though
i keep having little episodes of the dredded skitish rear aswell,thinking of trying some shocks,but would like to do all the bushes ect when funds allow.
i have heard the 99 and newer exes have thicker anti roll bars and this would stiffen the ex up
am i right?

 

[SB98UKexplorer]

or the lsd oil needs renewing and that addative stuff? (just from the top of my head) does it screach out of corners? like the sound of wheel spinning out of turns?

 

[BIGHVM]

Back end wobble!

Yes mate I did have a dodgy rear! I changed my back shocks and my anti roll bar bushes front and rear. My 5th shock seems ok but I would like to change it also- it is on the left above the exhaust.

I think my problem was a combination of faults, dead shocks being the main problem and also the roll bar bushes.
Check also your roll bar links for wear as they tend to rub down on the linkage when the bushes wear.........my linkages were just about ok but I say that as I noticed some slight wear was visible.My bushes on the other hand were like a dick in a shirt sleeve!
New ford shocks are around £100 a corner, you could go for non standard much cheaper but would loose the self leveling system if you did.
I got hold of a pair of low mileage back arc shocks from our pals at Newport, really clean and no rust at all!
Only paid the chaps £40.00 for the pair- well worth it.
I will change my 5th shock sometime as I believe it will improve the ride further also.

Good luck and let us know what you do ok?

 

[jays1]

or the lsd oil needs renewing and that addative stuff? (just from the top of my head) does it screach out of corners? like the sound of wheel spinning out of turns?

yes mine does thatand there was me thinking my ex was just being high spirited,does that mean the lsd oil needs changing

 

[wetdog]

hi all,
thank you for the replys.
no, the car doesnt squel the tryes on corners. it jumps around and moves from side to side when hitting bumps, potholes etc. also, it only happens when the near side rear hits the bump. this all happens very fast and stops in a second, but none the less gives that 'skitty' feeling.
now, just what does the 'insulator' shocker do? from your replys it doesnt seem part of the suspension.
looking like a call for a pair of shocks.

regards,
mick.

 

[BIGHVM]

It is supposed to take the bumps out before they reach the cabin.................Hmmmmmmm. I dont believe it is a great design as I cant see just one doing a good job for the whole cabin.
I will change mine in time- some people have posted here that it makes a differance and for what it costs to buy and do it your self it makes sense. In fact I saw one sell on e bay for £10- am sure some one here bought it-very rare!


The fact is the Explorer ususpension is ancient- leaf springs were raced under chariots!It will never be e limo ride and on the road you can expect a ride of dubious quality!
After doing what I did, the rear shocks and bushes etc and after the 5th shock is done- thats it I will have to call it as good as it gets.
Keep in mind tire pressures also, I run mine at 28 all round, I tried it on 35 and it was bloody hard so the tires to do a fair bit for cabin comfort.
the recomendation is 26 from Ford- my wifes seat ibiza runs on more than that- so it would seem that ford use the pressures as a major part of the suspension in terms of ride comfort!

 

[kevin p]

H, i think you'll find the recommended pressure is 31 all round. I think!!!
Kev.

 

[BIGHVM]

Stock tires is 26 I am sure of that- but thats too soft and makes the car sluggish dont you think.
What do you all run on pressure wise for stock sizes?

 

[Howard]

Mine (when stock 255*70*16 Goodyear's) were recommended to be 31psi all round. Now with Bridgestone Duellers 265*75*16 I run at 40psi. Running a tyre at low pressure will increase wear and lead to overheating and possible tread separation, which is what happened to the Firestone's.

 

[SB98UKexplorer]

every tyre brand has there own pressure rates so they will never all be the same across the range

 

[BIGHVM]

Good point chaps- better check my pressures again!
Whilst I am on the subject, 265s fit ok and get the speedo to about right I understand- NOW I am after a set of boots that will have an off road look- Who has what and why?
I am thinking around £100 a corner, I spose thats around the average price. Grabber, Duellers, or what chaps?

 

[jays1]

i have a grabber and very nice it looks,wish ihad a full set,i wear the goodyears out at a rate knots lol but the grabber is just unwearable it still looks new,dont get any discernable road noise from it either.

 

[BIGHVM]

Thats what I thought, most off road tires seem to have much, much deeper tread, noise seems to have been just about cured now- they were said to be bad in the old days!
My change wont be for a bit as I have good tread left in my boots for now.

 

[wetdog]

I will change mine in time- some people have posted here that it makes a differance and for what it costs to buy and do it your self it makes sense. In fact I saw one sell on e bay for £10- am sure some one here bought it-very rare!


thought it was cheap, its a brand spanker, genuine ford part.
mick.

 

[jays1]

i was just thinking whether or not to buy that,and when i decided i could afford it it had gone ya bugger

oh well i will have to see if bungee straps work as well lol

 

[wetdog]

i was just thinking whether or not to buy that,and when i decided i could afford it it had gone ya bugger

oh well i will have to see if bungee straps work as well lol

if and when i do my suspension and gearbox and i dont use it, would you like it @ cost?

mick.

 

[jays1]

yes mate if you dont use it,think ime going to gather a load of suspension and brake stuff together and do a mini rebuild on the old thing.

 

[gwar]

Good point chaps- better check my pressures again!
Whilst I am on the subject, 265s fit ok and get the speedo to about right I understand- NOW I am after a set of boots that will have an off road look- Who has what and why?
I am thinking around £100 a corner, I spose thats around the average price. Grabber, Duellers, or what chaps?

I keep hearing good things about General Grabber AT2 50/50's, they're what i'm going to be replacing mine with when the time comes. Afriend has a full set on their Ex and has done over 30k miles on them with plenty of tread still left.

http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/brands/general/index.php

This place has a range of tyre and will come and fit at location of your choice

 

[SmithA]

Hi all,

i wonder if you could confirm what i think my problem is...

on wet roads when i come out of a roundabout mainly (at normal acceleration speed) the back end "kicks out" (wife screams).

on dry roads dont seem to get the problem although does not feel over confident (keep smile on face so wife does not scream)

what i have done so far....

rear tyres were two different brands so have now changed to the same type (getting the fronts to match today!)

since getting this done back end feels a lot better but i have now noticed that i am getting a squel when exiting round abouts and tight turns.

the $64,000 question, do you think it is the LSD oil that needs to be changed? if so is this a job for diy novice mechanic or should i get a proper one to do it? is it as easy as dropping the oil putting the plug back in and refilling or am i going to need 347 specialist tools?

many thanks for your assistance

Andy