The Black Hole

Whats In A Name?

It was hot humid august night. The winds have all but vanished. I was doing my best to keep the sweat out of my eyes. The A/C was dying in my 94 Explorer, lovingly named "Pugly", and there was no relief in sight. I decided it was time to stop throwing good money into bad. I was gonna do the unthinkable,.......I was going to commit the most heinous crime of them all! I was going to trade Pugly in for a newer model! Oh the heart break! The insanity of it all! I couldn't believe the thoughts were even going through my head.

I managed to get the old girl back home, to her resting place. She seemed at ease in her familiar surroundings. I had to come up with an explanation to let her know of my evil plan. So i just gave her that old wink and grin that she likes to see from me as we made it back home from another day of adventure in the treacherous Midwestern terrain. I did my best in hiding my cynical thoughts, as I walked around to her rear flank and gave her that little pat on her bumper, as I always have when we part for the night.

The next morning I gave her a real good bath, cleaned behind her mirrors, and brushed her grill. She still looked pretty good for her age. Oh sure she had the tell tale signs, gravity has got its firm grip on her, and I am not the best cosmetics guy in the world. she didn't seem to mind too much, she still kept her nose up and drove with pride.

After looking at many vehicles I just could not find anything that had the same feel as my old girl. Then it happened! Was I seeing a mirage? Was I so desperate to find another rig that I was blinded by insanity? I found my replacement! I quickly made a sale with the owner, and brought it home.

When I pulled in the driveway, my heart sunk as I looked into the yard to see my 94 looking at me in disbelief. She was sunning herself in the grass looking all shiny and then, she just looked away from me. My heart was tearing in two. I parked the new rig, and walked up to her and gave her a soft spoken "Hello". No reply. I tried to tickle her mirrors, no response. The tension was so great, you could have cut it with a 32 count fine tooth hacksaw. I had to explain to her that she gave me great satisfaction for many years, and we made a terrific team together, but the time has come for her to just relax and enjoy her final days. She finally revved up, and understood, her days as my work horse has ended (so we thought).

I introduced her to her daily driver replacement. The shiny new(er) next generation of her kind. The 95 Explorer XLT. She warmed right up to it. Before you know it they were swapping stories. Now I had to ask her for help. I needed a name for the new ride,
so I went to find her, and what did I see? Those two were grill to grill in the driveway. rubbing chrome! I had to get the water hose out and break them up! Sheesh, she was acting like a girl at the prom dance! I let the name thing drop for awhile.

The new(er) Ex needed to get its shots, and a physical. When I got the word on it's health, I about had a coronary. "What do you mean Doc"! I yelled. "Your kidding right"? I asked. The Doc just shook his head and gathered his tools. As he walked away, He said it had a 50/50 chance of survival. My stomach knotted up, my teeth ground, my heart raced, and I could feel the energy build up as I let it all out, "Why! Why! Why did this have to happen"! I screamed.

The prognostic exam from the doc was as such. It had a blown steering rack, the shocks were gone, the brakes were non existent, front sway bar was cracked in half, the 3rd brake light was out, none of the windows or the moon roof would work, the door locks were broke, the rear end LS clutch pack was burned up, the tires were all in need of replacement, the spare was a Firestone recall and flat, the engine had a nasty tick to it, the TPS was shot, the MAF was corroded, the battery had a dead cell in it, the hood shocks were not working, the rear hatch lock was jammed up and you couldn't open it with out a key in the lock, The carpet was stained to no repair, the rear window wiper didn't want to work, and we could not tell what year its engine swap came from. it was a mess, to say the least.

I went in the house to get my gun. I was gonna just put it out of its misery right there and then. I suddenly realized I was out of ammo, from shooting at the jeep that was in my field. I went to the computer to find a place to buy some cheap ammo, and I stumbled across this website, explorerforum.com that said it could heal any ford Explorer no matter what the problems were! I jumped for joy, I could not believe the things I was reading! I wore out the search button, asked a bunch of questions. I quickly broke out my pen and paper, feverishly writing down things as I was learning! I had found a cure for everything that was wrong with my new transport. It was a Godsend, an angel from the SUV heavens!

I sprung into action. I worked day and night, Pugly was right by my side the entire time, helping me in any way she could. I never seen this side of her, and was really amazed at how well she handled the pressure. She gently squeegeed the sweat out off my fore head with her soft wiper blades as I worked away. After an entire weekend of work, I collapsed. I needed some rest, and so did the 95. The sun crested over the hills, and awoke me to a new day. I shuffled my feet to the window facing the driveway, peeled the drapes gently back, and peered out at the 95. WOW!
It had a its color back, and was looking great! Now as the time went on, (and most of my paychecks), and the selling of almost everything I own, for funds to get the 95 to its former glory.

After some time to reflect on this name thing, I strolled up and whispered into Pugly's passenger side mirror, and she giggled with delight.

I climbed up onto the front bumper in my pajamas and robe half opened, with a cup of coffee in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other, I raised my arms with out stretched hands and proclaimed the new name of the 95.

BEHOLD...........THE BLACK HOLE!!!!!!!! (Then the neighbor yelled at me to close my robe)



The End................(or is it just the beginning?)


Actually, only some of this really happened.




View attachment 324381

 

[CDW6212R]

Well I hate to hear you had a bad deal with another shop of strangers. It sounds like you will have to treat the truck like a whole new vehicle, and hunt for problems while being easy with it for a while. I know the thought of letting someone else work on my truck. I'm sure that most 20 year old's have spent more time with automotive shops than I have, in my entire life. I trust my work like you do, more than anyone else. Even though I'm slow, I'm tedious and get the job done eventually.

So, congrats on the new V8 drivetrain, I hope it eventually makes you smile a lot. The TransGo shift kit I've only used once, and the WOT shifts were the biggest change. It wasn't like the HD kit I put in my AOD, which woke up all throttle responses, down shifts were early compared to normal automatics. If you don't have a tuner for that PCM yet, you might try that first to adjust it a bit, that might do it. If that isn't enough, the J-Mod is an option and it is user chosen stuff(you can alter each shift separately). The accumulator springs alter shifts also, but those are harder to select(every application results in a different feel for each spring).

 

[gmanpaint]

A tuner is in my mind for the future. I do want to wake this stock turd up a bit. that won't happen for a while tho. All the repairs and mods in waiting first, then finish up another ongoing project. Headers are also on the wish list, Either TMH, or OBX. Depends on the funds. lol

 

[boominXplorer]

I hate when I see people get jacked on work they paid for. Granted you have a lot of extra parts to deal with a V8 swap can be done in 2 weeks, max 3 in a "shop". I can pull 2 bodies off and swap frames in one 8 hour day (if rust isn't bad). Then top off fluids and drive out the swapped one the next day. If it was me I'd put them on blast till they drive 10 hours to me to finish the job I paid for.

Look into a baumenn engeneering valve body kit, I've had nothing but great results with them. What wiring harness / PCM is in the truck now?

Welcome to the V8 club!!!!

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks boomin. I will look into that valvebody kit. Appreciate the heads up recommendation. I will be asking for help down the road on some items with this 302, and really am thankful for those here, that can help.

It just has the 98 harness and ecm from the donor I bought for this swap.

 

[Turdle]

Well, on the bright side-
you have less bugs to workout than when I swapped a 347 in the other truck before finding this forum.

PS, on the trails if you really need the instant shift, you can pretend it's a manual and move the lever. Things like the stumble and trns shifting patterns might be in the set up phase since the battery has been disconnected. It is possible things may improve after some miles are driven. Or, possibly throw a CEL and tell what is wrong.
I've been very close to pulling the trigger on an elmscan unit to see what is really going on. They are cheap, but there is a learning curve.

 

[gmanpaint]

I hear you Jon. It's just a ton of little things adding up that has stopped this rig from being used since it's return, and things I shouldn't have to deal with. More of that to come, as the updates happen.

As far as the brake lights go, when I replaced the pedal switch they sent, it worked, and the battery was connected all this time it has sat. When we bled them yesterday, they stuck on again. I had to disconnect the battery for now, until I can get another new one installed. Since the 3rd Neon brake light is not working, I know there is something else wrong here, and it is another headache to add to the list of crap to deal with. It wont pass inspection without the 3rd light working.

I have been cleaning up the loose, unwrapped, dangling wires here & there, since it has came home, and only have to wrap all the exposed engine harness wires still. I got about 90% of the ACC wires done, but still have to replace that ACC mini fuse box with no lid. Kurt, (EF Member) brought me a stock 93 PDB, and I am going to try to use it. I was wanting to place it next to the rigs PDB, but that shop mounted the 98's ABS module there. Wasn't expecting that, as I thought the pooter would have been programmed, and the ABS deleted. I'm not sure if it wasn't because it can't be deleted, or this was just the easy way out. I might try to mount it between the battery and the fender.

As far as the shifting the trans goes, I wheel the 94 with an auto. I brought it up, as just a comparison with the manual trans. When letting on/off the gas with the manual, it is direct drive and extremely responsive. That is not the case with an auto, as the trans & TC causes delays. You might not notice it, being only wheeled with an auto, but trust me, I can tell instantly.

I still need to buy a OBDII scanner for this rig. lol

Since I am not going to modify this engine in any extremes, like some here do, I really think, I do not need a custom tuner to go back n forth with. Hoping that there are some pre-programmed tunes in plug devices, that will work. Just want to wake it up a bit. Right now, it doesn't feel any different then the 4.0L did. That is super depressing to me. The only difference I can tell, is the exhaust sound.

I do feel that working on that stock trans will be worth it, as in the past, trans & gearing mods always paid off, and made the best changes in performance. Tell me your thoughts on the cheap auto parts stores stock Torque converters please. That's whats in it now, and has me thinking it could be the cause of this lack luster power.

 

[boominXplorer]

You need a tuner (well not need but you know). Look for a used SCT model SF3 with a serial number starting with XP and your good to go. You can find them used around $200 with a few unlocks remaining. Those models have factory tunes for the v8 allowing you to change shift points and firmness, idle speed, rear o2 sensor/egr delete and tire size to re calibrate speedo (on some explorers). Its also an obd2 reader.

I'm running about $1150 in parts from performance automatics in my 4r70w. Its almost too much transmission now. I run their "upgraded" stock 1800 converter. I'm going to do a stock rebuild on an extra trans I have with only adding the baumenn kit and and will be swapping it out in the near future to save on rear U-joints. I ran that exact setup in my old mountaineer for over 100k miles and never had an issue and loved how it shifts. Stage 2 is all your need.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Since I am not going to modify this engine in any extremes, like some here do

whadaya try'n to say?

i would say yes to a tuner. even if the motor is stock.....for now....you can get the person tuning it to play around with the shift points and firmness. also having a trans go kit in there, when your fully on it, it will snap your head into the seat. almost to the point its punishing. with your larger tires it might not be as bad, but with my old trans with a stock converter in it, and when the 302 was basically stock, it hit and it hit HARD.
maybe message member celly. i know he took his tuner out before he sold me his truck, so he might still have it, and might sell it. however, i dont know what kind of tuner he had in it.
and i agree with jon about the computer learning a few things. i remember evil running different when i first put power to it, compared to a few miles afterwards.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks guys, that's some great info! Much appreciated.

I will search out a tuner, and learn as much as I can, but already know, there is a lot to them. I do like the sound of that SCT, and will try for them first, then if nothing is found, give Brad a shout out.

I feel the Converter & valvebody will need to be changed, to something suited better for this rigs new intended use. I want fast shifts for steep climbs, under throttle. Reason being: The weight of this rig loaded with gear, towing some additional weight, and the added mass of the tires, will be torture on the trans clutches/bands., On & Off Road.

Tim, what your saying is exact opposite of how this trans is shifting. I bet the TransGo kit wasn't installed. I wasn't given any information on the trans builder to even ask. Heck, I asked for warranty info on this job, and got squat for a reply.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

i went with don at LaSota Racing Ford Tuning & Training.
this might be a little dig at james when he was tuning, but i did find don way easier to work with and pretty fast with his tuning. mind you, what i needed done is way different then what you need done. drop him a email or call him and he will let you know what you need, or dont need.

 

[boominXplorer]

Oh and the 3rd brake light issue is probably the ballast. If you use the brakes with some but low voltage they like to die out. I have a good one I could ship you for testing purposes.

 

[gmanpaint]

Yeah? That would be awesome. Thanks!

I just picked up the new switch, and will get it on, and see WTF is going on. I was going to put the meter to the power source going into the ballast, and see whats up with that too. If there is power to it (pedal depressed), I will give you a shout about that ballast you have. If no power, then I know to trace that circuit back to the harness that was made.

I'm leaning on the harness tho, as there are items missing from it, like the hood light pigtail completely gone.

 

[CDW6212R]

The valve body kits in general all make some holes larger to make shifts harder. If you can figure out which one out have, most likely you can adjust the shifting by hole size. I've put the two TransGo kits in past 4R's(my two 95 Crown Vics), I will have the instructions somewhere. You can make holes slightly smaller, using a flat steel surface, and a steel ball, plus a hammer. That can reduce harsh shifts at WOT if you don't like the choices made.

 

[gmanpaint]

I watched the install video TransGo made for the kit on our trans. It's pretty similar to the ones I have installed on some TH-400's, but they do want you to drill into a VB cast passage, besides the plate. Other than that, it is the same with checkball movement, and spring swaps. Kits are cheap, and should be able to install it in about 2 hours total. I just need to figure which to do... shift kit vs Stage 2 VB swap? lol, damn choices.

 

[CDW6212R]

I'd do the J-Mod, that's what I was about to do last before things got too busy. You can do that easier than the other kits, mainly because the others attempt to do more and some use more parts. TransGo always had the most complete kits, drills etc, included, but are usually the most complicated also. These trucks will work with the J-Mod like cars do, while some VB kits don't play nice with truck VB's.

The results may be slightly different than for a car VB, but it'll be very close, plus the hole sizes and accumulator springs can adjust that. Learning how the springs differ is hard though, most information available will be for cars, Thunderbirds, Mark VIII's etc. I was beginning to chart the hole and spring levels for the cars, I hadn't finished when I had other stuff to do come up.

 

[boominXplorer]

Here's the install manual you get with the baumann. I did it back when I was 19 (12 years ago). It's about 20 pages long and very detailed. Much more than the post-it size instructions that come with the transgo.

 

[gmanpaint]

So, I just watched a how to vid for the J-mod, and it seems equally the same amount of work as any shift kit to me. The big difference in that mod, seems they remove the 1-2 springs completely.

I need to research and think on all those kits/mods and think on it for a bit. I have time, as I am still putting the rig back together, and a large, hard pressed for time, project going on right now. That project is first on the priority list right now, as it is taking space in a friends shop, and needs out asap. For now, I can research, and read up a bunch on these performance mods. Please keep them coming, I love choices, and learning new things. Thanks guys!

 

[traveler]

I did the Jmod on my Tbird. It worked very well, and wasn't all that hard. No additional parts, just replace (upgrade) a spring or two (or remove them, depending on which one) and drill a few holes in the Separator sheet. No extra parts other than what Ford intended. Was considering doing it on the Explorer but when I asked on here I got mixed reviews on its effectiveness on the Explorer.

 

[gmanpaint]

Went to the salvage yard today. Picked through a bunch of 2nd gens, and grabbed some small misc stuff needed to replace, missing and broken items.

#1 on the priority list was to get a ballast for the 3rd brake light. The rig is stuck in the driveway again, until the brake lights are working. Simply ridiculous to have to go thru this, but it is what it is. I swear this rig, just doesn't want brakes.

So I installed the new brake switch. Upon closer inspection, I found that there was one of those cheap ass splice connectors on the LG wire, and no other wire leading into it. Ok, wtf? Left it be until I can continue on. Brake lights work, and they shut off. Did this same thing with the last switch, but this time, I made sure the pigtail was secured better with the push plug. I'm pretty sure that wire is broken, and movement with the pedal is causing the short.

So I checked for power to the Ballast. The Multi meter read good at the battery, and another hot wire in the back. Disconnected the ballast connector, propped the brake pedal, and checked for power. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Hmm, ok, so for grins, I swapped in the new ballast, propped the pedal, nothing again.

I then disconnected the gray can connector at the tow harness behind the Dr side brake light. Cleaned it real good with contact cleaner, and then with the air gun. I am familiar with this procedure, because it is the very reason, I found this site back in 08, looking for answers to getting this light working to pass state inspections. Turned out to be nothing more, than dirty connections inside that gray can. Nothing, nada, and still Zilch.

So I asked a friend to send me the diagram from Aldata, for the 95 brake circuit. It looks like the LG wire for this, runs the main power to all the lights, but it changes to DG, mid circuit for the high stop.

Tomorrow, I am going to try a jumper from one of the brake lights, to the ballast, and see what happens. If it works, then I know that power is cut to the ballast, and more then likely, the BOO switch harness is the problem. If not, then I am up a creek, without a clue, how to fix something in this hybrid home made harness by that shop.

 

[gmanpaint]

Managed to get the replacement cup holder section of the console, and put on the chrome vinyl ID decals on today. Now I know what the heck is what by a glance. Missing one switch ID (rock lights), because it is changing soon. Adding another switch, for a new upcoming mod in the near future, that will occupy that location.