1998 4 door Explorer

[GLOCKer]

I put 4 new tires on this truck to get me through the winter, Maybe next year I can find a rust free replacement.
Over 300,000 miles and still going, This truck don't owe me a thing.

Hell yeah! I love it!

 

[whitebread]

let me know when you're ready, I can keep a lookout here as well....with too many projects going at once, I may be ready to sell mine as well...

 

[4pointslow]

Are you talking about the white 4 door you have?
I am looking for 1998-2001 4 door with 15 inch wheels, preferably like the blue one I have.
Color doesn't matter so much to me(white,black,blue and maybe others?), but I want 6cyl with auto 4wd
The hard part is I don't want any rust on rockers(not even on back side) or wheel wells.

A 98 would be a plus because I have so many parts.

 

[whitebread]

yes, mine's a '98 with the OHV (vin x) with auto 4wd... does have the 15" wheels... the only rust I've seen on it is where the cheap paint most of the automakers used, has chipped off on the roof and is only surface rust that I've seen so far...

I'm in the middle of a conundrum at the moment, as I think I might have a head gasket seeping when it's cold.... trying to decide to just replace the head gaskets, or go through with fresh bearings/rings/timing set/gaskets.... on one side of the coin, I've replaced all the brakes, put good tires on it, put a used front center section and new cv's and hubs, new shocks, and just monday I pulled the heater box and replaced the blend door, and the trans was rebuilt about 10-12k ago.... the flip side of the coin is: the normal electrical issue in the rear wiring for the rear wiper/door ajar, cracked windshield,still needs the e-brake shoes, and the transfer case either rebuilt or replaced with a used unit.....

for what I've got in it right now, either side of the coin would probably be a win. even though it may not be the most favorite vehicle I've ever owned, I have to admit that it's surprised me for it's durability and just a plain old tough little runt!

 

[CDW6212R]

My last two trucks came from NC, the 98 Limited was born in GA. There are still lots of these around, but finding them available in the shape you want does take some time. I limited my search to 302/AWD models, but the SOHC was actually more common to find for sale when I got mine last.

 

[whitebread]

I am looking for 1998-2001 4 door with 15 inch wheels, preferably like the blue one I have.
Color doesn't matter so much to me(white,black,blue and maybe others?), but I want 6cyl with auto 4wd
The hard part is I don't want any rust on rockers(not even on back side) or wheel wells.

A 98 would be a plus because I have so many parts.

came across this lil beauty today and thought about ya!
1998 Ford Explorer for parts

 

[RandomNerd2000]

That's not far from me and I've got a GOOD 4.0 sitting here, I'd love to have that one myself, but I've got enough projects ATM sadly.

 

[4pointslow]

Looks like it is rust free, cant see behind those lower rocker panels though.(people selling Explorers should post pics of behind lower rockers LOL)
With a timing chain noise at least the vehicle still runs and could be driven on and off a trailer.
Now that I think about it, I kind of want to stay away from Red since I don't want to draw attention to myself when I am driving to work and back.
Wonder how much it would cost to have an Explorer shipped/trailered up to New Jersey from South Carolina.
I think I need to move south, this cold up here is hindering my dragstrip racing and the vehicles seem to have a lot less rust down there.
If I moved all the way down to Florida I probably could be racing all year round? Hurricanes scare me though.

Today it is 12 degree's F and going up to 17. I guess it could be worse, our friends in Canada usually have the coldest temps I see posted.

 

[CDW6212R]

That truck would be a great base to rebuild yours. But I agree you'd likely be painting it if it's not a preferred color.

When I got my last 98 from SC, I spent 20 minutes climbing all around underneath the truck. I found nothing of rust, just a little radiator support damage, which has some small corrosion in the bent areas. Many areas down there and south of KY have some salting, big cities etc. But lots of places have none, and those can still have zero rust on cars for decades.

You want to see the body seams under the vehicles, especially along the sides and where the quarter panels meet the floor and rockers. The radiator support is prone to rusting too in salt zones, look over the bottom and center of that well too.

Shipping one would be high unless you found a carrier deal already going that route, and got a super price of $200ish. Best bet would be to locate a car trailer, and spend the time to drive there and back. My friend and I went to upper PA about ten years ago, to pick up an old 84 Jaguar, and parts from another. It was tough to drag one onto the trailer with a come-along, but the drive wasn't bad for two people.

 

[4pointslow]

That's sounds like a fun trip, what vehicle did you pull the trailer with?

 

[CDW6212R]

That was a borrowed Suburban, which we spent about two hours up there filling with odd parts from the other car. My friend bought both on eBay, and agreed they would scrap the one he left behind. They were happy, both cars had oo much rust to restore. My friend's 86 convertible V12 had had a fire, he bought it that way.

The 302 Explorers could tow a full load like the 98 Explorer, but only really with a big cooler added. I towed my 99 home with my 98 Mercury in stock form, 170 miles, but only about 10 of it was steeper inclines. The car trailer was under 1000lbs, 800 I was told, so that was easily 5200lbs.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

I'd be tempted to buy that truck. My 01 Eddie Bauer I'm V8 swapping, it's perfect underneath, never seen a bit of road salt. My white 2000 on the other hand has and it shows under there. I'm tempted myself to make the venture for this one, that's a clean truck, but I swore off SOHC trucks long ago, and I wouldn't be bothered enough to V8 swap it, I'm V8 swapping Eddie because it's a very special truck to me.

 

[masospaghetti]

I'm in the middle of a conundrum at the moment, as I think I might have a head gasket seeping when it's cold.... trying to decide to just replace the head gaskets, or go through with fresh bearings/rings/timing set/gaskets.... on one side of the coin, I've replaced all the brakes, put good tires on it, put a used front center section and new cv's and hubs, new shocks, and just monday I pulled the heater box and replaced the blend door, and the trans was rebuilt about 10-12k ago.... the flip side of the coin is: the normal electrical issue in the rear wiring for the rear wiper/door ajar, cracked windshield,still needs the e-brake shoes, and the transfer case either rebuilt or replaced with a used unit.....

for what I've got in it right now, either side of the coin would probably be a win. even though it may not be the most favorite vehicle I've ever owned, I have to admit that it's surprised me for it's durability and just a plain old tough little runt!

Maybe you have a cracked head? I have a ton of miles on mine and possibly a head crack, going through the same choice right now (to replace the heads) or go through a full rebuild. I figured i would decide after I opened it up and saw the condition of the cylinder walls.

It's tempting to drop in an ATK rebuild but there's something to be said for having the original motor, and rebuilds are not guaranteed to be trouble-free. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[whitebread]

thanks maso,

I'm not too sure about the coolant seeping into the heads as I was... I think I may have found some slight leakage on the radiator, but haven't had a chance to pressure test it yet.... I may just run it as it is, and keep maintenance up as I go, as I can't really see myself keep this more than another year or so... I did finally replace the transfer case with a used unit last weekend, so my mind isn't completely made up yet......

 

[4pointslow]

A Radiator is not that hard to replace if you have the coolant fan tools, so it is worth doing.
I have had to do mine twice because an aftermarket waterpump shaft snapped and the fan hit the radiator and put a hole in it.
If you have the 4.0 SOHC I recommend going with Motorcraft water pumps since they are made in Germany and seem to be good quality.

 

[masospaghetti]

You can change the radiator without touching the fan, just loosen the 2 bolts for the fan shroud and hang it on the fan while the radiator comes out.

I would strongly suggest pressure testing your radiator and replacing it if there's any question. They are easy to change and not expensive, and if the plastic tank cracks you will lose all of your coolant in short order. Autozone loans pressure testing kits for free that are easy to use - they helped me find a bunch of leaky hose connections.

 

[Mike65]

Maybe you have a cracked head? I have a ton of miles on mine and possibly a head crack, going through the same choice right now (to replace the heads) or go through a full rebuild. I figured i would decide after I opened it up and saw the condition of the cylinder walls.

It's tempting to drop in an ATK rebuild but there's something to be said for having the original motor, and rebuilds are not guaranteed to be trouble-free. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Back a few years ago my 2000 Ranger w/4.0 developed a miss & it turned out to be 2 cracked heads. Mine were cracked between the valve seats in the front cylinder on the l/s head & the rear cylinder on the r/s head. I replaced both heads w/heads that had more casting between the valve seats to stop that from happening again. I also replaced all the valve lifters since you can NOT remove them with the heads on. I just replaced the heads because when I pulled the heads the cylinder walls looked brand new.

 

[4pointslow]

Made it through the winter! 305,000 miles and still going!
4 days ago on April 1rst would have been 7 years since I rebuilt the alternator and that is still going too.
Cant wait to see what this year brings!

 

[4pointslow]

This year brought a scare!
I developed a bearing noise that was pretty noticeable around 30 mph but heard at higher speeds as well.
It sounded like the front differential bearings were shot.
I thought this might be the end for the truck but then I started thinking it might just be a hub bearing.
While driving I noticed that accelerating or decelerating didn't change the noise, but swaying left and right did.
To me that says hub bearing so I finally got it into my garage and jacked the front end up to find a loose hub bearing on the passenger side front.
After separating the upper ball joint and pulling the axle out I spun the hub and could feel the roughness in the bearing.
162.00 for the more expensive Moog bearing from Advance Auto and no more noises!

I will continue to drive this truck. Hopefully through this next winter if I am lucky!

 

[4pointslow]

Truck is still going!
I had an issue with it running a little hot in August.
After replacing the thermostat is has been fine.
Here is the current mileage!