New to the site and explorer scene

[KaidoAE86]

Hey guys and gals, i just found this site and im trading labor for a 1991 Ford Explorer 2dr, ive only seen pics of it so far and looks like it possibly says sport in red underneath the Explorer badge on the driver side tailgate. the guy selling it knows my boss well and is selling it to him and im working it off of my boss. i dont know much about the explorer ive only owned mustangs and hondas so far. i borrow my moms sunfire since i dont have a car right now. i have lots of questions so this site seemed like the perfect place to learn and meet people at the same time. if there is any first time owner dos and donts please let me know.
First off what engine(s) would my explorer have? guy says needs either gaskets or heads need fixed. he already fixed them once he said but it started overheating again and he just parked it for the past 2 or 3 years. ive been entertaining the idea of just changing engines in it but dont know how much that entails with explorers. my first thoughts were either a 4.0HO out of a ranger or a 5.0HO out of an old foxbody (i know where to find lots of these two engines so thats what made me think of these options) I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

[Rick]

The 1st gen Explorers only had one engine. It was the 4.0 OHV.

You can easily swap later model 4.0 OHV engines into your Explorer with just a swap of external accessories so that engine management harness will plug right in.

There are many threads on our site describing how to swap a 5.0 into an Explorer. That's quite a bit more expensive since you need a new transmission, etc..

Welcome to the forum

 

[KaidoAE86]

thank you for the welcome! im really excited, ive always had a car since i had my lisence until mom needed hip replacement, sold it to help out. been without since, driving me crazy. first i just want to get it runnin then id think about the 5.0 swap. also how much goes into making it a 4wd? how expensive?

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site.

Tony:wavey:

 

[Rick]

Well at that point you would be looking at an engine, tranny, transfercase, drive shafts, and misc. parts. Might as well start with another Explorer that already has 4x4 and a running engine since the old ones are cheap and plentiful. If you go that route try for a '93 or '94 since they had the most "Fixes" installed from the factory.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! You mentioned in your first post that it had an overheating issue, and you were thinking about replacing the engine. Did you check the radiator & thermostat? The radiator could be clogged or the thermostat might be jammed in the closed position. Check to see if there is coolant flowing through the system. A replacement engine might not be necessary if there is no head gasket or head damage.

 

[KaidoAE86]

Thanks for the info guys, the guy already replaced the radiator and thermostat. then he found coolant in the oil. plus it has over 350,000 lol so a newer motor isnt a bad idea. a friend of mine has a wrecked ranger so i can get the 4.0HO out of a 96 ranger with 75,000 miles on the rebuild for $120 if i pull it myself. so thats worth it to me.

as for the 4wd, ill probably go that route i didnt realize there was THAT much to it. ive never owned a truck or suv let alone a 4x4 so im really dumb when it comes to this stuff. so "street truck" is the route for this one then. kinda want to turn it into a "hot-rod" in the long run. you mentioned to look for a 93 or 94 because the "fixed" the defects, is that just on the 4wd system or 2wd also? should i know about them seeing as this is a 91?

 

[Rick]

Both 2wd and 4wd Explorers went through a lot of minor changes between '91 and '94. I couldn't even begin to list them.

 

[KaidoAE86]

ah ok one of those. are there any basic trouble shooting for a couple of common issues? you know things prone to wear/damage?

 

[Rick]

Search the forum for anything you are interested... Nearly 3 million posts will keep you busy

Use the Google search box near the top of every page as it does the best job of searching this site.

 

[KaidoAE86]

ok thanks.

 

[FR-425]

Or you could go the other way and slam it on the ground and do a street custom 5.0 2wd

I have the lowest, non-air 1st Gen, that I am aware of....

Anyone else this low, without air?



Ryan

 

[KaidoAE86]

That looks awesome! thats not to far from what i want to do, more of a "muscle" look than slammed. where did u get that grille and body kit!?! ive been looking for grilles/headlights/tails/bodykits for this thing and cant find much else than ricer kits or OEM.

 

[Rick]

That's an Explorer Limited with no kit... Factory grill and bumper.

 

[KaidoAE86]

That's an Explorer Limited with no kit... Factory grill and bumper.

Ok thanks! i like that look more than the basic one. at least i know what to search for now. are there any websites that tend to have more grille and lights for the 1st gen?

 

[Rick]

You can find people parting them out here in our For Sale section and on E-bay.

 

[KaidoAE86]

really?! wow ok ill look around. thats really helpful to be able to find parts on here.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Contact a vendor from this site if you can't find what you're looking for. Check the vendors section too.

 

[Bruces expo]

Welcome to the Forum ! , From the posts so far it seems like your friends engine is well worth it , common issues with the first gens come from abused or neglected automatic transmissions if yours is equipped with one check the color and smell of the fluid .

 

[Spdrcer34]

Rick that's a EE Airdam, of course it's molded after a Limited, but mine is from EE....