Project Vehicle - 1998 Explorer Limited

[GLOCKer]

So the big question:
Do I buy a 3.73 rear end out of the pick-a-part yard for $125 or do I buy the $87 rear end rebuild kit from RockAuto?

I've got someone who will help me either replace the rear end or rebuild it. He says that most likely all the noise I'm hearing is fudged up bearings and the ring and pinion are good to go. Ugh I don't know what to do as I need to keep costs down on this!

 

[CDW6212R]

So the big question:
Do I buy a 3.73 rear end out of the pick-a-part yard for $125 or do I buy the $87 rear end rebuild kit from RockAuto?

I've got someone who will help me either replace the rear end or rebuild it. He says that most likely all the noise I'm hearing is fudged up bearings and the ring and pinion are good to go. Ugh I don't know what to do as I need to keep costs down on this!

You need to inspect the inside of the rear, the gear oil and ring/pinion gears specifically. The differential bearings and ring gear are what to worry about the most. The key is the gear oil. If there is no bad accumulation of material in the grease, then the gears and diff, bearings might be fine. If the gear oil looks bad, then the differential bearings are likely hurt, maybe axles also, and it's more work to replace those, and/or the gears if they are becoming damaged.

If the gear oil looks good(all five of mine have at mileages of 77k to 158k), then all they should need is new axle bearings and seals, plus gear oil. The axles are always suspect with higher mileage, but they have to come out to look at the bearing surfaces. The outer bearings and axles are usually first to go, which don't require special tools or labor.

So look at the grease and gears, see if the rear looks usable. A different rear end may need the same work, so hopefully yours is not bad.

 

[GLOCKer]

Minor progress today...

A piece of the interior sunroof trim had broken off just over the driver side of the truck and it was annoying me because bright light would stream in and it was distracting. I super-glued that back into place.

And slightly more exciting (only slightly more) is that I fixed another annoying issue. I had to drive this thing home from where it was parked for 2 or 3 years with only a passenger side mirror. Then I spliced in an Explorer Sport mirror on the driver side. Well today I installed the rear-view mirror on the windshield! Luckily it came brand new in a box with some rear-view mirror adhesive. Now, the adhesive is is somewhere between 2 to 4 years old so I had to fudge the mixing of it but I got it work.

 

[GLOCKer]

I popped the hood this evening to soak down the EGR tube in PB Blaster and damn!!!!!
The EGR tube had a big enough opening in it I could have slipped a penny into it!

I'm hoping that when I change the tube tomorrow I don't jack up the manifold and that the truck stops sounding so ridiculous when I drive it!

 

[CDW6212R]

Get a good grip on the wrench when you try to loosen it, that nut is very tight. Don't let it loosen and bang you into something that opens up the hand/skin etc.

 

[GLOCKer]

Get a good grip on the wrench when you try to loosen it, that nut is very tight. Don't let it loosen and bang you into something that opens up the hand/skin etc.

That doesn't look like it's going to be an issue. :[ I am beyond frustrated right now. I decided to get a jump on it and use the remaining daylight to go ahead and knock out changing the tube. I mean, hell, I can see it and reach it. It's right there.

The biggest wrench I have is 7/8. 7//8 is a touch too small. (Not that it'd matter because I bet it'd be too long to get down there.) I have three pairs of channel lock pliers. Two wont fit down there and the third does. But it wont stay on the size needed to grasp the nut. I tried a set of vice grips. They fit around the nut but the handle is too wide to put any torque on it to turn it.

So now I'm stuck!

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Wrench is 1 1/16 afaik, I have the manifold for my 2000 but I'm not sure how you get to the outside bolt for the exhaust, it's in line with the frame, nor can I get the EGR tube budged. I ended up just giving up and driving mine rather than go through heck and half of Georgia on a probably well worn motor.

 

[GLOCKer]

I just ordered a 27mm 1/2" drive crowfoot wrench and a set of 1/2" drive extensions. I hope this will get it done.

 

[Turdle]

I ended up cutting the closed end off a combination 1 1/16" wrench, leaving all the length I could to the open end, so I could slide a cheater pipe onto it.

One 98 of my son's we worked on required egr valve removal to take it and the pipe to a vice where we attacked it with a pipe wrench and 6' bar, proceeded to break the vice. It never did come off and we had to get another egr valve also.


Soak those nuts good, mix acetone and trans fluid 50/5o and give them a good soak.

 

[CDW6212R]

I ended up cutting the closed end off a combination 1 1/16" wrench, leaving all the length I could to the open end, so I could slide a cheater pipe onto it.

One 98 of my son's we worked on required egr valve removal to take it and the pipe to a vice where we attacked it with a pipe wrench and 6' bar, proceeded to break the vice. It never did come off and we had to get another egr valve also.


Soak those nuts good, mix acetone and trans fluid 50/5o and give them a good soak.

That sounds about right, par for the course. Those are large threaded parts, without any anti-seize from the factory, and tightened like they thought it was a caliper bolt, they are too tight from Ford.

A crowfoot wrench is a hopeful idea, but the torque required I think will open the wrench and it'll slip/jump. Making something like Jon did sounds the best, a tool like that made for the EGR fittings would be trick. I'd make it a flare nut shape, extra thick, like if they made one that big, cut two and weld them together.

The one I changed on my Mercury I recall using two wrenches, and a lot of grunting. I also took the pipe off with the EGR, and used a pipe wrench to make it let go, on the floor.

 

[GLOCKer]

If I was frustrated last night, I don't know what I am tonight. I managed to break loose the bottom nut on the egr tube pretty quickly tonight and then it took one hour and twenty minutes to un-thread it. I took a break for dinner and then tried to get on the top nut. I spent one hour messing with it and got nowhere. It started to turn and then as it was turning the crowfoot slipped off mid turn. Not the nut is oriented where I can't get the crowfoot back on it so I am totally stuck.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

You mean they make crow foot wrenches that big? What'd that cost? I'd about give it a spin. I thought about a time or two just cutting the EGR tube in half, at the last of the old manifold R/R, and replacing the tube while I was in there, that way the big nut would be irrelevant? That costs extra $ though.

 

[Dono]

I have both a crowd foot, and a cut down wrench for my egr tube. The cut down wrench for the win every time. You did the right thing. Sorry, I wasn't following this thread before.

 

[GLOCKer]

Any suggestions on how to undo the top nut that's just under the EGR?

I looked at just taking the whole EGR system off to finish removing the tube, and I was just barely able to get a 10mm socket with 1/4" drive on one of the bolts and there was no room to turn it let alone get a socket on the other bolt!

 

[BrooklynBay]

I've never used this tool, but it might work for you: WWW.TheInductor.Com.

 

[GLOCKer]

No I can't get a wrench on the top nut. It' already broken free. The nut is oriented to were I can't even get the crowfoot on it.

 

[GLOCKer]

Can I drive the truck with the bottom nut undone? I'm going to have to take it to a garage. There isn't enough room to get a socket on the egr mount to take the whole thing off and the only way to get the crowfoot on the top nut of the tube is to orient it straight back against the firewall and there is no way to turn it then.

I've got four f---ing hours in this and only accomplished undoing the bottom nut on the egr tube (last night). I've also bought $65 in tools for nothing.

 

[CDW6212R]

The EGR bolts are hard to get sockets on, but the right combination can do it. I've forgotten what sockets/extension/ratchets I used, but it took a little while to figure out. I'd work on that more and get the EGR off with the EGR tube.

 

[GLOCKer]

The EGR bolts are hard to get sockets on, but the right combination can do it. I've forgotten what sockets/extension/ratchets I used, but it took a little while to figure out. I'd work on that more and get the EGR off with the EGR tube.

I'm done. I have a single 10mm socket left for a 1/4 drive. I've already spend $65 on tools and gotten nowhere. I'm on the edge of throwing tools through the windshield.

 

[CDW6212R]

I understand, it takes a lot of odd tools for some odd tasks, and the EGR bolts are that way. I've got almost 40 years of accumulating tools, and sometimes I can't find things I know I have. I've got a big new toolbox that needs organizing. Keep it simple, do what you can at the time.