Project Vehicle - 1998 Explorer Limited

[CDW6212R]

Well done, great lot on the lake too.

I had thought my RF window switch was bad for a long time, it only worked from the master switch most of the time. I discovered about five months ago that I had been accidentally bumping the main control switch on the LF, the long rear button. I thought I had checked that before, but I never use it so I don't know which direction is on or off.

Keep an eye out for more of the master switches, those are great to have on hand. I found another new one about a month ago, for $20 shipped. I had bought one for each color(95-97 is blue) a year ago, so I have a supply for my three trucks.

 

[koda2000]

Well done, great lot on the lake too.

I had thought my RF window switch was bad for a long time, it only worked from the master switch most of the time. I discovered about five months ago that I had been accidentally bumping the main control switch on the LF, the long rear button. I thought I had checked that before, but I never use it so I don't know which direction is on or off.

Keep an eye out for more of the master switches, those are great to have on hand. I found another new one about a month ago, for $20 shipped. I had bought one for each color(95-97 is blue) a year ago, so I have a supply for my three trucks.

When that rocker switch is level it's in the OFF position for all but the driver's master switch. I keep mine in the OFF position because when I have a dog in the truck they like a window open enough so they can sit their heads out. The problem is that when they do that they may accidentally stand on the window switch. If the window goes UP it could make for a bad day. It also keeps my grandson from playing with the windows.

With all the Gen II's I've owned, the only one with a bad master switch was my '01 ST. I replaced it with a brand new Chinese switch off eBay for around $20 and have no more issues. Other than broken wires on the driver's door jam (which is fairly common) the master switch is a major failure point.

 

[GLOCKer]

Yeah, I can see this being a weak point in the system. Mine looked to have a lot of gunk, especially towards the that rocker switch that locks out the other windows. 21 years of dirt and debris found it's way into it I imagine. It could probably be disassembled and cleaned, but the plug and play ease of replacing it with another was nice!

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, those internals of the switches are very fragile, and I've seen a couple that looked pretty bad with the button pulled off. Bolting in a new one was easier and I keep old parts for spares anyway.

 

[GLOCKer]

I've started looking at Ebay for parts for a 4x4 conversion and it's getting awfully tempting. I would use the manual transfer case from an F150 (BW 4406?), an Explorer 3:73 front differential, and I'd buy a rebuilt 4R70W for a 4x4 (if I went through with the project). I know I'd need hubs, control arms (?), half shafts, rotors, skid plate, Expedition driveshaft reconfigured for my 8.8 rear...

How stupid of a project would this be? What else would I need to source? I'm concerned I'd have pretty much everything I need on hand but no hardware to bolt it in.

 

[koda2000]

You don't need new control arms to convert to 4x4. You will need different spindles, hubs, CV axles and brake rotors for the front. Maybe heavier duty torsion bars (IDK),

I won't comment on, "how stupid of a project this might be?" People have done crazier things. Your time and your money, but from what you've said you don't have any spare time these days. Will someone else be doing the work?

 

[CDW6212R]

The transmission swap will be the toughest part for that. The bigger BW4406 transfer case is very heavy and it you'll have a time bolting it in, but lots of others have done it.

Find a front diff, which is at least in as good of condition as your truck, it's not common to have to have those rebuilt. YOu can keep your torsion bars, but if you wanted a softer or harder ride you could change them when the spindles are changed. I put stiffer "B" bars in my Mercury long ago, and I liked it both ways, but wanted a firmer front end.

 

[GLOCKer]

You don't need new control arms to convert to 4x4. You will need different spindles, hubs, CV axles and brake rotors for the front. Maybe heavier duty torsion bars (IDK),

I won't comment on, "how stupid of a project this might be?" People have done crazier things. Your time and your money, but from what you've said you don't have any spare time these days. Will someone else be doing the work?

Yep! I don't have time for much! LOL But I have the fleet maintenance guy from work that I would tap to help. I've considered sourcing an AWD/4x4 5.0 from Copart to start with. My thoughts are it would give me a good base to pull parts from. In exchange for his help, I would offer him the leftovers; the day I got my Explorer for free he tried buying it from me so he could V8 swap one of his Rangers. I declined!

The thing is, I was only able to find one AWD/4x4 on Copart and it had something like 279,000 miles on it. And I don't want to mess with a trans with that many miles on it! LOL

 

[CDW6212R]

Yep! I don't have time for much! LOL But I have the fleet maintenance guy from work that I would tap to help. I've considered sourcing an AWD/4x4 5.0 from Copart to start with. My thoughts are it would give me a good base to pull parts from. In exchange for his help, I would offer him the leftovers; the day I got my Explorer for free he tried buying it from me so he could V8 swap one of his Rangers. I declined!

The thing is, I was only able to find one AWD/4x4 on Copart and it had something like 279,000 miles on it. And I don't want to mess with a trans with that many miles on it! LOL

That was smart, a transmission has so much life in the case itself, and the VB, so those you need to find a good base to begin with. If you are looking, watch out for any 98-03 4R70W from the engines with the SBF housing pattern, the 302, V6 Mustangs, and one V6 truck had it also. They all have only two starter bolts, all modular engines use three bolt starters.

I know that covers 2WD's also, but that gives you many more choices to find on eBay etc. You can buy the two parts to make it 4WD easily, the shorter output shaft, and the short extension housing. The output shaft could come from any 4WD/AWD truck from any 4R70W. I got a 90k mile 03 Mustang 4R last year, priced at about $100 + shipping, ended up under $275.

If you could live with the down time, have your trans converted to 4WD with those two parts, during a rebuild.

 

[masospaghetti]

This will be a lot of work and IMO not worth it, but as others have said, it's your time and money. The real question is, why do you want/need 4x4?

If you are looking for some extra traction, you can install a limited slip/locking differential that's relatively easy compared to what you are proposing. You might already have one (D4 axle code).

My current Explorer has auto 4x4 but I've also had a 2wd model, and the AWD V8 model. All of them have their advantages. The auto 4x4 especially involves a lot of extra equipment that can wear out or break and it adds a lot of extra weight. It also makes some maintenance items more difficult (starter, oil pan, front cover, etc). Just comparing the BW 4404 to the BW 4406, the 4404 is way simpler internally and more reliable, and easier to service - I could drop it myself without using a jack but the 4406 is way too heavy to do that.

So TL;DR - consider enjoying the simplicity, reduced weight, easier maintenance, and better fuel economy of 2wd!

 

[BruceExploder]

This will be a lot of work and IMO not worth it, but as others have said, it's your time and money. The real question is, why do you want/need 4x4?

If you are looking for some extra traction, you can install a limited slip/locking differential that's relatively easy compared to what you are proposing. You might already have one (D4 axle code).

My current Explorer has auto 4x4 but I've also had a 2wd model, and the AWD V8 model. All of them have their advantages. The auto 4x4 especially involves a lot of extra equipment that can wear out or break and it adds a lot of extra weight. It also makes some maintenance items more difficult (starter, oil pan, front cover, etc). Just comparing the BW 4404 to the BW 4406, the 4404 is way simpler internally and more reliable, and easier to service - I could drop it myself without using a jack but the 4406 is way too heavy to do that.

So TL;DR - consider enjoying the simplicity, reduced weight, easier maintenance, and better fuel economy of 2wd!

I think he said his truck was getting stuck in the mud at different times which is when this originally came up

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes true, but the extra traction is needed sometimes. I'm driving my AWD with no front shaft, and constantly wishing it had the front tires driven. It's very easy to spin the back tires(one or both) in 2WD I have to baby the gas pedal a lot going around normal turns each day(as I hear the RR tire beginning to let go(I have a recently rebuilt traction lock)).

With AWD or 4WD it's very hard to spin any of them. This is with stock power, which is very mild at 200hp.

 

[gmanpaint]

Having an AWD or 4WD 2nd vehicle for bad weather, is plain great to have. It's like having another tool to use for the right job.

You can leave the nice new shiny vehicles at home, and use the paid for "Beater" when there is inches of cold/muddy googly gook on the roads. You can't control others out there, and it's more about them plowing into you, than you losing control. That's how I feel about it at least.

Same thing applies to going places your 2wd vehicle can't go, or would you even think about taking it. Like camping, hunting, or just some rough back woods trails. People can say all they want about getting a 2wd vehicle into places, but they worked HARD at it. Why, when your 4WD rig doesn't even notice? If you damage it, your loss isn't as bad, as say your nice Stang, or Mom's new Kid hauler.

As far as the 2wd to 4wd swap goes, to each their own. It can be done fairly cheap if your smart about it. Labor is free if you DIY, or have friends that can help. Salvage yards, and car-parts.com are your friend.

If your paying someone to do all the labor, plus paying for parts, this is something to consider, as it can get very costly. In this scenario, and I had to have, or just wanted to have 4wd, I would consider selling the current rig, and using those funds for the stock AWD version, than a few hundred for the 4406 swap.

If $$ or time is no object, and just something to tinker with, than heck yeah, have at it.

 

[koda2000]

OP - Keep in mind that even with 4WD or AWD you can still get stuck in the GA red clay mud (which in my experience is some of the most slippery stuff on earth) especially with street tires.

 

[fastpakr]

Do you not need to swap the engine crossmember for the 4wd conversion? On Rangers you do, and it's a giant mess to cut it out and install a new one.

 

[gmanpaint]

Do you not need to swap the engine crossmember for the 4wd conversion? On Rangers you do, and it's a giant mess to cut it out and install a new one.

Nope.

Techiman33 used to convert from awd to 2wd twice a year. His 2nd gen was built for speed, but used awd in the winter months. Lol

 

[GLOCKer]

My thoughts are:
I've gotten stuck at the lake twice. Very, very, very stuck. If the Explorer was a 4x4 it would have driven out of it without any issues or having to bother our poor lake neighbor to tow us out with his Tacoma. (I parked, drank a lot, went to bed, and found it had rained while we were asleep and the truck was now stuck.) I've since graveled our driveway and parking spot at the lake but I don't want to chance it if I have to park somewhere else out there.

January 1, 2019

August 4, 2018

What my driveway & parking spot used to be surfaced with; pine straw and mud!

(FYI: I really miss that F-150 4x4!!! That was my work truck with UC lights and siren! I loved it!

Gravel sure helps traction!

My wife's Escape is FWD. In a few years, if it's worth a damn, I'd like to upgrade her to a 2021 Bronco. She loves her Escape though. If the weather ever gets to be crap, and occasionally it does down here in Georgia, I'd like for her to be able to hop in a 4x4 and be able to go. She is stubborn about working and wont take time off; even in inclement weather.

One day in the next couple of years I would like a boat! And I really don't want any issues on a slippery boat ramp!

I'm a bit attached to this Explorer. I worked hard to get it back in shape and make it a vehicle that I'd feel comfortable letting my wife drive if she ever had to. I really don't want to sell it and buy another Explorer that is a 4x4 because this Explorer is MY Explorer!

 

[koda2000]

Do you not need to swap the engine crossmember for the 4wd conversion? On Rangers you do, and it's a giant mess to cut it out and install a new one.

No.

 

[CDW6212R]

The 4WD/AWD vehicles can relatively easily roll across slick ground, while a 2WD is a test of your foot/ass, feeling the tires spinning with a slight amount of throttle.

I like those pictures, sorry to see getting stuck on flat land. I did the same thing in a person's driveway last Fall. I put my back two tires off the pavement as I turned around, just barely got them onto the grass. At a glance the ground was maybe an inch below the pavement, it looked kind of flat. Bingo, stuck and spinning right at the edge of the pavement, both tires, good LS rear, good Cooper AT3 tires. I spent 5 minutes trying to get it on the pavement, a few errant boards and sticks, no joy.

So I knocked on the door, but expected to have to call for a tow truck. Happily the wife was home, I apologized for getting stuck there, and asked her if she had any other pieces of wood or something to use for traction. She gave me a few things, no luck, and then she found something she had bought for emergency traction, one green metal flexible track thing almost two feet long. That helped just enough to get the right tire biting and back up on the driveway.

Long story, sorry, but, two months later my substitute got stuck also, in the same yard on the other side, knowing I had trouble there too. She had a 4WD Nissan with open differentials, two tires spinning on that kind of flat yard. Tow truck, an hour delay, she never went up to that house again.

It's not magic, but 4WD or AWD is very helpful most of the time.

 

[GLOCKer]

I'm actually excited to drive my Explorer tomorrow! I'm going to get up a little early and drive out to the lake to do some kayak fishing on our cove. And I have working AC now!!!!