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

 

[Turdle]

Brake pressure switch is the one on the master cylinder. Looks like a sending unit.
There should be a small auxiliary harness with a fuse in line attached to it's harness under the hood, which is the brake pressure switch safety recall. dealer puts a fuse in line with the wiring of the brake pressure switch ( on the master cylinder)

The recall is because the brake fluid can cause a wiring short which causes the truck to catch fire. true story. It's circuit is hot at all times.

 

[gmanpaint]

Gotcha. Ok, that recall was done already at the dealer when it was in for some work. I forgot all about that, and never would have put that together with this current stuff at the pedal. I thought that had to do with the cruise control shut off.

 

[KurtECV]

No Brake Switch Circuit Diagram in this one.. But everything else that you need is in this one diagram

 

[gmanpaint]

Thank you Kurt. I was having a hard time finding that diagram. That's a great resource right there.

So now I think I know, that the problem is with the crossed wires (LG & LG/R), I can start digging into it.

Plan is to yank the dr seat, the dr kick panel, the dr sill cover, and find that DG wire to the high mount light. That wire goes to the LG wire from the switch.

Then the LG/R wire from the switch, goes to fuse 13 at the block, where I am very confident I will find the LG wire at.

If I am right after all this digging the last couple of days, all this means is the wires was installed wrong with the swap, and not a broken bare wire grounding on something somewhere. What a PITA to figure out (for this ignorant fool). Now to get my hands dirty(er). Nice 50* day tomorrow, and the nasty front will be here by days end. Hopefully I can get to it, and remove another thing from the repair list!

 

[gmanpaint]

Sorry for another lame ass post, but I need to keep track of things as they happen.

Yanked the seat, and got my head under the dash for a look see. Shoulders are wider than the opening, so I could only get so far, and one hand at a time up in there. I couldn't do much, but look.

Removed the 3 bolts on the fuse box, and was able to gently pull it out a little. I found a cut wire with bare wire exposed, a jumper wire, and a funky spliced wire with 1" of two speaker wires at the end of a single speaker wire, into one side of a fuse, then to a factory wire leading into the bulky bundle harness. No idea what those are all about.

I think I was looking at the back of fuse 13 (blowing fuse from brake pedal action), and see the LG/R wires going to it & away from it. I really believed I would find the solid LG wire there, but nope. I lose the LG wire from the brake switch going into the big bundle harness, and do not see it at the fuse box anywhere. So this means it is spliced somewhere inside that bundle. I can't reach it to work on, w/o removing the entire dash harness. I am literally sick to my stomach right now.

I do not want to pull the dash harness. There has to be a work around for this. All I can think of is running new wires for each, cutting & leaving the old ones where ever they lie.

I know the LG brake switch wire is supposed to connect to the DG wire somewhere, for the 3rd brake light. I can just run a new wire from the switch, and find the DG wire, and tie into it.

I know that the LG/R switch wire is supposed to run to fuse 13. I can run a new wire to it, I just need to make sure it goes to the proper side of the fuse.
Getting to the backside of the fuse box, to work on, will be a headache for sure. I think this is going to be my best solution here. Got some thinking to do here.

Back of fuse box

The cut wire loose & exposed

Remember the burned wires found hooked up to those thicker red wires? I traced them to the ends. They ran back to the center of the console, and are cut and exposed. Why? Who the Fawk knows.

Running down towards the center console

And how they are terminated

This confirms that the wires was burnt up before it was returned to me. I don't even care to know what the reason is for this right now, because it will just be some lame ass excuse, that doesn't matter anymore. It's just perplexing.

 

[gmanpaint]

"Find S212"...... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Recap:
It's a human error, not a mechanical malfunction. The wrong wire has power on the brake switch .

I have the proper test light, we went over this already.

 

[KurtECV]

Did you check continuity from fuse 13 to Pin 5?

One side should have power, the other should have less than 2 ohms from the fuse terminal to Pin 5 at the brake switch. I suspect it does not.

you can also check for continuity from the speed control (cruise control?) to fuse 13 and see if that circuit is good.

Usually what i do when i am diagnosing a circuit problem, is print the diagram, and use a highlighter and highlight the circuits that are good, so you can keep track of what circuits have already been tested.

If you havent already guessed, my reading comp isnt that great so: for me hahahahaha

 

[gmanpaint]

Sorry if you missed it, but there is power at fuse 13 on one side, and nothing at pin 5 at the switch.

I didn't check the sensor at the master, just for power at the switch, when testing for power on all 5 pins.

As far as finding the splice for LG to DG, I'm hoping it is not at the aux box #2, behind the cargo panel. I'm sure it is tho, because that's the most inconvenient place.I guess I could splice into it closer up to the front once I find it.

Why can't I just have normal problems like everybody else? When the light goes bad, everybody else just replaces it or Mods it with an LED, but Nooooooo, not me, not this rig. It has to be torn apart, take up 3 pages of posts, days of work, and cause me health issues. lol

Bad weather is moving in, and old man winter is settling in. I put everything back together, in case it needs moved or used.

This will have to wait for nicer weather as I don't wrench or wire in 10* weather unless it's an emergency.

 

[KurtECV]

Taken from ALLDATA: "S212 Near T/O to DLC"

So it is under the dash..

That will be useful when diagnosing the inop high mount brake light

Edit: That is for 1998 Explorer

 

[gmanpaint]

Neit Spreken Ze Doich.

What is T/O and what is DLC for $1000 Alex?

 

[KurtECV]

Der DLC ist der Plug unter dem Bindestrich, in den Sie Ihren Scanner einstecken.

Die T / O ist ein Drahtabschnitt, der von einem Kabelbaum abzweigt

 

[KurtECV]

The DLC is the plug under the dash that you plug your scanner into.

The T/O is a section of wire that branches off of a wiring harness

 

[KurtECV]

obwohl ich ein wenig deutsch kenne, bin ich nicht so gut, also ist google mein freund

 

[gmanpaint]

It's now official. This rig & this thread is trashed.

 

[gmanpaint]

The Atlas shifter's stick out a bit much, and hit the back of my right leg. The new Fancy Corbeau seats don't help much here, so out they come.

I decided to put the stock seats back in, because of the adjustable knee bolster. The Dr seat needed some work first. The lumber air bladder leaks, and doesn't stay filled for more than 30 seconds. This leak affected the side bolster bags too.

I dismantled the seat down to the frame, to work on both sections. Sealed off the tube for the lumber bag. Side bolsters work now.

Rebuilt the seat cushion suspension support, added new foam, and a layer of support between the suspension wires and foam.

Welded up the broken factory tack welds on the lumber support bar, and a coat of paint. Added 2.5" of foam over the bladder by simply duct taping it in place using the lower frame cross tube, and the lumber bracket. The foam inside the cover is thinner here for the bladder, and when bladder is empty, it has no real cushion at all. Once the seat cover is back on, it won't be able to move, so the tape is just holding it in place to work the cover.

The hardest part of this job, was getting the seat cover back on the frame properly. I needed 6 hands to get it back on right. Since I was short 4 hands, I used two 1/2" x 4' dowel rods to line everything back in place inside, by directing, prying, and pushing the foam where it needs to go. Holding a flashlight at the same time is a total pita. Once that cover is in place properly, you have to fight the fabric style flap, that is attached to the front fabric, and loops up into the back side, and clips onto the top of the lumber bracket. That takes patience to get it on. Took me many many tries and frustration set in. Had to walk away a couple times. lol

Lumber bracket welded back in place. I did full welds, not tacked like the factory.

Added lumber foam

And the adjustable Knee bolster. Extends a full 3.5" as shown here.

With the 6 way adjustable power seat base, and the knee bolster adjusted, my hope is the back of my leg won't hit the Atlas sticks as much. We have had a hard month of weather here, and I have been waiting for a decent day to do the seat swap. This afternoon temps are skyrocketing into the 60's, so today is the day.

Will report back once in and see if these help with the Atlas or not. If they work better, the Corbeau's will be up for sale. Only used for a week, and are mint, with the extra goodies, so hopefully someone would be interested. lol

Edit: It worked. Tilting the seat with the front higher, and the knee bolster out a little, I no longer hit my leg on the Twin sticks. They are both installed, and the Corbeau's will be put up for sale at a discount for some lucky person.

Found a couple of loose springs on the passenger side. Got them back on, and that's all it needed. Seat covers took the longest to install, as they are pretty intricate with straps & laces.

 

[Turdle]

Well, that's some good stuff there.

 

[traveler]

You remind me, I seriously need new upholstery.

 

[gmanpaint]

Check out the Cabela's waterproof seat covers. I absolutely love them. Rugged, fully adjustable for a tight fit, side opening for controls, large rear pocket and a large mesh pocket down low, and the seat back is covered in tool/gear straps. Best of all, they are very affordable. On sale right now too!


Cabela's TrailGear Seat Covers : Cabela's

 

[gmanpaint]

This rig is going to need a brake upgrade come this spring. It's time to start the research and planning.

Pulling the off road trailer, combined with these larger tires,and additional weight, I don't like the idea of using these stock brakes. This rig has always had a brake gremlin with an intermittent failing pedal. Never know when it will happen or why. I plan on re-doing a lot of it. Master, prop valve, hard & soft lines, calipers, rotors, and pads will all be replaced.

I am looking at RockAuto, and they have the Powerstop Extreme Z36 set with drilled/slotted rotors, coated calipers, and carbon ceramic pad kits for around $440.

More Information for POWER STOP KC186136

They also offer a sport version (Z23) for $407. I can't see the difference in these compared to the Z26, as the specs aren't really tech specs for measures/rating's.

More Information for POWER STOP KC1861

I know a lot of you are armed with good knowledge / experience on this subject. Anybody want to start a couple pages of brake discussion here, so I can make an educated purchase before I commit to this Powerstop kit? I have some time (2 months) before I am going to be doing this, so now is a good time to discuss.

Good braided soft line Part #'s & sources are also much appreciated. I am considering a Wildwood prop valve, but not sure which one will work best. More research here is needed.

Keep in mind the rigs primary use, which will be Off road trails (slow & high speeds), towing about 2000 lbs of trailer. Trailer will have electric brakes with progressive control, but it will also be used at high speeds on the Hwy, and in steep grade Mnt passes, both on/off road in all conditions imaginable.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Turdle]

I used the non drilled powerstop rotors and pads on our avalon. The rotors got a rusty look to them real fast in the hub area.

The clips they sent were wrong forcing me to use the factory ones. However, I must say the customer service was good because they sent a whole new set of pads and clips of the correct size. the performance was equal to or better than the factory brakes which were performing great,just getting toward end of life.


from prior experience with slotted only rotors, they squeak like a stuck pig when any dust at all gets on them. Not sure why but it's pretty embarassing.