BD's 2000 Explorer Limited

2000 Explorer Limited

-Picked her up (10/13/2010)
-140,093 miles when I test drove it
-5.0 V8, AWD
-Pearl White
-Dark grey leather interior

My dream explorer basically, no more old ones, no more sports, I finally have an Explorer that I love everything about!

I absolutely love the limited, its got:
-Seats w/ headrests
-Memory power seats
-Heated/Puddle mirrors
-Better mirror without all the buttons, just the slider
-Painted to match bumpers and grille
-Woodgrain radio bezel
-Digital HVAC controls
-And its got the homelink visor with a nifty little voice recorder that I will probably never use LOL

And alot more, but im just in awe over its nice features compared to my previous rides. They even recently (In the past few months) had a brand new hitch installed and the trailer harness all wired up.

I dont have any set plans for this one yet, I do have hopes and dreams though, and im stoked about the V8 that has so many options.

Dream list:
-Torque Monster headers
-Custom Tune
-LED tails (Something custom maybe, I just need to study up on resistors and whatnot)
-BMW projectors in a blacked out housing

It does have a few problems that id like some help with, (Fixed all, besides this one)
1. The blower only works when its on all the way high, (Same thing in my grandam, but it was the blower motor resistor then everything worked great) is that a common problem on the digital HVACs?


"For sure" plans include:
-New rims, id like to get a nice 5-spoke set of 20's with a beefy tire
-Paint job in the spring, black
-Some interior accents (Id like todo another metallic blue color like I did in my grandam)

He was asking 3400$ in the ad, but I talked him and his wife down to 2900$ because I was pointing all the little problems out that I mentioned above.

I didnt get a chance to really take any pictures, as it was raining, and almost dark by the time I got home.

I was bored on the way home so I took some random "driving" pictures

My friend was driving my Grand Am in front of me, I have a Avic-F700BT in there that will also be going into the Explorer, he was using the GPS to get us back home

I was extremely happy also, I was averaging 16.2 MPG driving with a decently heavy foot getting the feel for the V8 I was controlling

Edit- 1/21/11
New parts!

Hubs
Tie rod ends
Lower ball joints
Upper ball joints (Control arms)
Tires: Firestone Destination A/T's 255/70/R16's
Brake Pads

Soon:
Slotted (And drilled maybe) Rotors
Better pads
New shocks
Leafs
Shackles
Amsoil (In everything!)
Rebuilding tranny (And possibly a valve body kit)

 

[BrianDye]

I run the Kroger gas station on Dixie, hell, ill sell you mine if your interested in them, im really wanting todo a retrofit.

Were definitely gonna meet up later this week, or next week (STILL havent posted my schedule yet for work ) (A guy like me cant resist Old Country Buffet)

 

[BradR]

Lol, Old Country Buffet is closed, we all sit in the parking lot, you'll get it once you see all this.

Do you get cheaper gas?

Why a retrofit, if your lights are sucky then I don't want them.

 

[BrianDye]

I dont get cheaper gas,

BUUUUT, we get the customers that have $1.00 off a gallon, so I run out and fillup with them

Its sad, that even today with $1 off per gallon, its still more expensive than 6 months ago when I first got my X.

Anywho, I always wanted to try a retrofit, because the pictures just make the output look so amazing, PLUS these projectors have a highbeam built in (Electronically moves the cutoff line up), I drive mainly on dark backroads (Were talking cant see a DAMN thing around when your lights arent on), and I need all the output I can get

Mine have an adjuster to pull the projectors in, push them out etc, I just cant figure out what does what. (And I found out that the FX-R projectors have Halo's Im one of the few members on here who actually like the Halo's for some reason)

 

[BradR]

Really? It seems to me that the CCFLs are brighter than the Halos.

And what do you mean $1.00/gal off member? I'd be a member for that in a heartbeat! lol.

Good luck with the retrofit... I have another question, but I'll send that in the PM.

 

[BrianDye]

CCFL is just a different style Halo, (Theres LED halos, and CCFL) The CCFL is so much brighter and more vivid. (Alot of people on EF dont like Halo's though is what I was saying)

At Kroger, every 100 points you have with your Kroger card is $.10 off per gallon, so 1000 points is a dollar off. We dont get too many of them, but I always get $.60-80 cents off, and I fillup with them lol

 

[BradR]

Well you know what people say about those guys on that EF forum, they're silly! lol.

So what you're saying is that I just need to go hangout in a Kroger stations and wait for someone to come in that has a lot of points and try to work a deal with them?

Does it take their points after they fill up or do they keep the points, I would imagine it takes the points.

 

[BrianDye]

Yea, lets say you have 460 points, you'll have the option of 40 cents off per gallon, or not using it (To let it build up), and you can just get 3 cents off. If you use it, then your left with just the 60 points.


BUT the way it works now, you can scan the card again, and get the discount multiple times IF they havent started pumping yet.

 

[BradR]

Ohhh... yay for insider tips!

 

[BrianDye]

Anybody know someone selling a Mountaineer that I could drive to Kentucky and back, but not Florida?

:bsnicker:

 

[BradR]

I do I do!

My brother James lives in Florida, and he IMd me on FB the day I posted it (obviously I posted it on FB too) and he was like "No reason to come to Florida, eh?" lol he was messing around though.

Too funny.
I'm gonna go out and take more/ different pictures for the new ad.

 

[BrianDye]

Good good...such a clean mounty, I cant believe noones jumping on that price with those wheels even!

 

[BrianDye]

So I was gonna start putting the rest of my interior back in today (Steering column cover, center console, etc; then I saw how fugly my column cover looked.

You'd have sworn the P.O. was blind or something, SOOOO many key scratches around the ignition hole, so I cleaned it up real good and painted it black.

Im gonna do one more coat tomorrow (Thats only one coat)

And then im thinking I might paint my center console black too; after I scrubbed it all down, theres just so many permanent nasty marks and faded spots on it, I think it would look good black.

 

[BrianDye]

Im also gonna do my rear vents to match the front. I also might put a couple white LEDs in the floor vents and wire them up with the dome lights for some extra lighting.

 

[BradR]

Ooooh that looks good!

You don't get yelled at for bringing car parts inside you house? I do.

 

[BrianDye]

Haha no, I keep it in my room. I wanted to bring my bumper in yesterday lol

 

[BrianDye]

I dont remember what it was like before I had my duals done, but now I dont have much torque until I hit the 3000 RPM range, it just takes off. Is that normal? Or is it from my el-cheapo muffler?

I was looking at intake spacers (Finally figured out what they do), and was thinking a 1" intake spacer would help? I mean for 50$ you cant really beat that price for more torque, and appearently (From what ive read at least) these really help.

I was looking at this one specifically: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GT40...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

[MrQ]

Did you increase the pipe size at any point? If you did the engine may not be getting enough backpressure which provides the lower end torque in the ohv. It may not be the same in the sohc.

 

[BrianDye]

He did 2.5" pipes out of the muffler, I wanted 3's but he insisted that they wouldnt fit Plus I was on a smaller budget at the time.

Thats what I figured though. What im also scared of is modding an engine that already has 152k on it

 

[MrQ]

Don't worry about the engine; basic maintenance is all that's needed and once that's met, you can mod whatever you want. Throttle body spacers to me seem like wasted money that could be spent elsewhere. It's results are debatable as well. I would go for the tried and true mods first like the TM headers, an under drive pulley, or even a true cold air intake isn't a bad start. Work the little mods first. Did you do a cat back on the exhaust?

 

[BrianDye]

Lord no, no TB spacer. Ive read nothing but junk about them, and a hefty tag of about 150$ is not worth a shiny piece of metal to me.

I deff. want TM headers, but dont think I have the skill myself to install them