Snowball 94 Limited

Hey I'm a long time reader and Just bought my first X Wednesday I love it.

She's a 1994 Limited.Named her Snowball (Sry If someone already had this name) I paid $1500 for her. She got a new Thermostat 2hrs after I bought her cause it locked up on me and over heated in the middle of the road. Her primary duty is going to be as a daily driver/Photography vehicle. I am an avid amateur photographer.

The day after I got her I took her out on her first photo Journey.
Here's some pics.

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She is replacing the 1989 Ranger my parents let me drive till I found my own and just like the Ranger I couldn't keep her on the pavement for long.

I also found a mound of gravel and flexed the suspension a bit.

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Her primary purpose will be to get me to college and back and do a little off-roading. She does have some problem but what 16yr old vehicle doesn't. I will eventually get some kind of lift but first is New/Used tires and a MAF.

Leave your opinions did I make a good purchase? What Kind of lift should I get it need to be cheap cause most of my money will be going to School.​

 

[CDW6212R]

The bumper is the same for all models, except for the chrome. I sold my cover long ago, but I may still have the bumper.

 

[willindsay]

The bumper is the same for all models, except for the chrome. I sold my cover long ago, but I may still have the bumper.

Ya I know the bumper main frame is the same for all the models.

I've already got another LImited one in good shape ready to go after a little paint. I'm just wondering if there's a easy way to bend my broken one back to original shape and cut some of the plastic up and use it as an Off Road bumper by adding a grill guard.

 

[willindsay]

I've been having some issues with my passanger power window for a while and was fairly sure it was a problem with the track being gummed up or having a kink in it but last weekend I finally found out the real issue.
I opened up the auto up/down relays I installed earlier and the pic below is what I found.

Needless to say when I saw that I knew I'd been barkin up the wrong tree with the issue. The other one wasn't near as bad but it had a few spots of corrosion. I replaced them both with spares I had and also coated the boards with some dielectric grease in hopes that it'll keep them from corroding.
All is good know.

Also here's a couple pics of the front end that I snapped a while back but didn't put up.

You can see in the first pic that the hood is really close to the fender. I think lossening all the top bolts and placing a washer or two on the bolt that's hidden by the bumper should fix the issue. Just haven't got to it yet.

Probably won't get any work done on it this weekend as last weekend I help my GF start building a book shelf and she wants to finish it tomorrow plus there's also a rod run in town so I'm gonna go cruise and check out some classic cars.

 

[willindsay]

Haven't really done anything to the rig lately as I've been busy with work and when I was off it's been storming.

But today I pampered her a little first I filled up her gas tank then took her to the car wash for a thorough wash and vacuuming. After I got home I took some Meguiars interior detailer and wiped all the dust and grime off the interior panels. Then I cleaned the windows as they were pretty filthy.
Now Snowball looks great and the interior smells clean.

Not likelly to get anything done anytime soon as I work till Sunday then it's back to work Monday and work till I head to Texas later that week. Hopefully when I get back things will calm down and I'll be able to tackle some of the projects I have planned.

 

[willindsay]

Finally got a couple of days off and got a little work done on the Explorer. First I attempted to replace the speaker in the driver side door but apperently there is some other wiring issue because the speaker was very quiet and has a really annoying whine coming through. The whine is only coming through the driver front speaker so I think it's an issue with the wiring at the head

 

[willindsay]

Finally got a few days off and got a little work done on Snowball. First I tried to replace the driver front speaker but I think there is a issue with the wiring as the speaker was really quiet and has an annoying whine when the engine is running. I think it is an issue with the wiring at the headunit as it wasn’t there till I re-did the wiring last time. I’m about to the point of just putting the old head unit back as this one has given me troubles since I first installed it. I’m gonna try fixing it again Friday and if it doesn’t work it’s coming out.

Yesterday I also did the first step towards completing the Big 3 wiring upgrade. I made up a wire to go between the alternator and the battery. I can already tell a difference in that the battery gauge hardly moves when I roll down the front windows at the same time. It use to swing to halfway between 8 and the middle where it normally rides.

Today I mounted an electric fan I’ve had for a while behind the grill to add extra cooling power to the 2nd transmission cooler. The fan is an A/C fan from a Geo something that I’ve heard Maniak recommend in several threads on here. I had to remove the cooler to behind the center header panel support to make room. To mount it I used some metal conduit and 2 2.5in 1/4in bolts for the top and right mount. And the right mount I just turned the stock mount around and used a self tapping bolt same as I used to mount the Trans cooler. It’s not wired yet as I didn’t have the cash for the controller but hopefully I will get it finished up next week.
Now here’s the pics to make this long winded post worth looking at.

I forgot to mention that I also blacked out the parts behind the grill so you can hardly see anything and it looks good.

 

[CDW6212R]

Get to work on that, in the down pour outside. If you get the chance, use a water hose and spray the engine bay with engine degreaser. Let it set for 5-10 minutes, and hose it off. That will help keep the white looking much better. Night,

 

[willindsay]

Well it's time for another update.

haven't really done much on the rig since the last post. I was working a lot them I got distracted making a nightstand from spare parts.

School starts back tomorrow so last week I treated the Ex to some needed maintenance. I Changed the oil and treated her with some Autozone brand Full Synthetic and a motorcraft filter.

I also changed the Aux. trans filter also after I bolted it back in place not sure when but at some point on of the nuts worked itself off and the bolt fell out. The bolt that was holding it in place was very loose. I replaced the bolts and used nylock nuts on them which I could have swore I used the first time. Also as another safety measure I used another nut to act as a jam nut. I'm gonna keep my eye on it but I'm hoping it will be good from here on out.
After all that I used a Bosch filter and also treated the trans to a quart of synthetic fluid also.

I also last week added a holster to the knee panel under the steering wheel so I can have my gun easily accessible once I get my permit(should be in the mail in about 3 weeks). I also added a clip on the side of it for my CB mic to help disguise it. I'll try to remember to get a pic tomorrow.

Finally today I had the tires rotated and balanced and found out that when I was in the accident that it apparently bent that rim. I've got a spare one at home that I was using in my table project but I'll get it swapped in for the bent one next week sometime.

 

[willindsay]

Here's a picture of the addition to the interior.

 

[bovine]

how did you get a tan steering wheel lol i have never seen one in a first gen explorer before.

 

[willindsay]

how did you get a tan steering wheel lol i have never seen one in a first gen explorer before.

It's stock most of the ones I've seen in the junkyard with tan interior had tan wheels.

 

[mr cribb]

Yours would be the first one I've seen.

 

[willindsay]

Well mine's a limited so maybe thats why but as far as I can tell it's factory.

 

[willindsay]

Snapped a pic of the steering wheel for those that haven't seen one before and also a pic of the holster while I'm sitting in the driving position.

The whole thing is tan I just put a black cover on it cause the outside was squishy like it'd been melted from the sun.

 

[bovine]

it must be a limited thing since all the ones i have seen are black hence my question. and why would you put a black steering wheel cover on lol i put a tan one on mine so that my hands would not get burnt as much.

 

[willindsay]

it must be a limited thing since all the ones i have seen are black hence my question. and why would you put a black steering wheel cover on lol i put a tan one on mine so that my hands would not get burnt as much.

I went with black cause it was cheap and I liked the contrast in colors. So far I've never had any trouble with it getting hot. It is kinda worn out so I might replace it sometime soon.

 

[willindsay]

Got the rim changed out yesterday and also got the tire I've had for awhile mounted on the spare rim so I know have a full size spare.

Now I either need to throw dirt on the clean rim or polish the others up. What's the best thing to use on these rims?

 

[mr cribb]

A good brand wheel cleaner for aluminum wheels. Whichever brand you prefer.

On a side note I like the 250 over the gas gauge. I have a note like that in my gas sipper since the float doesn't work.

 

[willindsay]

Been a while since I posted. The trucks been running great so I haven't needed to work on it. I've still got a shed full of parts for mods but school work and the weather have prevented me from making any progress on them.

Today though the driver's window stopped working. I thought it was an electrical issue so once I got home and took the door panel off I checked all the connections and decided it was the bushings in the motor.

I thought I had replaced them with metal bearings so I thought it was weird that it had quit. Turns out I hadn't as when I was unbolting it I noticed that I hadn't even drilled a hole where the third bolt was located. To make things more fun I had covered the locating dimple with sound deadener. So this simple project got a little more complicated. It took a good 30min to remove enough of the material where I thought the dimple was. Removing that stuff is a PITA. After that it was a brezze to drill the hole and unbolt it and replace the bearings.

While I was working on the window I cleaned and re-lubed all the guides as the gresse that was on them had turned hard.

Couple pics from the work.

Here's after I drilled the pilot hole.

Overall shot of the door to show how well the Peal and seal has help up.

Busted bearings.

Finished hole.

I will be doing some more work on the rig over Christmas break. My Grandparents are getting me brake rotors and pads along with new headlights. So by the time I go back to school I should be stopping and seeing better.

 

[mr cribb]

Last month I did my front motors replacing the nylon bushings. Now I have 4 working windows, this would be a first in my 3 years ownership.