Took care of some scary issues under the rear suspension of my Explorer this weekend.
Biggest problem was the rear spring shackles. They were rusty tissue paper. Mom never met a snowstorm she didn't like. Snow in Ohio means salted roads. I am hassling her now to keep her 2008 Eddie Bauer Explorer clean this winter.
Anyway, I am lucky that junkyards in my area have plenty of Explorers with far less rust than mine.
I was able to bend the left shackle by hand with no problem. The lower bolt for the passenger's side shackle had to be removed with a combination of vise grips, 2 lb hammer, big drift, violence, and many inappropriate words.
No rust, much better. Donor shackles went on with anti-sieze on the bolts.
Next problem was the developing sag in the rear springs. The leaves were pretty much flat. I removed the rusty original Motorcraft rear shocks and replaced them with Monroe Load Leveler coil over shocks. I got lucky in that I didn't have much trouble removing the upper mount bolts. Unfortunately, lower mount bolts required violence. I got better used lower mount bolts from the junkyard. The load levelers were a ***** to install. I ended up using a floor jack to slowly jack the shock up until I could lever the lower mount bolts in.
Rear ride height before.
Rear ride height after. I will give the coil overs a couple of weeks to settle in. I think the overall gain will be around an inch. I am good with that. My Explorer sits level now.
Replaced the rusty original Motorcraft pinion shock as well. Installed a Monroe damper. That thing was quite stiff!
Replaced everything associated with the rear anti-sway bar. I got a rear bar, endlinks, mounting brackets, and hardware from a 1999 Explorer in a junkyard. These parts were less rusty than the ones I had. I installed the bar and endlinks with Ford sway bar insulator mounting bushings and Raybestos polyurethane end link bushing kits. I cheated and lubricated ALL the bushings with Energy Suspension synthetic bushing grease.
Junkyard bar, links, and mounting hardware before cleaning.
Only replacement bushings I found were from the dealer. Nothing aftermarket.
Cleaned endlinks and bushing kits.
Completed endlinks ready to go on.
Finally got to install my junkyard U-Haul 'hidden hitch' style receiver. It took more work than I expected. Initially, there were clearance issues, and not just with the 16" spare.
I didn't pay close enough attention to the Explorer I removed the hitch from to see if it had the same vertical ribs under the bumper as mine did. There were thick metal ribs that hung down, and merged into safety chain holes under the bumper on my Explorer. The hitch hit those. Also, where Mom kissed that light pole years ago, the bumper isn't right. The frame doesn't look bent, the bumper doesn't look bent, the brackets don't look bent, but it is pushed closer to the body on the driver's side.
After forcing the hitch in place and cramming the hardware into the bolt holes, I was not surprised to find the 16" spare didn't fit. I slept on the problem. The next morning, I cut the ribs off the bottom of the bumper, and trimmed the back side of the hitch. I had already cut off the spare tire protector from the rear cross member that carries the evap vapor canister assembly. The hitch fit much better. And, with the right amount of finagling and holding my mouth just right, the 16" spare fit and just cleared the coil over springs.
Junkyard hitch in all its glory. I removed the U-Haul sticker.
Ribs trimmed from under the bumper.
Trimmed back side of the hitch.
Trimmed the ends of the hitch for clearance for the shackles to flex if necessary.
Hitch nicely tucked up under the bumper. Yes, I am looking for another bumper. This one is not really savable due to the dent.
Spare tire against the back of the hitch.
Spare tire clearance to the passenger's side coil over spring.
Spare tire clearance to the driver's side coil over spring. It doesn't look like it, but there is just enough clearance.
Found a factory trailer harness in the junkyard. Just had to clean it up and install it to the factory trailer harness connector in the back corner of the body. I packed both ends with dielectric grease.
While I was at it, I installed a much less rusty spare tire winch.
Between the front and rear suspension repairs, my Explorer feels more stable and sure-footed. I don't really notice the ride as being much firmer. I am quite pleased!
Still have lots to do, though:
-install better junkyard fuel tank filler neck and hoses
-rebuild parking brakes and replace driver's side cable
-new wheel bearings and seals, pinion seal, and change fluid in rear axle
-new U-joints in rear drive shaft
-new U-joint and CV repair kit in front drive shaft
-new CV axles and hub bearings
It doesn't need any of the above items, I just want to replace them for peace of mind.
It does need calipers. The ones on it don't leak and work, but are horribly crusty. I am kicking around getting the spindles from a 2003 or so Explorer Sport to go up to 12" front brakes.
At some point, I need to:
-change the trans fluid and filter, add a drain plug to the pan
-change the coolant, flush the system, replace all the hoses
-replace the spark plugs and wires
-do the wonderful PCV valve and hose replacement. Go 5.0
It never ends...
Seth K. Pyle
