New Toy

[koda2000]

What's a windshield running you? Last I checked, was quoted 230+, yikes.
Was the rear bumper as easy as they say- using floor jack to lift/level after you loosen (2 bolts per side)? I need to do this, it's only minimal but it bothers me.

Nice clean engine, how much did you dilute? Would be a cheaper solution to that gunk cleaner I have been using.

Windshield:
The cheapest windshield price I found was $168 and I'd have to drive 50 miles one-way and hang around while they did it. This local guy comes to my tire place and does it, I just drop the truck off and go get it when it's done. He charges $224, which is very reasonable from what I've seen. Compared to the prices I've paid for new classic car windshields, $224 sounds cheap to me... LOL.

BTW, some Pull-A-Parts have guy's on-site that will install used windows/windshields for cheap.

Purple Power:
I don't dilute it at all. I clip 55 gallon trash bags over the fenders, grille and cowl/bottom of the windshield first to avoid getting the cleaner where I don't want it. I used a small pump sprayer, fill it about 3/4's (to allow room for air) pump it up about 40 pumps, spray it on a slightly warm engine and spray it everywhere except the alternator. To get particularly dirty areas I adjust the sprayer to "stream". Then I let it sit a while (not long enough to let it start to dry, maybe 5-7 mins) if you see it starting to dry, re-spray it to keep it wet. After letting it sit I use an old 5" paintbrush to get the stubborn stuff moving, Spray it down one more time, then rinse with a medium pressure hose. I use shop air to blow out as much water as I can (a shop vac on exhaust also works). Then I start the engine and let it get up to full operating temp while I finish up with some of those small white cleaning towels (a large bundle is like $8 at Walmart). After removing the trash bags, I do the painted underside of the hood, fender edges and rad support by hand, so as not to get overspray on the exterior paint.

I find PP works much better than gunk, is biodegradable and doesn't have that gunk smell when your done.

This is the second time I've cleaned an Explorer engine compartment this way and it's worked really well. Below is a pic of the engine on my '97 Sport (with close to 250,000 miles) after cleaning. Looks pretty damn good, no?

Cleaned '97 Sport Engine:

Walmart sells the 2 gallon jug of PP for under $12, or you can buy Castrol Super Clean (same stuff) sold right next to PP for $21.

Rear Bumper Adjustment:
Mine had taken a shot and the front of the bumper ends were touching the bottom of the bed sides. The trailer ball was also visibly pushed down. I just loosened the 4 bracket mounting bolts, put a deep socket on the trailer ball nut, followed by a piece of 4x4 and 2x4 on top of my floor jack (for adequate height) and jacked it up straight. The retightened the bolts. Easy.

Tip: The bumper bolts tend to be really tight. Use a 1/2 ratchet and a cheater pipe to loosen/retighten.

When my wife's Mountaineer got rear-ended it bent the brackets (didn't damage the bumper at all). I replaced them, but it still was not 100%, so I used some shims between the bracket and the bumper to get it perfect.

 

[N2FORD]

I have never been able to find the pcv on my job 1 ST. I must really be buried, show some picks if you get it changed please.

 

[swshawaii]

I have never been able to find the pcv on my job 1 ST. I must really be buried, show some picks if you get it changed please.

Koda2000 has a Job 2 engine. (Build date after 6/24/2000)
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2439929&postcount=10

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2714189&postcount=1

 

[koda2000]

I have never been able to find the pcv on my job 1 ST. I must really be buried, show some picks if you get it changed please.

Job 1 type PCV valve is located in the center (just left of center when facing the engine). It can be seen (barely) by standing on the passenger side and looking behind the upper intake. It's a ***** to change. It has one of those ratchet style plastic clamps holding it in a hose and a "T" top with small hoses running to each side of the intake. 2000streetrod has posted good pictures of it in the past.

 

[koda2000]

Well, at this point I starting to think, "in for a penny, in for a pound". While I still have some potentially serious problems to resolve, I'm hoping for the best and proceeding in acquiring the remaining bits and pieces I need to finish this project. The one thing that I'll have to purchase new is a replacement leather driver's seat bottom. theseatshop.com has what I need for $199. I've used them before with great success. Replacing the cover isn't very hard, just time consuming.

While doing some cleaning this evening, I just realized that the ST doesn't have carpeting. It has rubber mats. Are all the ST's like that? I don't mind, easier to clean I guess, but I find it strange that it has OE fabric floor mats on top of the rubber mats. I managed to get all the mastic and paint off the leather, vinyl and plastic interior parts using Krud Kutter. Eventually, I think the interior will look pretty good, but it's got a long way to go from having been a work truck.

 

[just1me]

Yeah there is a coolant hose wraps around the pcv valve, I'm not sure why they did that, I heard for colder climates and emissions. I know a few people have removed it with no problems, some of the later 4.0's had a electrical heated pcv valve.

 

[koda2000]

Starting to look like a cared for vehicle...

 

[just1me]

That's a nice truck, your work is really paying off, looks great.

 

[koda2000]

That's a nice truck, your work is really paying off, looks great.

Thanks.

 

[koda2000]

Today's Progress:
I located a new OE '01 ST coolant/washer reservoir w/covers from Tasca for $30, so I ordered it. The few used ones I've found and Dorman's replacement were more expensive.

I'm missing one of the rubber lock covers on my tonneau cover, so I also decided I might purchase a new one of those too. Tasca had the best price I found (at nearly $100) other places wanted upward of $150! For a freaking rubber plug! Are they f'in kidding me? No way anyone in their right mind would pay more that $10 for one of those plugs. Now I'm afraid someone is going to steal my other plug.

I also could use a couple of the lock retainer clips (one's missing and one's loose) They're $6-$15 apiece. I find a wire tie and gravity work just fine to hold the locks in place.

I began the process of cleaning the interior. I felt like I needed a hazmat suit. I began by scrubbing and rinsing out the front and rear floor mats. They cleaned up well. Then I cleaned the door jams and the painted parts of the inner doors. I don't know what the heck was all over the passenger side door jams, but the only thing that got it off was lacquer thinner (surprisingly it doesn't bother clear coat). Then I washed and waxed the jams and doors.

Next I folded down the rear seats, removed the doors to the storage compartments and began removing all the trash, nails, screws, wood and pieces of miscellaneous contractor junk I found in the compartments and under the rubber floor mats. All the jack parts were there, but no jack. Once I had all that pulled out I fired up the shop vac and started picking up all the little stuff, dirt, dust and food wrappers. The hardest thing to vacuum up was all the sawdust that was imbedded in the carpeting on the rear seat back, It took me a full hour to get 98% of it out of the carpeting. Even the headliner and visors had sawdust in them, but that vacuumed out easily.

Next I moved the front seats all the way up & forward and that's when I found all the rotted food, used tissues, napkins, half eaten candy, old cookies, French fries and a lot of stuff I could not identify. There's too much dirt stuck in spilled soda on the rubber mat to be able to vacuum it up. I think the only way to get this mess cleaned up will be to remove all the seats and maybe the console. If I do remove the console, I can remove the mat and wash it down in the driveway. I'll coordinate that with replacing the leather on the driver's seat bottom and the body mounts.

Once all that's done I can begin cleaning the more mundane stuff like the door panels, seats, interior plastic trim, console and dash.

I'll keep myself occupied with cleaning until the used/new parts come in. After the windshield gets replaced next week, I wont be driving ST for awhile until I get everything 100%. Then it will be time to decide whether to sell it, or one of my other V8's. I'll probably just want to keep them all... LOL.

Update:
Good news. I found the jack.

 

[N2FORD]

Pull the seats, makes it much easier to clean the rubber mat. I did that on the white ST and found the previous owners kids original birth certificates under the passenger seat. Crazy the truck was so nasty and they had two kids in the back.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

While doing some cleaning this evening, I just realized that the ST doesn't have carpeting. It has rubber mats. Are all the ST's like that?

Yes. The '01-05 STs and '01-03 Sports did not have carpet.

 

[just1me]

Actually the 01-03 Sports do have carpet, I've yet to see one without carpet, though I think the vinyl floor would have been a nice option to have.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Maybe 15 years ago, a friend of mine was a mechanic at a Ford dealership. They had a Ranger on the back lot that was so filthy they didn't want to deal with it, so they sold it to my friend's son for $50. He and his grandpa and grandma spent 8 hours cleaning the interior - of a Ranger!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Actually the 01-03 Sports do have carpet, I've yet to see one without carpet, though I think the vinyl floor would have been a nice option to have.

Pretty sure the '01 and '02 Sports I've seen, and taken parts from, didn't have carpet. Maybe I should back up to what I'm 100% certain of and say my '01 and '02 Sport Tracs don't have carpet.

 

[just1me]

Yeah the Sport Trac doesn't but the Sports I've seen so far do, as I have a 01 Sport not Trac and it has the gray interior and carpet. I like the vinyl floor in the Sport Trac though, easier to keep clean.

 

[koda2000]

Yeah the Sport Trac doesn't but the Sports I've seen so far do, as I have a 01 Sport not Trac and it has the gray interior and carpet. I like the vinyl floor in the Sport Trac though, easier to keep clean.

Yeah, if this ST had carpet, I'm be throwing it away and having to purchase new carpeting. My rubber mat may be disgusting, but at least it can be cleaned. Actually, the ST interior has no fabric of any kind, not even padded vinyl on the door cards. You could almost hose the inside out, much like a Honda Element, but I wouldn't advise it.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I wouldn't either, but I think that was kind of the idea - that the interior was easy to clean.

 

[cgray521]

I am new here also. I never even dreamed I would own one of these. Just never thought about it I guess. Much like Koda, I bought mine for a grand from the original owner's son. he can't drive anymore and had no idea what he had, nor did I have any idea what I was buying. But for a thousand, how far could you go wrong?... Well since that day a couple months ago I put on tires, brakes, alignment, shocks, EGR sensor (check engine light fixed), and thanks to one of ours on this forum, fixed the brake/turn signals due to a tilt-wheel issue. So far I like it a lot. I've always driven older rigs and I love the mileage. I like 01strunners lifted rig a lot. I wouldn't need that tall but a bit of lift if it didn't compromise other issues would be cool. And a bit more power out of the 4.0 would be nice if it didn't hurt the mileage. The only issue I haven't tackled yet is the 2-3 shift in the trans. It will either rev way high or shift back down and hold, rev again, then the O/D SHIFT light starts blinking. But so far the rig is growing on me.

 

[cgray521]

Here is a pic when I first got it home. turns out I can't get pics on a quick reply.