Hailing from the unfathomably expansive state of Rhode Island

[Jurassic Pork]

Hello forumers! I've been reading on here a while and like the forum so figured I'd register and try to tap into all the friendly helpful knowledge. I am selling my Wrangler and planning on buying my first Explorer or, more likely, Mountaineer. Looking for some advice to help me find the right truck. First I am only interested in the 2nd generation and I am only considering 5.0 models because of needing it for towing and the fact that I love that engine and believe the trans is better. Good old plentiful F150 drivetrain.

1st Q: I'm assuming all 5.0 models are AWD... Correct? (I can't go for a 2WD around here.)

2nd Q: Now suppose I'm a sucker for the gimmicky message center/Hal9000 thing in the center console that displays alleged fuel economy, etc. Which models have those? Is it standard on any particular trim or anything? (I'd rather not retrofit the thing into it.) Looking for info like "all limited models have it" or "only Mountaineers" or whatever the case is.

 

[RangerX]

Welcome!
I moved your post into the 2nd gen section

 

[JustAnotherMember7]

Hello forumers! I've been reading on here a while and like the forum so figured I'd register and try to tap into all the friendly helpful knowledge. I am selling my Wrangler and planning on buying my first Explorer or, more likely, Mountaineer. Looking for some advice to help me find the right truck. First I am only interested in the 2nd generation and I am only considering 5.0 models because of needing it for towing and the fact that I love that engine and believe the trans is better. Good old plentiful F150 drivetrain.

1st Q: I'm assuming all 5.0 models are AWD... Correct? (I can't go for a 2WD around here.)

2nd Q: Now suppose I'm a sucker for the gimmicky message center/Hal9000 thing in the center console that displays alleged fuel economy, etc. Which models have those? Is it standard on any particular trim or anything? (I'd rather not retrofit the thing into it.) Looking for info like "all limited models have it" or "only Mountaineers" or whatever the case is.

Regarding your first question I believe that the mountaineer and the limited trim have AWD.

The other trim levels equipped with 4wd have auto 4wd which is similar but not the same as the AWD system.


Now with the 2nd question, the center guage display you'd have to hunt around for on a explorer that's running and driving. Retrofitting that screen is possible but extremely difficult.


If other members with 4wd or the and system know more about that system please feel free to correct me since I've just got 2wd up north =(

 

[Jurassic Pork]

So, I think I found my truck. It is a 1999 Mountaineer with 5.0, AWD, about 160k, receiver hitch (hopefully full tow package too), leather seats, and it even has the message center!

Any particulars to check or watch out for on this model?
Think it is worth $1500?

The guy selling says he put new brake lines in but that they haven't been bled yet so that will be fun to do at the sale site before driving it away assuming I buy it. Looks really well taken care of otherwise. Supposedly engine and trans was rebuilt 50k ago and everything besides brakes work.

 

[C420sailor]

I’d want documentation of that engine/trans work. If it’s legit, and the truck is otherwise nice, I’d definitely consider $1500.

 

[Jurassic Pork]

I’d want documentation of that engine/trans work. If it’s legit, and the truck is otherwise nice, I’d definitely consider $1500.

Unfortunately he said previous owner had this work done and he doesn't have any record of it. Sounds like he had it a short time, brake line blew, he did lines and then bought something else.

Will have to check it out as thoroughly as I can and judge from there. Are there any tell tale signs of a rebuild like a tag or something? I remember when I was taking a Ranger 2.9 apart it had little rebuild tags on the heads but don't know if that is common or easy to see on a 5.0.

 

[94Eddie]

Look for paint markings on the engine and transmission as this would indicate it is a salvage engine and/or transmission and not a rebuild. Most salvage yards mark up their parts in various places. One of the best ways to evaluate the health of an engine is with a compression test if you can get this done. Also, crawl under it and look for rust too. In your area rust would be my main concern. You can make any number of repairs but excessive rust is a terminal condition and makes doing repairs so much more difficult.

 

[Jurassic Pork]

Well, the Mounty had a lot more rust than it seemed but frame and drivetrain seemed great. Interior is filthy but should clean up well, didn't notice any tears in any of the seats, just center console lid. Message center works and reported almost 19 mpg on the long ride home! Seemed to shift smoothly and the 5.0 feels powerful. A number if things to fix up on it but the first thing is the heater blower does not turn on- at all Aside from fuses, anything else that is a common failure point to kill the blower? Heat passively came through the defroster on the ride home and kept windshield from fogging up which was great. Has that fancy auto climate control console that seems to work, adjusts up down, on/off but no wind. This Mountaineer may not be in the best shape but I already love it and can't wait to start fixing her up!

 

[C420sailor]

I’m not smart on the EATC trucks, but on the manual control trucks, a blower motor with shot bearings pulls too much current through the resistor module, and the thermal fuse in it blows out.

There was a recent thread here about the blower motor resistor and EATC and how to repair it

 

[Jurassic Pork]

I’m not smart on the EATC trucks, but on the manual control trucks, a blower motor with shot bearings pulls too much current through the resistor module, and the thermal fuse in it blows out.

There was a recent thread here about the blower motor resistor and EATC and how to repair it

Ok thanks, I will look for that thread. Tomorrow I'm hoping to change out the squeaky idler pulley and then start troubleshooting the blower.

 

[CDW6212R]

Welcome.

The truck with that age and rust, concentrate on all basic stuff, fluids, filters, and rust prevention. That rust will kill the vehicle faster than the rest, it's unseen and people find it too late, and then they give up on it.

The blower motor is the same for all 2nd gen's, and not that hard to replace. Do that, clean out the debris while in there, and the blower motor resistor may or may not be bad. I'd replace it too, due to the age. Replace all three idler pulleys, the belt, and maybe the fan and clutch depending on how I felt about prior care.

If it's AWD, check the tires carefully, the size is dead critical, mismatched sizes will kill the AWD TC. Those must be identical and wearing evenly, never replace anything but all four at once. Replace the TC fluid yearly, I like the Valvoline TC fluid, it's great and not too expensive.

 

[Jurassic Pork]

Welcome.

The truck with that age and rust, concentrate on all basic stuff, fluids, filters, and rust prevention. That rust will kill the vehicle faster than the rest, it's unseen and people find it too late, and then they give up on it.

The blower motor is the same for all 2nd gen's, and not that hard to replace. Do that, clean out the debris while in there, and the blower motor resistor may or may not be bad. I'd replace it too, due to the age. Replace all three idler pulleys, the belt, and maybe the fan and clutch depending on how I felt about prior care.

If it's AWD, check the tires carefully, the size is dead critical, mismatched sizes will kill the AWD TC. Those must be identical and wearing evenly, never replace anything but all four at once. Replace the TC fluid yearly, I like the Valvoline TC fluid, it's great and not too expensive.

Thanks for the recommendations, didn't realize it had 3 idlers, damn! Luckily previous owner put a set of all new tires on so it is good for matching diameters, I plan on rotating regularly. Drives smooth and straight but definitely can feel the AWD fighting a bit if tou take a hard turn!

 

[Jurassic Pork]

So, here's a bit more info and looking for opinion:
Removed blower motor and found mouse nest, cleaned it out and blower seems to turn over really freely. The resistor pack is much more complex than I am used to, probably bc of EATC? Its circuit board looks corroded. Do gou think this is what would kill blower on all speeds? Verified fuses in cabin and under hood are intact. I can't afford to replace everything as a precaution yet so looking for specific failure points, once I financially recover I can get more things replaced but I just need this thing to have heat for defroster to get to work. Think resistor will get it going?

2nd question:
Rear cabin blower works fine but only blows cold. Why would this one not work? When I adjust temperature I can see heater hose valve open and close, both lines feel super hot. Is there a second heater core somewhere that us not flowing/valve opening??

Attaching pic of suspect resistor and nest that was blocking blower.

 

[CDW6212R]

The AC/heater system is very important as you noted, I'd replace the blower resistor and motor now if you can. If it was a young vehicle, I'd say put it back together and see how it does for a while. There will be a lot of things like those, that when you get a hint of a problem, it's time to replace certain things. The driver's window switch(master switch) is an example, it may work perfectly now, but with any window symptom, that could be the right time to replace that.

Just drive it carefully for a while, and do the various main stuff first, fluids, filters, and feel everything out.

 

[Jurassic Pork]

The AC/heater system is very important as you noted, I'd replace the blower resistor and motor now if you can. If it was a young vehicle, I'd say put it back together and see how it does for a while. There will be a lot of things like those, that when you get a hint of a problem, it's time to replace certain things. The driver's window switch(master switch) is an example, it may work perfectly now, but with any window symptom, that could be the right time to replace that.

Just drive it carefully for a while, and do the various main stuff first, fluids, filters, and feel everything out.

Ok, thanks for super fast reply! Going to parts store now to see how much the resistor and fan are. I think the resistor is going to be pretty pricey bc it is the more complex one.

 

[CDW6212R]

I replaced both of those for my last 98 Limited a few years ago, it too barely blew out any air. The two parts were around $60 each I think, and came from Rock Auto also I believe.

 

[C420sailor]

Rock Auto yes ^^^^


Local auto parts will rape you

 

[Jurassic Pork]

Got resistor and blower feom O'Reilly bc I can't wait for shipping unfortunately. Resistor has lifetime warranty and was about $70 and blower without fan was only $40 something so thinking I didn't do tooo too badly.

This is the truck by the way:

 

[Jurassic Pork]

The 1999 5.0 Mountaineer

 

[Jurassic Pork]

Interior after initial once over vacuuming of piles of wood chips and dried mud.