My First Explorer, 2000 EB

[Turdle]

It'll level with all your stuff packed up. Good job!

 

[410Fortune]

They failed how? Like you broke a main leaf or they went flat? What was the fix new springs?

 

[traveler]

It'll level with all your stuff packed up. Good job!

Actually as you are seeing it in the pictures, it is loaded with spare parts, tools, recovery gear, and my air compressor. I never take them out of the Explorer so it's always ready to head out for day trips. Obviously, it'll be loaded with a lot more for longer trips like Moab or Ouray.

 

[traveler]

Well I've used it as a daily driver for a couple of days. It definitely has a firmer feel to it. Getting a vibration up near highway speeds, need to look into that. The new springs may have put the pinion angle off a hair perhaps? Still need new rear shocks and new longer brake lines. There's a place here in Mesa that makes custom brake hoses. I can take a set of old hoses off of a salvage explorer as "templates" and they'll make a set of longer braided steel lines for me.

 

[traveler]

About a month ago I was backing up in a drive-through (to move closer to the drawer) I checked my mirrors, looked behind me, etc. I backed very slowly and heard a "thump" and then a horn honked. I got out and met a very upset guy asking how I could not have seen him. I showed him the huge spare tire in my window and he asked about my mirrors. I pointed out that his altima was not as wide as the Explorer so it wasn't visible in my mirrors. He showed me a couple of small dents in his bumper and hood and the damage to his "new" flat black paint. We came to a settlement eventually and ended the issue.
Anyway I didn't want to risk it happening again so I went straight to Amazon and got a backup camera. It was easy to wire in and it's wired through one of the switches on my switch panel so I can turn it on whenever I like (in reverse or not).

 

[traveler]

Well, I took LilEddie out with the Mesa4Wheelers for our annual trail maintenance trip (we sponsor the Log Corral trail and the trip helps keep it clean and the brush cut back). Its not a bad trail with only 1 real obstacle. Its a waterfall that comes down at about a 45° angle to the direction of the trail (approach, turn to the right, climb, tight turn to the left, around a big boulder). The first time I went the Explorer still had the OEM bumpers, maybe even the running boards, no body lift, no rear locker, 31" tires. LoL needless to say climbing it was a challenge. I broke out a headlight in the process. This time it was much easier. The extra clearance provided by the bumpers, and the protection (and clearance) provided by the lack of running boards and the extra steel put on along the pinch weld really helped. Not to mention the rear locker and 33" tires. However.... (there's always one of those isn't there?)

I had cleared the only "real obstacle" and was moving with the group when I came across a friend's rock crawler (twin turbo 455 olds powering 40+" tires) parked in the trail. I didn't see him, so I decided to go around. Bad idea. My Tcase skid plate got caught up on a rock, but not too badly. I backed off of it, took a different line and went again. Hooked up on the rock again. Backed off, moved forward, caught again. This time when I tried to back off, I didn't move. Tried harder, just dug deeper holes in the sand/loose rock. Those holes got so deep that now I was sitting firmly on the skid plate. Another member of the group got in front of me, and I had to hook on to his jeep and use the winch to get me off that dam..darned rock. Everything's ok, no major damage, but the skid plate is toast. We had to wire it up in place to keep it from dragging.

Silver lining. I'm going to try my hand at making a real skid plate out of 1/4" steel. One that provides more protection while also providing more clearance. The OEM skidplate is lower on the passenger side than it really needs to be, and that is where it got caught.

I'll post some pics of the damaged skidplate when I get home. I'm killing time at work right now.

 

[traveler]

The new springs do eliminate any sag from the trailer. Had to move it to the driveway to put the new awning on it so I used the Explorer. Got some pics while it was hooked up.

 

[410Fortune]

The gen ii t case skid plate is about half as thick as the old gen i unit… same plate
Maybe something to look into

Love the dc1’s those are some of the best wheels

 

[traveler]

Well I decided to move into the 21st century and get a light bar to replace my 4 round LED lights. (2 7" and 2 5"). Wiring was easy (switches and wire were already there so...) darn things were hard to aim because it's so close ro the winch. But it all worked out. I think it looks good. A cleaner look that matches the fog lights better, and may even allow more air flow.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Well I decided to move into the 21st century and get a light bar to replace my 4 round LED lights. (2 7" and 2 5"). Wiring was easy (switches and wire were already there so...) darn things were hard to aim because it's so close ro the winch. But it all worked out. I think it looks good. A cleaner look that matches the fog lights better, and may even allow more air flow.

View attachment 453592

them things is bright as the sun at night... forbid someone uses it on the highway behind you rofl great buy!

 

[traveler]

I got some pics from the afore mentioned Log Corral Trail (the one that took out my Tcase Skidplate). the pics aren't great, I had to screen-save them from the Mesa4Wheelers newsletter (a PDF file). But they're good enough.

 

[traveler]

More recently I went with a group up the Backway to Crown King. (Having replaced the Tcase Skidplate) I got a few pics from that also. Again, screen-saved from a PDF file.

 

[DintDobbs]

@traveler She is a pretty thing, my guy!

 

[Turdle]

Looks like you are really learning to drive the mighty Eddie very well . Good show

 

[traveler]

Thank you very much to both of you! It looks a lot better in pics than in person. Up close you get to see the flaws of design and amateur work, and the boo boos of lessons learned. I give full Kudos of my driving skills to the early lessons given to me by Turdle and Gman. You guys taught me a lot. But it is a lot of fun to drive, and I still have more upgrades to make. As my driving skills improve, I'm more aware of LilEddies limitations.

 

[traveler]

The process of upgrade and repair...
I have been thinking of ways to make longer Sway bar links for the front of the Explorer, when I happened to be under the F150 working on some other job. I was studying the 6" lift kit and how they made everything work when I noticed that they didn't use longer links, they used Blocks to lower the mounting points of the sway bar. DING!!! I shoulda thought of that. It'd be so easy to do! So I cut some 4" sections of 1.5x1.5" square tubing (with a pretty thick wall) drilled holes in them, got longer bolts and there ya go.. the sway bar mounts to the links pretty flat. Yeaaa!
Now the down side. I was under the Explorer test fitting them when I happened to glance at the drivers side CV axle. The clamp on the outside boot was loose, the boot had slipped off and it had splattered grease everywhere. Wonderful... I finished the install of the lowering blocks and contemplated the CV axle. I have spares, but I really wanted to put new Trakmotive axles in (I can get them for pretty much the same price from NAPA as from RockAuto). But I need it fixed quick, so I decided to put the spare on and start saving for the TrakMotives. Today I started the repair. I got the wheel off and discovered that a fair amount of grease had gotten on the brake. (Yes, I did notice the brakes going soft but figured it was tired brake hoses and had replacements ready to go in). The grease had caused the brakes to not work as well (Imagine that) and the part of the rotor that didn't have grease on it was doing all the work, causing it to wear and score badly. New rotor time, back to NAPA and since I have (or had) drilled and slotted rotors I had to replace both of them. And as long as I'm in there, might as well put new pads on too, right? I suppose I shouldn't complain, if it hadn't been for the initial little job who knows where that CV axle would have given out, or when I may have really needed brakes to find they weren't up to the task.

 

[Turdle]

Oh. Crsp. Memories or lack of.

Pm your address so I do not have the look for it I'll send these extended links I made. They are anodized blue color, want that changed?

 

[GerryEX]

The process of upgrade and repair...
I have been thinking of ways to make longer Sway bar links for the front of the Explorer, when I happened to be under the F150 working on some other job. I was studying the 6" lift kit and how they made everything work when I noticed that they didn't use longer links, they used Blocks to lower the mounting points of the sway bar. DING!!! I shoulda thought of that. It'd be so easy to do! So I cut some 4" sections of 1.5x1.5" square tubing (with a pretty thick wall) drilled holes in them, got longer bolts and there ya go.. the sway bar mounts to the links pretty flat. Yeaaa!
Now the down side. I was under the Explorer test fitting them when I happened to glance at the drivers side CV axle. The clamp on the outside boot was loose, the boot had slipped off and it had splattered grease everywhere. Wonderful... I finished the install of the lowering blocks and contemplated the CV axle. I have spares, but I really wanted to put new Trakmotive axles in (I can get them for pretty much the same price from NAPA as from RockAuto). But I need it fixed quick, so I decided to put the spare on and start saving for the TrakMotives. Today I started the repair. I got the wheel off and discovered that a fair amount of grease had gotten on the brake. (Yes, I did notice the brakes going soft but figured it was tired brake hoses and had replacements ready to go in). The grease had caused the brakes to not work as well (Imagine that) and the part of the rotor that didn't have grease on it was doing all the work, causing it to wear and score badly. New rotor time, back to NAPA and since I have (or had) drilled and slotted rotors I had to replace both of them. And as long as I'm in there, might as well put new pads on too, right? I suppose I shouldn't complain, if it hadn't been for the initial little job who knows where that CV axle would have given out, or when I may have really needed brakes to find they weren't up to the task.

View attachment 457564

View attachment 457565

View attachment 457566

View attachment 457567

Looks like a good time to get new pads.

 

[traveler]

No worries, I think the blocks are going to solve the issue. I need to get some final measurements now that I have it on the ground again. I have memory issues as well. I don't remember you making extended links! LoL Ahh the joys of age huh?

GerryEX, I got new pads to go along with the new Rotors, even though the pads that were on them weren't worn, I didn't trust them anymore.

When I got to the passenger side to put the new brakes on I found a 2" cut in the CV boot on that side as well, though the boot was still in place. So I got to replace both CV axles as well as pads and rotors.

 

[traveler]

Decided that I'd better put new rear brakes on to match the front, and as long as I'm in there put new parking brakes on as well. If I ever, ever get a hold of the design team that put those parking brakes together I'll horsewhip them. Idiotic design and darned near impossible to get to unless you pull an axle out! Rant over. Turns out the rear brakes were on their last legs, and the parking brakes were pretty glazed, so it was a necessary job. The rotors were in pretty good shape but I put new ones on anyway. I am worried that I may have put one of those adjusters in wrong (backward so you can't get to it from the slot in the backing plate). When I finished it was late, dark, and I was sore so I didn't go back and check it. I'll do that later.

Well thats all. I really just post these things so I can keep track of when I last did maintenance.