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I don't get to check in to this forum as much as I like so this is very late, but I'll post a photo just for fun (and maybe get a retroactive Elite membership? j/k). This was taken in Feb 2007 in North Lake Tahoe. My Explorer now has 240k+ miles.

Looks good! Post updated pics as time goes on. I used this stuff for the plastic moldings on the doors and the fender flares some years back and it looked good for a while but then after time, it dried out and looked not so good. I ended up spray painting all the moldings and fender flares with...

It sounds like the '98 has been a good "beater car" for you, especially to keep your newer '14 in pristine shape. I'm sure if you were out here in California, your '98 would probably still be in pristine shape as well since we don't have the same salt/snow/rust conditions. I'd love to get the...

Was wondering how many miles you have on your '98? There are two of those in my extended family (EB trim) that are still alive and kicking as well.

I'm surprised that SKP housing is only $35. Hopefully this Motorad housing I got from AZ lasts at least longer than my second Dorman did, and then when/if I have to replace it again, I'll have the time to wait for a part to be ordered (either SKP aluminum or Motorcraft plastic). What's annoying...

I have the 4.0L SOHC. After this second Dorman failure, I definitely would avoid them in the future. You have a good plan for when your stock might need to be changed out by getting Motorcraft. If any of my local Ford dealers had had it in stock on Saturday, I would have gladly paid $100+ for a...

I'm asking because this past weekend I had to change my thermostat housing for the third time in four years. My stock thermostat housing started leaking around 172K miles in Nov 2017. I took it to my mechanic back then when I didn't know what the source of the coolant leak was. About a year...

I had a similar issue a while back, but with the rear driver side window. I replaced the window regulator (there are good step-by-step videos on YouTube) and that solved it.

Took a bit longer than I thought (removal of the second old end link gave me a bit of trouble), but now I'm done and happy with the results. Thanks, sws, for your help and encouragement. I hope these bushings last as long as yours have. After changing the front upper ball joints last weekend and...

The parts store didn't end up having the ES bushings in stock so I had to order the 9.8103 in red from Amazon. Shaved down the first bushing, now seven more to go. Luckily I found 1-1/4" OD, 7/16" ID flat washers at Lowe's so I don't have to spend time enlarging holes on 3/8" ID washers.

Your cut on the ES bushings really looks precise, like you used an actual lathe. I'll have to see what washers are available at HD and if I can't find any with 7/16" ID, I suppose I can use my dremel grinding bit to enlarge the hole. I wonder how long I've been driving around with the missing...

Okay, now you've definitely convinced me to get the ES bushings. I'll also go to Home Depot to look for some of the flat washers you mentioned for a better fit. Hopefully all goes well. I should be getting the new sway bar links this Thursday and hope to install them this weekend.

Thanks for the details, sws. There's a local 4 Wheel Parts store near me that carries the ES bushings for $7.31 per four pack. I'll have to find something similar to practice on first to make sure I don't mess up. I guess if worse comes to worst, I'll just use the blue bushings and see how they...

I know this post is from almost ten years ago, but I came across it after researching sway bar end link replacement. After changing out my front upper ball joints this past weekend, I noticed my sway bar links were dangling low and loose, and sure enough, multiple bushings were missing on each...

Since it's been nice spring weather, I decided to finally do something about the faded gray plastic trim around most of my Explorer. I've long wanted to do something about it anyway since one piece of molding was slightly bent and flawed after losing a clip. I went to the junkyard and got a...

I hope this isn't tl;dr but I want to include all the important details. After having a new radiator, upper, lower, and overflow hoses replaced last Friday, I've been keeping an eye out for any continued leaks and this morning I was disheartened to see a small puddle on the driver side that...

Got the oil leak fixed and the new radiator and hoses put in on Fri. It was a bad valve cover gasket after all. Today was the first full day of driving since the repair and so far so good. No more dripping oil and smoke. And finally after so many years of having a coolant leak from an old...

Good to know, as I have what is likely a similar oil leak onto the exhaust manifold. Haven't driven the Explorer since discovering the problem but will have to drive it 11 miles to the mechanic near work on Friday to get my new radiator and hoses installed and the valve cover gaskets replaced...

It was about time something was bound to need repairing after 16+ years. The hoses are here but the radiator is due for delivery Monday so I'm hoping Tuesday I'll have a new radiator and a fixed oil leak. Will post an update then. Happy Thanksgiving to you, sws.

Thanks for the reply, sws. I'm going to have my mechanic take a look at that when I have him replace the radiator and hoses next week. Hopefully it's that, as it doesn't look like it would be an expensive repair.

For a few years my SUV has had a small coolant leak from the overflow hose at the bottom end. SUV has never overheated; I've just periodically had to top off with coolant in the reservoir. The other day I noticed a very small puddle at a different area of the garage floor and saw that it was...

After my most recent car battery died after only 15 months in my stock 2002 XLT (and the previous one after 2 years 4 months), I decided to have the alternator checked and check for any parasitic drains. The alternator is fine. With the multimeter, after having the car sat off for several...

This part made me chuckle, just because I know what you're talking about. Mine is noticeable, but not as loud as a lear jet. Hopefully I will join all of you in the 200k club down the line.

Yeah at this point, the Explorer is 15 years old and has 172,000+ miles on it (no major issues during its run--knock on wood), so I'm perfectly okay with having the shop deal with leak problems and then deciding if the repair is worth the cost. That's really strange how your GT ended up...

Thanks for the info, imp. I took my car to my family's long-time mechanic across the street from my work this morning and he said it was indeed the thermostat housing (as well as the lower hose on the bottom that needed replacement because it was cracked/cracking, which I knew because coolant...

This past weekend, I noticed a rather moderate sized puddle of coolant underneath my car in the garage. Attached are pictures from underneath the car where it seems to be coming from (blue arrow). The coolant seems to drip down from where the blue arrow is to the bar in the second picture...

Since about 2006, the rear driver's side window stopped working (wouldn't roll up or down with either the driver switch or the rear passenger switch). I honestly never cared to do anything about it. Then yesterday while driving I accidentally pushed the rear passenger switch when I meant to roll...

I finished installation last night after placing the cord for the bluetooth mic. I changed my mind again and decided to place it where I originally did--near the rearview mirror. A couple youtube videos I watched recommended that place for best sound quality. The biggest pain was trying to get...

I will have to change my mind on the location and go with top of the steering column now too. Less hassle with having to tuck the wire all along the headliner, side trim panel, under the steering wheel, etc.

Glad you like your new system so far! I also started installing my unit last night. I too was surprised when I didn't see any wire connectors included in the package, so I had to get wire connectors from Lowe's. After connecting all the proper wires, I did a dry run of the head unit to make sure...

The specific Avery product is the Supreme Wrapping. It's made specifically for cars. He cut me a pretty large sheet for $40, so I have leftover if needed. I didn't have to use heat to apply. Just made sure the surface was clean (I used a wax/grease remover) and laid the vinyl on. You do have the...

Have you had it installed yet? I didn't see this thread before I made my purchase from Crutchfield on Thursday. I previously changed out the stock 6 CD changer in '08 for a Pioneer single DIN. I've been wanting something with bluetooth and to be able to control Pandora directly on the console...

I completed my biggest DIY to date on my Ex. I'm very satisfied with the end result. The hardest part as I had expected was painting the new bumper, because it required the most time, detail, and care. Prior to this, the most I'd done as far as painting was small scratch repairs. Removing the...

My replacement bumper was delivered today and after opening the box, I was happy to see that the bottom half was already taped off. This saves me a lot of time; I wasn't looking forward to taping off the grey textured part and now I don't have to. I'll probably paint this Friday. Will post pics...

Thanks for the tips! I hope it's not too difficult when I do this for the first time. I don't have car jacks/lift for being able to move the tires in and out. Will that make the job harder if I am unable to do that?

Which probably means it'll take me at least double that time removing it for the first time. Hopefully putting the new one back in place is easier than removing it.

Haha I would've said that's a good deal. Southern California does look very similar to South Carolina at first glance. ;) I ended up purchasing the bumper I saw on ebay. It arrives next week, so I'll probably get around to doing the painting the weekend after this. I searched old threads for...

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I checked on craigslist yesterday hoping to find a car being parted out and I didn't see anything. So far a couple local junk yard searches have come up empty. The replacement bumper on ebay I'm looking at comes with the upper portion primered for paint and...

Long story short, I damaged my front bumper (was not thinking when it happened and am kicking myself about it). Not horribly, but I'm definitely going to need to replace the front bumper and the passenger fog light cover. No amount of bondo will fix the plastic. I'm planning to DIY and was...

Figured I'd revive this thread after finally deciding to do something about the faded pillars on my Ex. Originally I was going to go the spray paint route but after reading PDX's success with vinyl, I decided go with vinyl for all the plastic trims (much less work than painting). The faded...