1998 Explorer Interior light question!

[UFO151]

hey i'm new here, just registered. I bought a 98 explorer xlt 4x4 today to replace my old 91 explorer. She's a beaut and drives well. A few things I noticed though. First of all, the headlights and fog lights do not work. Anyone know why? When I turn the switch (dial) to the headlight position the parking lights remain on and when I press the fog light button they do NOT come on. Is this a simple fuse problem? Also the radio seems to be stuck in the on postion and set to a certain station. For example, I can listen to cd's but i'm unable to skip tracks or view the display. There is no display for the stock radio (it does not work). I plan on having my old Pioneer headunit installed in my new explorer, would installing the aftermarket headunit solve the problem? Sorry I'm not to car literate and I don't really want to have to spend loads on repairs considering I just bought it. Hopefully I can get some good news saying its nothing big. Thanks

Mike~

 

[TTG]

Replacing the head unit should fix the audio problems.

The foglights may have exploded. Mine did when i first got it, the bulbs were exploded as the housings had leaked water in. Thats your first thing to check. If its not that, then there could be any number of problems, you may have bad switches, bulbs that are just dead, fuses, wires, etc. Same for the headlights. The best thing to do is just go down a list of things it could be.

First check if theyre exploded/blown. You should be able to tell if they are just by looking at them. It might not be a bad idea to replace the bulbs anyways just to be sure. Next replace the fuses. If its not those, you will have to replace the switches. Lastly if its not one of those you have a wire problem possibly. There's also a possibility that it's something else I've forgotten, in which case someone will probably post it after my post.

 

[UFO151]

Thanks for the reply TTG, I'm takeing it to a local shop tommorow to have them run a diag check on the car for any major problems. I did check the fuses and they "appeared" to be ok, but i'm not 100% sure. As far as the bulbs burning out, I don't think thats the case because what are the chances of both headlights and both fog lights burning out? Oh well, I just wanted to know what to expect and whether or not it was anything major. Hopefully the lights are something simple and won't run me alot of money cause she's one nice xplorer. Anyone else with comments feel free to chime in. Thanks

Mike~

 

[CDW6212R]

Hopefully you have an owners manual. Check the fuses. The radio display problem is very common in the later 2nd gen. Explorers. There was one manufacturer which made all of the problem HU's. Buy an adapter to plug in your other stereo, unless you also want to bypass the stock speaker and amp wires. There are people who repair those radios, for no more than about $60. Good luck,

 

[TTG]

The 98s don't have external amps unless they come with a subwoofer. And even that that amp only drives the subwoofer, so no bypassing is required, and you won't need to run new wires. The adaptors are handy to make things easier to connect though.

 

[UFO151]

Thanks for the replys. I took it back to the dealer today from which I bought it and they fixed the headlights and fog lights free of charge. They also said the "check engine" light will go on and off. It seems as if the "check engine" light is always on when I'm driving and just today the "brake" light went on. I had a similar problem with my 91 and I was told it was just faulty senors or whatever triggers the lights. The local shop is going to run a diag test tommorow just to be sure. Thanks again.

Mike~

 

[BillWms01]

Mike,

The Check Engine Light shouldn't go "on and off" normally. That's a load of BS the dealer was shoveling, just to get you out of his shop. INSIST they pull the codes from the OBD that are causing the CEL to come on. Then, make sure they fix the problem. They shouldn't sell a vehicle with a known Check Engine Light issue.

As for the brake light, it may be as simple as needing a little fluid in the reservior.

 

[TTG]

Also, check how much gas you have in the truck. The CEL light goes on when it thinks it has about 50 miles left. However, due to the way the gas tank is set up, it has a floating sensor, so changes in angle of the truck affect how much gas it think it has. Shifts from 1/8th to 1/4 of a tank are very common. If you drive in a very hilly area, this could be part of the issue.

Or the truck is messed up, either way go back to the dealer and check it out.