1999 Mounty 5.0 aka My Great Bad Idea

[97Sandbox]

It's out!

Removing the spare tire and working from behind the axle was immensely helpful. I also do not know how I would've pulled off the fuel line without offset hose grip pliers -- those things are game changers.

In a true turn of events, USPS finally delivered something early...my fuel pump! At this rate, the Mounty may be running again by the end of the weekend.

 

[410Fortune]

Well done!!
The old metal tanks don’t get to see those much anymore I think after 98 they all plastic

 

[97Sandbox]

Hmm, this is a '99 but yeah metal tank. Not sure what's on my '00 Sport. My '96 definitely had a steel tank.

I think the door tag has a build date in November '98. This Mounty also has the thicker radiator, which I thought got phased out in '98.

Isn't '98 return style fuel system?

 

[CDW6212R]

Well done!!
The old metal tanks don’t get to see those much anymore I think after 98 they all plastic

Hmm, did they go back to plastic fuel tanks? I haven't seen any past about 1999, the few in JYd's were steel from 95-99ish. I got a 99 dented Sport tank for the skid plate and the pump assembly ages ago; that I noticed was the same length as my old 94's 4dr tank.

I'd love to have a plastic 22 gallon tank, did they make those for the 2nd gen at some point? I need a new tank for my 99, but I'd love to have one for my 98 project too.

 

[DintDobbs]

For what it's worth, my '99 Sport has a metal tank (17 gal). I'd have to look under my '00 Limited (21 gal) and see if it's metal or plastic, always assumed it was metal (has the skid plate).

 

[97Sandbox]

Sunday I didn't get a chance to work on the Mounty, but yesterday I watched a video of the fuel pump replacement and got that done last night. It all went smoothly.

My tank looked pretty much spotless inside, so I didn't mess around with flushing it. Hopefully tonight I'll get everything reinstalled and see what it's like to have more than 55% of the fuel pressure the engine needs!

 

[410Fortune]

03 sport trac took 22.5 gallons of fuel last week the wife ran it down to empty empty
I believe the sport trac tank is same shape size / will fit a gen ii

I was surprised first time I filled up a sport trac because I’m used to the ol 19 gallon max

 

[CDW6212R]

03 sport trac took 22.5 gallons of fuel last week the wife ran it down to empty empty
I believe the sport trac tank is same shape size / will fit a gen ii

I was surprised first time I filled up a sport trac because I’m used to the ol 19 gallon max

That would be great. Is it mounted just like the early 2nd gen's, on the left with the same single strap? I'd like to find that then if it's plastic, what's special is that the plastic tank is shorter than the steel version.

The 4dr steel tank is very long, and it's easier to starve the pump of fuel with it parked down hill. The Sport tank is a lot shorter, the difference is the exact same amount as the difference between the steel tank and the plastic one.

Below, look at two 2nd gen tanks, one from my old 93 Limited, and the steel one is from my 98 Mountaineer. I needed a pump quickly for some reason, and wanted to find a skid plate from a Sport also, so I could install a BW 4406 with the TOD(needs a shorter tank to fit). I noticed the Sport skid plate fit the old 1st gen tank perfectly, and set the tanks side by side this way.

These two tanks hold the same amount of gas, both from 4dr Explorers.

 

[97Sandbox]

Finally got the tank back in last night. My negative battery cable gremlins are back, but I was able to get the Mounty started. I now have 67psi at idle and it doesn't drop when I open the throttle -- looks like the fuel pump was the ticket!

I trimmed back the negative cable and cleaned off the corrosion. Tonight I'll hook it back up and go for my much-anticipated test drive. A new negative cable will certainly be in my next RockAuto order though.

 

[410Fortune]

Wooooohooooooo!!! Will this battle be the one that wins the war? Stay tuned to find out!!

 

[97Sandbox]

Haha I sure hope so! I'm eager to bolt a third pedal into this thing if I can ever get it back to a healthy mechanical baseline.

Last night when I first tried to start it, I just got one click and the lights dimmed -- thought it was the starter going bad (of course it turned out it was just the bad ground). For a moment, I was thinking how it has felt for these last couple months that the Mounty is mad at me for not letting it go to the crusher and it's going to keep "dying" in different ways until I give up. I'm in too deep now though!

 

[EB4X]

I'm in too deep now though!

That's the way HALF OF US on the forum feel about our Explorers! it's a love / hate thing....usually more hate...

 

[97Sandbox]

I love Explorers, I just hate when they don't love me back...which is often hahaha

 

[97Sandbox]

Battery cable back on, Mounty fired right up, went for a ride. O2 values looked good and lean codes didn't come back.

More importantly, this thing pulls! No more falling on its face when I stomp on the pedal and it definitely feels more torquey than my old SOHC now. I can't wait to get rid of the slush box and start having some real fun.

 

[97Sandbox]

I'm also curious to ask, how hot do these 5.0s normally run?

I put in a new Motorcraft thermostat that's supposedly a 192 deg unit and I've been surprised to see ECT up to 212 before the thermostat opens and temps drop back to mid-to-high 180s. The thermostat is clearly opening and closing, but 210+ seems kind of hot to me considering where the thermostat should open.

 

[410Fortune]

210 is a little hot but still within operating temp for sure

Your 5.0 should run around 195-210

Normal engine water Temps should be within 15 degrees of the thermostat opening temp

You start to see 215 and climbing that’s when we worry 240 is when I pull over

I’m so glad you got her running!! Now you can finally enjoy it for a bit

 

[97Sandbox]

Sounds good. 212 was the highest it got right before the thermostat first opened after I started the test drive. Once fully up to temp, it hovered in the 185-205 range and only went up to 210 when I really got on it.

I'm thrilled to have it running too! Needs ball joints before I take it too far from home, but I've got those parts. Once the front end is refreshed, I plan to dive into the manual swap. I just need a few more pieces:

• 4.6/4.2 front driveshaft -- I bought one from a 5.4 only to realize they're 3" longer
  • Easy to find, just need some time at the salvage yard
• A couple tailpipes to cobble together my dual exhaust
• Possibly another 4406 linkage
  • Mine is somewhat rusty and very stiff. Can I just loosen and retorque the pivot nut to make it slide smoother?
• Possibly a spare trans crossmember so I have one to reference while I modify the other
• Under-dash floor vent for when I get rid of the console
  • Another easy-to-find part from most 95+ Rangers
  • I already have a matching ashtray and front bench seat
• '88-'97 dual shifter boot/bezel from a M5R1+BW1354 truck (Ranger, BII, B series, Ex, Navajo)
  • I really want to make this work with a modified lever so I don't have the tcase shift lever right by my leg
  • I've seen a handful of these in yards in the past, but of course not since I've been looking for one -- if anyone has one to spare, I'm interested!

 

[97Sandbox]

It's been cold again and ridiculously windy, so I haven't started my front suspension refresh. However, I did track down a shifter boot/bezel setup for a M5R1+1354M (it's on its way to me) and that's led me to start messing with my 4406M linkage. It's in okay shape, but corroded enough that the bushings have been chewed up due to how "swollen" the sliding surfaces are from rust. This makes it very hard to move the shift lever.

My project for this week will be "refreshing" the linkage. I've ordered new bushings and will be stripping and plating the linkage components before reassembly/reinstallation. Once I have the linkage back on the transmission and my dual boot/bezel in-hand, I can start mocking up my custom shift lever.

 

[97Sandbox]

In the end, the goal is for the setup to look just like what was in a Ranger:

 

[410Fortune]

Can’t wait to see it all plated!! Jealous city

Sure do love driving our 5.0 5 speed trac it’s a hoot. I love the v8 and manual combo