4.0 ohv...best mods?

[ryguy53787]

I've just inherited a 96 explorer 4.0 ohv with an AOD. it has 100k well-used, but well maintained miles. It was used for towing often in its former life, but now i'd like to add a little spunk. It has the towing package, which if i'm not mistaken gives it a 3.73 rearend and Ford's LSD (traction lok?), along with better cooling more serious rear leaf springs. Basically, i'm looking into sinking about $1000 into it, ultimately, to get it more to the "sport" side of sport/utility. i have no delusions of grandeur; i'm not looking into making it a mustang, i just want it to have some more mid-and-top end performance. any suggestions would be a big help!

thanks guys

 

[Texplorer]

Welcome to the site. You can stat off with the KKM and a cat-back for a little more top end power and better throttle response.

 

[ChuckyD]

custom exhaust $ 225 (catback)
KKM intake www.kustomz.com $100
bbk throttle body www.truckperformance.com $200
ECU (chip) diablo or superchip $250
clear corners $75 www.pacificie.com
Superwhites headight bulbs & matching fog's around 100-150
Polyurethane bushings $$??? www.explorerexpress.com
bigger sway bar $$??? www.explorerexpress.com
torsion bar twist to lower front (free) rear block (to lower rear) $$??? not sure .. local autozone or auto parts store

I guess that is a start.. right?
Good Luck.. welcome o the site
and USE THE SEARCH Feature

 

[ChuckyD]

check out this thread for instructions on how to lower it Dead Link Removed

 

[410Fortune]

Your Explorer does not have the AOD.

Welcome and good luck with the oHV 4.0L, it's a great engine, makes a ton of torque right down low.

The BEST mod you can make to a OHV 4.0L is a aggressive camshaft, that can really wake up the 4.0

 

[ryguy53787]

My bad, i thought AOD was just short for "Automatic Overdrive"

thanks for all of the suggestions so far, guys

 

[410Fortune]

OKay here's some simple stuff for the 4.0L

1. get the KKM intake, cheap and effective
2. Change out the thermostat to 180 degree's, I prefer Shaw thermostats. Some poeple will disagree with this.
3. Order some Taylor Spiro 8mm wires, cheap and some of the onlyperformance wires for the 4.0L that are the right fit.
4. Get some good plugs in there, NGK platinum's, Motocraft plat, I prefer the Bosch Plat +4's. Again some people will disagree
5. Think about getting at least a cat back exhaust bent up. a single 2.5" muffler and pipe work perfect. Borla makes headers for the 4.0L, they are pricey and may not be worth the $$ unless you install them yourself.
6. A high flow cat can go in with the exhaust or wait until later, the stock cat actually flows quite well
7. A larger mass air sensor is a good investment, I use a Granatelli 70mm unit
8. a BBK 63 or 66mm throttle body will help with throttle response.

Now these are just the bolt on's, the real power makers go inside the engine, like some seriously re-worked heads and a camshaft.

A computer chip from Diablo is good to tie all these mods together.

Of course there isnt a single mod in the world you will benefit from unless your 4.0L is already had all teh pre-venative maintenence done to it, such as 02 sensors, clean intake and EGR (if equipped) fuel filter, oil, cooling flush, etc.. If you have high miles take care of all this stuff first, then worry about getting more power....

 

[Alec]

Things I recommend first, usually in this order:
1) KKM intake
2) catback exhaust
3) chip
4) bbk 66mm tb
There are other performance goodies out there, but those 4 will drain much of your budget and might make you happy enough.

But like 410Fortune said, the best performance mod is good maintenance.

 

[ryguy53787]

All of these seem like great suggestions. Can anyone, with experience, recommend any specific brands?

catback: borla vs. flowmaster vs. ghetto muffler shop job vs. anything else?

chip: superchip vs. diablo vs. anything else?

plugs/wires: i've used bosch plat+4's and accel 8mm wires before, but that was in a toyota corolla, does this combo work in the ford?

deep breathing: you guys are pretty much concurring on the KKM intake, but does anyone make a cold air intake that doesn't take the hot air from underhood, as i can see in the KKM photos that it does?

intake: also pretty comcurrent on the bbk 66mm. question is, is there a larger one? also, i've seen one guy recommend a 70mm MAF, what's the deal with that?

camshaft: 410fortune said that an agressive cam would wake it up. where would i get such a cam? would i have to have it custom ground and tell them the lift and duration i wanted, or is there some company that has tested and developed a good performance cam for the 4.0 ohv?

another concern i have. in its previous life, my explorer was used for towing about 2 times a month, sometimes more often. the trailer weight was about 4000lbs, and the truck was usually loaded itself. i have noticed that under full throttle, the tranny slips in second in a way that causes a noticable "wave" in the accleration. is adding this power going to compound my problem? this explorer's towing days are over, but do i need to factor a tranny rebuild into my budget eventually?

again, thanks for all the ideas, you guys are great

 

[Alec]

catback: I recommend a custom job using a Magnaflow muffler and a 2.25 or 2.5" single tailpipe.

chip: dunno

plugs/wires: I recommend Motorcraft double plats and Motorcraft wires. That's your safest bet, and they work well for me with 300+ hp.

intake: the KKM is the best bang for the buck "turnkey" intake kit. You can make your own or add your own heatshield, but above about 20 mph the open filter doesn't matter much (heatwise).

tb/mas: the BBK unit is of very good quality. go larger and you'll bog your motor. MAS: you have a 70mm mas already, and it's good for lots of power.

cam: only drawback is you have to pull the motor to install.

tranny: hope it has a cooler. if it dies, it dies; sorry. the added power won't make a difference.

 

[ryguy53787]

i think the tranny cooler is a part of the tow package i mentioned my ex. having in my first post. feel free to correct me if i'm wrong if i go magnaflow, is there any particular series/style?

 

[Alec]

The Magnaflows don't really have series like Flowmasters. You'll need a single in/single out. A good Magnaflow dealer will have multiple inlet/outlet location combinations and will pick the best one. And they probably both need to be 2.5".