A lot of questions concerning my 91 XLT (new guy)

[pickardracing]

First off, id like to say hi , my name is Mick and I recently bought a 91 Explorer XLT. Ive got a few issues that id like to ask about.

1. The other day i got a CEL. I pulled codes on it and they came up 77 and 74. I dont have the book on the scanner anymore and couldnt find what they were.

2. When you start it in the morning, it starts hard. It hardly ever starts on the first try. I turn the key for 3-5 seconds, stop, try it again, and it usually starts within 2 seconds. Juust doesnt want to fire right up. I just gave it a full tune up in fall.

3. When going down the road, i can hit the brakes, and ever so often theres a clunking noise in the front end when the brakes are depressed... i have no clue on this one.

4. This truck has manual Warn hubs. Is it safe to daily-drive the truck with the hubs locked? and are the hubs supposed to click when you turn them to 'lock' or do they only click when you turn them to 'unlocked'? Mine do not click into lock.

5. I replaced the front shocks on the truck when i bought it. Where the bottom of the drivers side front shock connects, there is a misshaped oblong hole in the arm where the bottom shock bolt goes. it's also a different bolt and nut setup than the psgr side. Im thinking this is some sort of backyard engineered setup. little help there would be good.

6. The 4x4 engages when it wants to, and i cant seem to get Low Range to work. i do hear a bunch of clicking from behind the drivers side rear panel. wtf.

7. Power locks work fine with the exception of the passenger front. What could be the issue here? i hear no noise from the door when the button is hit.

7. Last but not least, this thing shakes and rattles like a bear at 65. I balanced the tires and checked out everything i could visually inspect, but this is my first 4x4, and i have no idea what to look for.

Sorry for all the questions at once but i figured i wouldnt litter up the board with multiple posts. Im new to the Explorer/4x4 thing. Hope to stick around for a while. I really like my truck and hope that i can fix it up a bit and have it be something to be proud of.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

3. When going down the road, i can hit the brakes, and ever so often theres a clunking noise in the front end when the brakes are depressed... i have no clue on this one.

Welcome to the site, this prob could be balljoints/bushings, most likely bushings though, others will chime in the rest of the areas, Gd Lck

 

[MrShorty]

1) KOER 77 and 74 are almost always a result of operator error during the KOER test. 74 is a result of not pressing the brake immediately after engine id output. 77 is a result of missing the "goose" test towards the end of the KOER test. A good reference, with instructions for various tests and code lists is www.dalidesign.com/hbook/eectest.html

2) This would be a typical symptom of the fuel system depressurizing overnight. Couple of ideas: Next cold start, try cycling to key 3 or 4 times between off and on before turning to start. Each time you cycle the key, you should hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds. Doing this multiple times allows the fuel pump to repressurize the fuel system. You could also try putting a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail and observing the fuel pressure to see what's going on.

3) Multiple possibilities. Be sure to check the radius arm bushings. They are a common cause of clunks.

4) Yes, it is safe to drive in 2H with the hubs locked. My hubs don't click when turning them one direction; don't remember which. If the hubs are grabbing the axles properly, I wouldn't worry about it.

5) Not uncommon to find this. Factory, the lower shock stud is welded to the radius arm. "By the book," when this stud breaks, you replace the entire radius arm. Alternatively, you can drill out the old stud, and replace it with a generic shock mounting stud.

6) What do you mean, "it engages when it wants to?" Does it randomly engage on it's own, or do you mean that sometimes it will engage 4H and others it won't? Dirty shift motor is a fairly common cause of this it not always shifting when you tell it to. In addition, when shifting into 4L, be sure to follow all the steps (stopped, foot on brake, transmission in N, not P).

7) Electrical? Is there power to that door lock actuator? Don't really know other than that.

 

[msmith65]

3) Possibly RA bushings. See if you can shake them with your bare hand. If not, put a jack under the arm near the bushing and see if you can move the arm without moving the truck. If yes, bad bushing.

 

[Glacier991]

I'm with those sugegsting the radium arms, although usually the clunk is closer to the passenger compartment at the cross member Lots of threads on here regarding replacing these. (If that is the case... and it is difficult to tell by visual inspection.)