Are Explorere really that slow?

[ctracing04]

:exp:Hello I have a 1996 eddie bauer 4.0 OHV 4wd, i just checked the axle code on the car because I thought i might have 3.55 or something, but it said DS.
According to the axle matrix I should have 4:10, but the explorere seems sluggish.

I get about 17.5 mpgs city to about 19-20hwy and was wondering if there might be something wrong.
Around town it seems fine. Seems torque but going up hills is really a pain.
On the fwy iv gon up 6%grade and some parts i hit were 45mph, I'd have to drop to 2nd gear sometimes but felt it was forcing the engine.. Is it my car or just the way they are??

Some people say these exploreres are night and day difference when you go offroading especially in 4low...
My rims are the 16" ones with i believe 255/70r16 size. Everything is stock.

I really like it but think it lags a lot.

Let me know and thanks.

 

[team]

it's only got 160hp, so it's not an asphalt shredder! I have a 96sport ohv with 3.27 gears myself.

 

[joe doe]

i have the 4.0 ohv engine in my sport and it seems to move along just fine.now if you have a full size with that engine then i could see how it might be sluggish.
your fuel mileage seems good to me .i get about that or probably less.
try a tuneup.
i have no problems with hills.i just give it more gas and let the trans drop a gear instead of forcing it manually.

 

[lugnuts55]

I also have a '96 Eddie Bauer with 4.0 OHV and 4wd. I recently had a problem with a misfire that I couldn't find the cause of. I found the heads were cracked and I replaced them. I am amazed at the way the engine runs now. It has plenty of pep and I'm not the last one leaving when the light turns green. I thought I should get better mileage until I looked at the sticker on a 2010 Explorer with a 4.0 V6. It said 19 Highway. I'm getting 19-21 on the highway and about 16 in town. The transmission downshifts when I'm climbing a hill on the highway but that's what it has to do to maintain highway speed.
joe doe suggested a tune up. I agree with him. get a good set of plugs and wires. Maybe if you have the time, do a compression test just for the heck of it. See what that tells you and go from there.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Good plugs & Wires = Motorcraft...

 

[imp]

Had a '96 OHV Auto, XLT, and performance was basically similar. 20-21 mpg highway, all the time. Downshift on many hills, but not all. Freeway hills rarely at speed of 65 or so.

We felt it performed satisfactorily for a 2-ton vehicle. Until the transmission went south. Story for another nite! imp

 

[colintrax]

I'm trying to figure out why everyone downshifts for hills. I live way out in the middle of nowhere and hardly ever downshift for hills. And at highway speeds, I pulling atleast 2k rpms. The only reason I've ever downshifted on the highway is when I've kick the pedal down and hold it there till I hit the speedlimiter.
Anyways mpg dosen't say much about how fast your explorer is. If you want to know if your average or having some problem, 0-60 your truck. Mine does 9 seconds on flat ground with warm tires.

 

[Warthen]

My explorer isn't slow. I raced a camaro and whooped its ass

 

[XLT]

explorers arent fast but my sohc with 4.10 is sporty thats for sure. She can hold her own against similar vehicles!

 

[Xplorer82]

i dont think explorers are "really that slow". Keeping in mind that it is a pretty heavy truck w/a v6 i think it holds its own as long as the motor is up to par and well maintained. mine has almost 210k miles on it and i have Nothing bad to say performance wise. catch me at a red light .

 

[McSlug]

There is a big difference between the OHV and the SOHC. The SOHC has way more HP.
I feel like I'm driving a sedan when I drive my '98 SOHC. I drove a '98 OHV (manual) for 2 months and it was like driving an old truck.

 

[ctracing04]

Thanks for the reply's. its ok around town but when i drive to to El Centro the car barely maintians 65mph and that's flooring it. This is on those 6% grade hills.
I'll check the plugs and what not. I drove my cousin in laws explorer sport he has the sohc and that thing was way faster off the line. and I understand that is a diffrerent engine, but mine feels torqy but lame to pass. I have to pre plan it, If im going up hill forget about passing. hehe I thought maybe get the gear ratios but just found out its got 4:10s on it from factory. I can't imaging what having 31's or 33 would do to it.

On the steepest hill i was doing 45mph its a 10mile hill and until I hit 2nd gear it started moving but i think that is just stressing the engine too much. Maybe i'm wrong.

 

[ctracing04]

Also I notice the temp on the car and the gauge goes up but it doesn't touch that little boat with a flag there. It gets to where it barley touches it on the cold side is that normal?

Im used to seeing cars being towards the middle.

 

[turboranger91]

try taking it up pikes peak... i was in 1st and 2nd almost the whole way. lol. pretty sure i have a bad head though.

 

[Rubberhead]

I've got an '03 with the 4.6L with 3.73 rear-end. Even with the V8 it aint necessarily quick...

 

[joe doe]

ctracing,
i am thinking your throttle cable is stretched,thus you are not getting full opening at the mouth of the throttle body.
do this .
take the air intake tube off so you can see directly into the opening .then get a helper to floor the gas(provided the truck is off of course...lol),now look into the mouth and see if its open all the way.

i,ll bet its only opening halfway.then search the forum for the throttle cable trick .its free and adds what feels like alot of ponies because you will now get full throttle back.
its as easy as adding a couple to a few zip ties at the throttle cable under the dash .
try searching for free horsepower or throttle cable mod .one of those should steer you in the right direction .

good luck and enjoy that newfound power.

 

[Electrohacker]

5.0 V8 4406 swap transfer case in 2WD 3:73 gears and I can shred my tires from a dead stop. it has A TON of get up and go power.

in short, shoulda got the V8 *thunk*

 

[IZwack]

According to the axle matrix I should have 4:10, but the explorere seems sluggish.

With a 4 to 10 ratio it'll definitely be sluggish off the line

5.0 V8 4406 swap transfer case in 2WD 3:73 gears and I can shred my tires from a dead stop.

Oooooff, your ratio is even worse - 3 revolutions of the pinion per 73 revolutions of the ring gear.

 

[96eb96]

Also I notice the temp on the car and the gauge goes up but it doesn't touch that little boat with a flag there. It gets to where it barley touches it on the cold side is that normal?

Im used to seeing cars being towards the middle.

Not normal. If it is a 96 change your thermostat and the single wire temperature sender. Use a motorcraft tstat if possible, they have been revised many times.

 

[wow97]

My explorer isn't slow. I raced a camaro and whooped its ass
i have a 1997 ford explorer xl 4-door awd with 3:73 posi with vin x 4.0 ohv with a 5-speed automatic no pwr lock no pwr window no pwr mirror am/fm radio with 4x4 auto 4x4 high 4x4 low and it has super ice cold a/c