Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread | Page 148 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

As some of you know, I am working on building a parts list for a shortened Dana 44, long radius arm with coil overs SAS. 5:13 gears to match my rear axle and an ARB, maybe an electric locker. I have a pretty good list so far. At the same time, I am going to swap out the rear drum brakes for discs off of a 99 Explorer.

Please note: The plan is to keep this project as simple as possible with mostly off the shelf parts. I am not a fabricator, just a decent welder with a what I would consider the minimum required tools (chop saw, cut off wheels, air tools, welder, etc.), who likes doing his own work. Your opinions are welcome, but what I really need is technical advice. I have been thinking about this for several years and now have the time and cash to make it happen. Please keep on topic with your advice and don't go off on a side track about how you would do it as a four-link, or caged arms, or leave the axle full-width because that is not what I want. I want a simple-ish set up that works.
 



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Found the mine and town site of Stockton today. Not much left but a few cement slabs and a corrugated metal house. It's about a mile off Stockton Hill Rd across the street from a new friends ranch. He told me that the road I tried to take from Mineral Park isn't passable and has a locked gate so it's good I turned around.

20220420_124845.jpg


Finally found a stairway to nowhere
20220420_122405.jpg
 



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Wicked cool adventures!!! Keep them coming

Not
Much to see here I’ve just been digging out water ditches with the mini ex and added a culvert. Lol while waiting for parts as usual
 






I ordered all the parts to do the Sag power steering pump swap @gmanpaint did for Pugly. Having him list all the parts sure made it easier to order. Only thing I added was an in-line filter to replace the one I already have. I already have a plate cooler in front of the radiator and used the filter to connect the OEM return line. If the cooler or lines fail while on the trail, I can bypass them by pulling OEM line off the filter end and putting it on the reservoir.

I am not sure how long it will be before I do this swap. I finally went to see my doctor about the injury to my sternum about five weeks ago because it's still quite sore. He examined me, said all the internal stuff sounds fine and I got an x-ray. Should get the results of that Monday. Doctor says I probably cracked my sternum or damaged some of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum, or both. Said I need to take it easy for the next 2-3 months.
 






Ouch 2-3 months!!!? Take it easy does include driving backhoe correct? Lol
 






Ouch 2-3 months!!!? Take it easy does include driving backhoe correct? Lol
Take it easy as in don't pick stuff up over 30 pounds, don't try to loosen heavy torqued bolts, stuff that might pull on the sternum and attachments. I think operating a backhoe would be fine. I can drive no problem, drove the RV 125 miles the day after I injured myself. I changes out the track bar rod end a few weeks after, just used a impact.
 






I have received every part for the power steering swap except for the pully. I ordered them all on the same day and haven't even received a confirmation email from PSC. Not a fan of them so far. I sent them an email today asking about the status.
 












PSC Pulley took about 2 weeks to arrive, for me. They just slow,
I noticed after ordering there is no way to check the status of an order on their website. If I had been paying attention, I would have sourced it somewhere else.
 






The PSC pully arrived today via brown truck. They sent it quicker than I expected, but it would be nice to get some type of acknowledgement that I purchased something. They never responded, but I guess when you are the only game in town you don't have to have good customer relations.

The pully is very nicely made with a very nice finish. I might just get started on this sooner than I planned.

@gmanpaint , when you flushed out the system, did you flush out the steering gear box as well, or just the lines? This is really the only thing I am not sure about. I've changed the pump and gear box several times over the years, but only flushed the system by using fresh fluid. I haven't used Kooler Kleen before.

My usual procedure: Pull return line off the reservoir, let it drain. Plug return fitting at reservoir, add fresh fluid, turn over engine with fuel pump disabled until nice clean fluid comes out end or return line, call it good.
 






@gmanpaint , when you flushed out the system, did you flush out the steering gear box as well, or just the lines? This is really the only thing I am not sure about. I've changed the pump and gear box several times over the years, but only flushed the system by using fresh fluid. I haven't used Kooler Kleen before.

My usual procedure: Pull return line off the reservoir, let it drain. Plug return fitting at reservoir, add fresh fluid, turn over engine with fuel pump disabled until nice clean fluid comes out end or return line, call it good.
Your method works fine if just using new fluids to flush it. We "kinda" did that method too.
After sucking out as much old fluids as we could, we then removed the low pressure side, and flushed with clear power steering fluids. Just bumped the engine and let it run for a second at a time, until it ran clear. I didn't even think of dry cranking it over. Nice tip.

When it came to the Kooler Kleen...
The pump is being replaced, so with it removed, we then used the High Pressure Line to connect the Kooler Kleen can to (brass fitting adapter), and flushed it clean.
Used the entire can, but it ran clear half way thru. Just used the rest for good measure. We then hooked up an airline, and blew it dry with compressed air set at 30 psi.

Bled the living tar out of it with engine off, wheels up, then engine on. One & done.
 






OK, thanks. I'll flush it with some type F I have here that I will not ever need again, then use the Kooler Kleen to flush that out. I was overthinking again and thought maybe the Kooler Kleen could somehow damage my RedHead steering gear box seals.
 












Make sure you get all of the kooler kleen out of the lines!
Flushing with just fluid works good too if the system was never contaminated with metal bits no need for the Kleener imo that stuff is a solvent and is designed for coolers and lines not pumps and gear boxes…
 






Make sure you get all of the kooler kleen out of the lines!
Flushing with just fluid works good too if the system was never contaminated with metal bits no need for the Kleener imo that stuff is a solvent and is designed for coolers and lines not pumps and gear boxes…
That's why we follow up with compressed air, and blow it dry after using it. It isn't a strong solvent at all, but the pressure in the can forces any particles out. For it to do any harm to the seals, it would have to sit in the system for a long period of time. Using it like this, it's only a couple of minutes. No worries IMO.
 






I think I have multiple issues going on with the Explorer. Nothing major. The bump/thump I feel is slowly going away with replacing worn parts.

On slow acceleration I can feel a little of what feels like a binding U-joint(s). I have a little vibration at highway speeds that is not coming from the drive train, but that could be tires because those Maxxis Razr's are knobby. I can tell it's not from the drive train by resting my hand on the rear shift lever of the Atlas II. Having a gear driven transfer case on poly mounts means you can feel any little vibration through the sticks. I have three new Spicer joints so I am going to replace the rear drive shaft U-joints and check the double cardan centering ball while its apart. I thought I had the joints replaced when I installed the Atlas and had the drive shaft redone, but can't remember. Its been a while anyway and when I had the custom leaf springs made I drove around with the rear diff not properly aligned and might have put a lot of premature wear on the joints.

I am going to replace the lower track bar mount bushing. I replaced the rod end on the upper mount while in Arizona and it took most of the thumping away.

Need to check the leaf spring U-bolts just because I haven't done that yet since I installed the shims and new U-bolts, and they stretch. If they are a little loose, that might be contributing to the thump I can feel.

And, I have all the parts to do the Sag power steering pump swap. Just going to get it up on jack stands and have at it over this week and probably next week. Daughter has a regional dressage show from Wednesday to Sunday and I'm getting my hopefully last PET scan on Wednesday so this week is busy for me.
 






The rear drive shaft U-joints do not appear to have any play in them. However, there is quite a bit of play in the slip-yoke. Do slip-yokes wear out? I haven't heard of one going bad, but I can shake the shaft and feel play. If there is excessive play, would it feel like a bad U-joint?

I think I'm going to pull the shaft and take it to a driveline shop. Maybe have them put one of those long travel yokes like I have in the front shaft.

The front drive shaft is the one that I worry about because it's so short, but there is zero play in that slip yoke.

Edit: I called San Diego Driveline Pros. They have been around since the 70's and are the go to for hot rods, exotic and off road vehicles here. They said to just bring the drive shaft over and they will check it out.
 






Yes slip yokes wear. I suppose if it's worn enough and it's able to rock it may act like a bad u-joint.

I have the driveshaft out of the Mach 1 right now. Waiting on the correct U-joints. NAPAs computer said 1350s, it takes 1330s.
 






I just found this:

"What causes slip yoke clunk?"

The driveshaft yoke plunges in and binds. When the rear springs relax, the tension becomes sufficient and the yoke is yanked back into position. This is the cause of the loud clunk. In order to lubricate the splines, the driveshaft must be removed.
 






I dropped it off. Counter guys are all techs there. He said there is some play in the yoke, but he thinks the double cardan centering ball is bad. He's going to spin it in the morning and figure it out. The joints were not changed when they retubed it in 2019 for the Atlas II install, so if the ball is bad I'm just going to have them rebuild the whole thing.
 



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Use spicer lifetime joints
I won’t install anything else in my personal vehicles anymore

Nothing grease able
The same seals that let grease out also let water and crud in, they simply do not last
Like the factory joints. If you notice all factory u joints are non greasable, spicer lifetime joints.

Slip yoke scan get loose when the lube dries up or if you extend them out too far. If I feel a clunk in a slip yoke it usually just needs cleaned and re lubed
 






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