Can’t believe my luck

[JB-1956]

I really can’t believe what happened today…

…I called at my local for a swift pint when a guy came into the pub and enquired “Who’s is the Explorer outside”. I replied, “Mine why?” to which he replied, “Do you want another?”… I was curious so asked more...

Top and bottom of it is it’s a high spec Explorer and the guy want’s it taking away…

…Watch this space and I’ll update this as it goes along.

 

[1AJeremyD]

Sounds like pretty good luck to me. Post pictures when you get a chance.

 

[BigRondo]

Gotta subscribe to this one.!!

 

[sean99]

 

[BIGHVM]

you lucky baskit!!!

 

[JB-1956]

Apparently it needs a Torque Converter and front prop shaft but I’m sure I can sort them out. I’ve arranged to borrow a trailer next Tuesday to go and collect it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I'd rather be lucky than good!

 

[JB-1956]

Sounds like pretty good luck to me. Post pictures when you get a chance.

Hopefully, I’ll be collecting it on Tuesday… Looking forward to seeing it.

 

[BigRondo]

Hope all goes well.

 

[JB-1956]

Well I’ve got it back home safely and had a quick look around and I think it’s better than the one I’ve got.

It’s a 1999 model with leather interior and the leather seats are in good condition even the driver’s seat having done 148,000 miles.

Apparently the LPG tank alone gives a range of around 350 miles, notice the dent in the tail gate?

4 nearly new General Graber tyres on it and on Mag-Alloy wheels.:biggthump

Like I said, I can't believe my luck

 

[Ilikemice]

Wow. What a find! Nice side steps too

 

[sean99]

Looks great!!

 

[JonC]

Sounds like a bargain! Can't say I'm big on the gas tank installation - but then I use my boot space all the time. I used to get 350 miles out of my previous Ex which had a Bigas multi-point kit with a 90 litre tank. That monster looks more like 120 litres ish so you ought to get some serious range out of that. My current ride only has something like a 60 litre tank so I'm filling up every 180 miles (every 4th day) and I so miss the longer range of the bigger tank.

 

[JB-1956]

That monster looks more like 120 litres ish so you ought to get some serious range out of that.

The previous owner used to travel to Europe quite a bit so wanted a large tank. I struggled to read the plate on the tank not having my reading glasses with me at the time but I think the water capacity of the tank is140-litres. I haul LPG for a living, usually 17 to 24 tonnes at a time to bottling plants throughout the UK. We are only allowed to load to 87% to 91% of our tank’s volume to allow space for expansion. If the tank in the Ex can only be loaded to 90% for instance this would make it a 126-ltr net tank.

 

[JonC]

Very useful! Also gives you a lot more choice about where you fill up too. There's such a variety of prices - we've got Asda at 69.9 and a mile up the road there's Shell with 77.9!!

Mine makes life a bit more tricky because it won't run on gas for a while after you fill up so I have to try to plan things so I can arrive at Asda on my way home and then only so 3 miles or so on petrol before parking up. After about half an hour standing, it's fine again. Something to do with pressure standing behind the first solenoid I think - which needs changing anyway so it'll be interesting to see if the problem goes away when I do.

It's still nicer to have the option of getting home again rather than having to fill up on a motorway or some exotic southern location that charges 80p +!!!

 

[janolsson]

Looking good.
Justin may have a underslung tank you could fit instead of that monster.
The wheels are standard teardrop fitted to 98 on.
How do you know its the torque converter and not the tranny and is the front prop missing or busted?

 

[JB-1956]

It's still nicer to have the option of getting home again rather than having to fill up on a motorway or some exotic southern location that charges 80p +!!!

We live out in the sticks quite away from a town large enough to have a Autogas fuel station so for the moment the tank can stay. I’ve just been up to the field to have a look at the tank and it appears to be an Italian system I think. Does the name “Emer” mean anything?

 

[JB-1956]

Looking good.
Justin may have a underslung tank you could fit instead of that monster.

Justin???

I'm happy for the tank to stay for a while (see previous post)

There's other issues i need to sort first. See my next post when I quote you again Jan

 

[JB-1956]

Looking good.
How do you know its the torque converter and not the tranny and is the front prop missing or busted?

Jan help me piece this through please, bear in mind 3-weeks since I was driving a nice front wheel drive estate car and now I’ve got two 4 x4 Ford Explorers as well

The truth is I’m not sure if it is the torque converter either now I’ve got it home and what’s to go wrong with a T/C other than the seals? I drove it off the trailer and around the field when I got it home and it seemed to drive okay. The guy told me it would drive slowly just after I’d used a light duty hand winch to load it up rear first when I could have started it up, turned it around and maybe drove it on to the trailer.

Yes the front prop shaft is missing, the guy took it off because he didn’t want or need 4-wheel drive and wanted economy…
…I’ve had alarm bells ringing about this. Do the Explorers have free-wheeling front hubs? If yes then the whole drive line would be stationary from the front wheels, back to the gearbox during normal driving which itself would give economy. If no then removing the prop shaft would not stop the front half-shafts and front diff turning and causing drag in the oil within the front differential casing.

 

[Howard]

If he took off the front drive shaft then where is it? The front hubs are not free wheeling so the diff turns all the time, as does the front prop. All that happens is the electric clutch in the transfer case dis-engages. So no power goes to the front. Normal reason people take the front drive shaft out is failure in the transfer case, like stuck in 4x4 high or front bearing gone in transfer case.