couple of questions

[fluffy302]

Got a few question and thought I'd put it all in one thread. First off I have a 95 explorer xlt with 212000 miles on it which I plan on rebuilding once I have another car. My first question is that she runs well when its warm outside, is responsive and shifts pretty smoothly. Although when its cold outside she runs completely different its nowhere near as responsive and shifts kinda hard. Now I know that's common for most cars but is there anything I can do to help this?

Also how can I get her back to running like new, since shes got 212000 miles she doesnt have the get up and go she use to(esp when passing)? I'm going to end up taking her to ford for a tune up since shes never had one but is there anything else that I can do(I changed the plugs and wires a couple of months ago)?

A few months ago I was driving on the highway I noticed that it seemed like when I gave it gas it was really going anywhere. When I looked at the tach it didnt seem to move much but my speedometer was going up quickly(havent had the problem since but i have noticed my tach drop then come back up somtimes for no reason it seems). When I pulled over I looked under the hood and noticed the ac compressor clutch kicking in and out like it was stuck. I got back in my car turned the ac off which wasnt blowing cold air like it should and kept driving and the prob stopped. Got an ac recharge kit and checked my freon and it was at the proper level. Now Ive heard from different people that the ac clutch is sup to click in and out like that and some have said its not, any suggestions?

And a last quick question. I was thinking about getting a k&n intake kit for my car. Should I get the whole intake kit or just the filter?

 

[IZwack]

You should see quite an improvement after the tune up. Changing the spark plugs and wires (which is part of the tune up procedure) makes a dramatic change in the engine's "umph" factor

 

[fluffy302]

You should see quite an improvement after the tune up. Changing the spark plugs and wires (which is part of the tune up procedure) makes a dramatic change in the engine's "umph" factor

yeah I noticed a HUGE difference after i replaced the plugs and wires

 

[dynamite196]

yeah I noticed a HUGE difference after i replaced the plugs and wires

Plugs and wires will help a little but not much, the problem is your piston rings are worn out (not uncommon at 200k, the ones in my v6 i bought were done after 130k). The car works somewhat better when it heats up because the rings expand and do a better (yet still poor) job sealing the cylinder. The easiest way to check this is a compression test or preferably if you have access to the tools, a leak down test. If you rebuild or replace the engine I guarantee you will see a large increase in performance

 

[fluffy302]

Plugs and wires will help a little but not much, the problem is your piston rings are worn out (not uncommon at 200k, the ones in my v6 i bought were done after 130k). The car works somewhat better when it heats up because the rings expand and do a better (yet still poor) job sealing the cylinder. The easiest way to check this is a compression test or preferably if you have access to the tools, a leak down test. If you rebuild or replace the engine I guarantee you will see a large increase in performance

yeah I figured the compression wasnt as good as it use to be but wouldnt i be burning oil if the rings are worn out?