Driving 98 Sport down the Baja - Need preventative maintenance ideas

[flyingtrees]

Hi all,

Finally bought a 98 Explorer Sport SOHC / Automatic 4x4 w/ 100,000 miles on it last week. I have been looking for a long time and I luckily got into this one for a real sweet price. Eventually I have my eye on the 2nd gen SportTrac but have to wait for prices to come down to earth, which won't be for a while i'm thinking. anyway, this 98 sport is going to be my baby for the time being.

So I'm posting because coming up in late June two friends and I will be taking a road trip that will have me driving from Palm Springs, CA all the way down the Baja Peninsula to Cabo San Lucas and then back up. Total trip will be about 2200 miles give or take. I'm plenty prepared for what to expect as far as Mexico goes, but where I could really use some help is with getting the explorer ready for the trip to ensure worry-free / trouble-free driving.

Again, this car is completely new to me. Never had any experience with this engine. The car's mechanical history is a mystery to me, previous owner had passed away so I could not get any info about what sort of maintenance has been done lately.

Baja is pretty sparsely populated and finding reliable parts access is not something I would count on other than in a couple of the towns. I figure it's better to be well prepared than wish I was after breaking down somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

I'd rate my mechanical ability a pretty solid 7 out of 10. Do my own oil changes / brake jobs.

SO.......

If you were in my shoes....and weren't looking to break the bank with a huge $$$ mechanic bill, what are the things you would check / change before leaving? Knowing the fact that this sport just turned over 100k is there anything I should absolutely not put off as far as routine major maintenance?

Also, what about a spare parts kit, are there any must haves you can think of that I should take with me just in case?

Thanks for your help!!! And loving this board so far.

 

[brianjwilson]

Goes without saying, but replace all the fluids. This includes differentials, transfer case, transmission, coolant and thermostat at the minimum. Plugs and wires, new air filter (maybe bring a spare), new serpentine belt (bring a spare). It wouldn't hurt to throw an aux transmission cooler on there for safe measure (heat kills that tranny). Make sure the brakes are in good condition. Common problems are balljoints and tie-rod ends, something good to check out before the trip.
For the spare stuff, I'd probably keep a couple quarts of ATF, couple of oil, belt, air filter. I guess your tool kit will depend on what you have and how much stuff you want to be in your car for people to steal

 

[flyingtrees]

That's about what I was figuring....just good reassurance to hear it from someone else too though, so thanks for the advice. Anybody think of anything else that might be missing?

 

[96eb96]

That's about what I was figuring....just good reassurance to hear it from someone else too though, so thanks for the advice. Anybody think of anything else that might be missing?

Top idler pulley for sure, they have a nasty habit of breaking on these trucks and leaving people stranded. Optionally the one on the tensioner. Or buy them and keep em in the glove compartment. Fuel filter. Change the battery if over 3 years old.


Just my opinion, If I were going to a place like that, with 100K miles, and can do the labor myself, I would change the starter, alt and fuel pump(motorcraft), as PM and keep the old as spares. The other option is buying from a place like autozone where you can return them and keep them under the seat boxed up. We are not talking about a drive thru Florida here... Weigh this against whatever a tow cost/parts availability if one craps out in central Baja. Lots of peace of mind too afterwards.