Figuring Out What Parked The Ex...

[jrowe6]

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[Mirge]

If you have to get rid of it, part it out first

 

[arco777]

Project is over, I don't give a flying #### anymore. delete this ___ ____ thread asap

Working on old cars can be depressing. I had a lot that didn't pan out but when they did I sold them quick and regretted it later because if I'd just stuck it out, saved a little money up, and learned to do the necessary repairs I could have had some really nice rides. Gave up on two real nice F-150s because I got pissed off instead of diagnosing them. Turned out if I'd replaced both starters, a 20 minute job, they would both have been good trucks, but I gave one away and sold the other to a friend for peanuts. I'm basically saying that if you get discouraged or sidelined by bad parts, take a step back from the project and a break, and forge ahead once you've read up on your options and saved a bit of money.

Alternately, if you just want the truck outta your life, sell it for parts (not scrap) and I'm sure someone will jump at it. Try the For Sale section on this board.

Whatever the outcome, this thread's been educational for a lot of us who haven't yet taken off the valve covers, heads, etc and don't know what's in there. It's a learning experience, and those are worth more than money :

 

[Tony H]

It surely seems like the engine trouble is pointing to Head gasket issues.

Bubbling inside the coolant tank... Head gasket
Nice clean plugs on a few cylinders....Head Gasket
Sweet smelling Exhuast...Head gasket

If the Heads are off. Either save up and buy replacements or get the original Head Magnafluxed to look for cracks, check for Straightness and reassemble the engine.

As you stated, your X looks good. You can't buy something else for the $500 or so you will need to get this to run again.
Yes you might/will have other issues creep up on a car that sat that long but you might be surprised.
I bought a motorcycle ( Full dress Goldwing type) that sat under a guys house for 9 years. It's one of those Beach houses that's on stilts. After taking all the 'plastic' off it and rebuilding the carburetors and reassembling it to original, I have been driving it for 10 years and 50K miles. Original Brake calipers. Eventually I did replace the Fork seals but that was normal maintanence. Cruise control works CB works Radio works. So thinking this 'X' will spew fluids all over the place is not a sure thing.
I bought my 'X' for $450 because a guy thought it was getting unreliable and it had 183K miles on it. A $12 fuel pump relay fixed his 'No Start' issue and that was 145K miles ago. The 'X' has over 330K miles on it now. So way out your options before dumping it.

 

[mohavewolfpup]

I might finally be able to get the explorer back on the road. Got to piece together some variables about it and propose the plan or whatever to make it work.

Already a list of stuff I put together is near about $300 for it, still seems like a bargain compared to alot of the poor wrecks I see driving around town. Just what do people due to explorers again?

 

[manimal]

Anything under $500 is money well spent IMO even if it doesn't fully work out - keep in mind that even if it turns out that the block has issues, if you get those heads hot tanked, decked, and pressure tested, you can then transplant them onto any junkyard block.

Personally I would rather repair or even rebuild an engine rather than replace with a junkyard block. Even "tested" junkyard engines are still an unknown factor on the inside - just because they run and have oil pressure doesn't mean they're always in good shape.

Looking at your pictures of the heads and block, it looks to me like you may have located your cooling issues. Ten years ago, that crusted gunk would have had a gelatinous consistency, and would have likely come out of the heads and block with a chemical flush.

I had the same issue last year on a GM 3.1 with the famous failed lower intake gasket. The engine had no cooling system service in its entire life of 130k miles. When I pulled the heads, both heads and the entire water jacket were literally filled with a brownish pudding substance, and it wasn't even from a failed gasket, as oil rarely makes its way into the cooling system - 99% of the time it's the other way around. Any way, this sort of gunk is what builds up when the coolant is never changed, or if improper mixtures are used in the cooling system, and it can happen surprisingly quick.

I had to remove all of it with a coat hanger and a shopvac with a very long piece of rubber hose attached to the end of it, which I could shove down into the water jackets and suck the crap out of the block. Before vacuuming out, I poured Simple Green into the water jacket and let soak for several days. Everything came out clean, and the water jacket was spotless. The heads were then hot/acid tanked.

Don't give up. It's very unlikely IMO that the block is cracked. Have the heads checked and cleaned and clean that block out. New gaskets all around, flush the radiator out, replace or flush heater core, and change ALL fluids in the entire drivetrain before you even attempt to start or drive the truck.

Would also pull the lifters and soak them in some ATF for a day or two, then disassemble and clean. KEEP THEM IN ORDER!!

With only 60k original on it, hopefully that truck will last a long time. Mine is on 250K and there's many other high mileage trucks on this site to prove it.

Edit: Just noticed how well defined the cylinder crosshatching still is. You basically have a brand new engine on your hands.

 

[Gadget X]

Yeah, that block looks to be in mint condition, aside from needing a little cleaning and some new(er) heads! And as far as reliability is concerned, I currently have over 270,000 miles on my 94' , and I regularly drive it like I stole it! You have a GREAT starting point for a really good ride, there. Don't let anybody tell you it's not worth it, what matters is whether or not it's worth a little work to you in order to get it back on the road. These things last forever!

 

[Frey7190]

Hey man, just finished reading through your thread... I dont know how old you are, im 19, and im in the process of rebuilding my X.

Its def a great car to have fun with and rebuild. I have never in my life done something this indepth. Lucky for you, you were able to get the rocker shaft bolts off, and the head bolts. Mine were so tight that after breaking 2 bits, I had it towed on a flatbed to the company that rebuilt it back in 2002. They ended up breaking 3 bits on it before they were able to pull it all off for me. Then I had to have it towed back to my place where all today I spent cleaning the heads, pistons, etc.

I am most certain you will find your problem around the bottom of the engine (where your at). I know the idea of buying new bolts is expensive.. Kragen charged me $46 bucks for new head bolts.. not fun I know, but hey if it gets you a car to use, then $46 is cheap. This X is my second car, and man oh man I love it. These things can do anything and everything without complaint! Keep your eyes on the goal, and all this hard work will soon pay off!

 

[mohavewolfpup]

Well i'm back (hello necro bump?) I pretty much ran from this vehicle and it's err issues. Not really the vehicle itself, but the mess around it and at the time I thought I had a 93 F150 that then vanished out from underneath me courtesy of my father....

I'm going to be looking this thread over (again) and piecing the information together to repair it, and then drive this vehicle around.

Hopefully I don't piss off/alienate too many with my "emo" tirades above.... They aren't fun, and I'm sorry for those of you who may have a /ignore function enabled

 

[det107]

Now that you are a year older & wiser........
Good Luck on your 2nd time around-
Keep us updated w/ progress or questions !!

 

[mohavewolfpup]

Now that you are a year older & wiser........
Good Luck on your 2nd time around-
Keep us updated w/ progress or questions !!

One question I can think of involves the gaskets. Believe I had read somewhere that ford? had a gasket that people recommend? Or was it something else?

This truck is literally going to be "restored" the way I want it. Hopefully mostly motorcraft stuff on it, tired of the mystery junk autoparts stores push on the public *cough* TFI Modules *cough*

Was it ford that had them? Believe it was a graphite or aluminum or something that performed better then what it originally had at the assembly plant?

And maybe you/someone else knows what to do about the cooling situation? It has a flex-a-lite fan on it, but that's pretty much toast. The original clutch fan/shroud was tossed years ago, along with the air intake plastic/rubber part (from the manifold to the air box) So i'm pondering what to do.

Ideally i'd like to have the stock air intake hose on it (better then the glorified dryer vent hose it has now) and a electric fan. but the hose got changed out because the original wouldn't fit over the electric fan.

Has flex-a-lite changed their fans, or it's the same issue? If it helps, it was bolted to the top and bottom of the radiator iirc versus "pushed" into the radiator with clips.

I'm very curious about hypermiling this beast, and seeing what I can squeeze out of it. 20-22 mpg was it's best, but I bet more can be done cruising low and slow!

 

[Roadrunner777]

I'm new here, but I can answer at least one of your questions. The lower intake manifold gasket is best from the dealership. If you are going for mileage, then you will ultimately go for a thermostatically controlled electric fan, and they are definitely out there compatible with the stock air tube.

I think, as time permits, you might give us a state of the engine message. How far did it get torn down, and is any of it back together.

Are finances any better? A rebuilt engine is still the most viable solution, in my opinion. But maybe you want to stay with this block for other reasons, that's fine. But, in order to give you the best advice i.e. new heads, rebuild heads, vs scrape rust off old heads, it would be good to have an idea of your resources.

There was this time years ago, my first car was a '67 Barracuda I got for cheap because the guy ran low on oil in the middle of nowhere and thought maybe if he put some beer in the oil, it would be better than nothing. Anyway, I rebuilt the engine, my first rebuild, it ran like crap for 15 seconds and put a rod through the block. I haven't told that story in a long time, thought I would share.

I have only read about a few people here getting more than 20mpg on the OHV engine. And, I think they coasted with the engine off to get there. Good Luck!

 

[mohavewolfpup]

I'm new here, but I can answer at least one of your questions. The lower intake manifold gasket is best from the dealership. If you are going for mileage, then you will ultimately go for a thermostatically controlled electric fan, and they are definitely out there compatible with the stock air tube.

Any idea of the maker? quality is key, not made in china rubbish : Also, would one of the K&N systems work that eliminates the stock air box? All I can find is a version for newer OHV's from 1999, nothing for 1993. It's like it ceases to exist according to their website. Maybe I could use the 99 or so version? Not looking for wild horsepower, just efficiency gains. And hopefully it works with a electric fan?

I think, as time permits, you might give us a state of the engine message. How far did it get torn down, and is any of it back together.

Currently it's in the front yard, engine torn down to the block. I did drain the oil about a year ago, there was no water/oil mixture in it. that's why I think this block has promise. It literally only has 64,248 miles on it. Barely broken in!

Are finances any better? A rebuilt engine is still the most viable solution, in my opinion. But maybe you want to stay with this block for other reasons, that's fine. But, in order to give you the best advice i.e. new heads, rebuild heads, vs scrape rust off old heads, it would be good to have an idea of your resources.

I lucked out on the cylinder heads. My mom thought my father would stick it all together and then drive it, but that never materialized. A brand new set of them was ordered from alabama cylinder head, just waiting to be installed. So those are in a corner waiting!

There was this time years ago, my first car was a '67 Barracuda I got for cheap because the guy ran low on oil in the middle of nowhere and thought maybe if he put some beer in the oil, it would be better than nothing. Anyway, I rebuilt the engine, my first rebuild, it ran like crap for 15 seconds and put a rod through the block. I haven't told that story in a long time, thought I would share.

Was it a complete rebuild, or you just swapped a few different pieces onto it and forgot to change the beer oil?

I have only read about a few people here getting more than 20mpg on the OHV engine. And, I think they coasted with the engine off to get there. Good Luck!

I won't be that extreme with it. Not going to be the crazy hypermileage stereotype (would get a prius for that!) just more mindful of the gas pedal vs brakes, probably some long driving down to california at 55-60, stuff like that.

Too much of it gets extreme for me, people switching engines on and off, driving in socks, following the rear of a semi by inches right as he slams his brakes on and a 8000000000000 lb shifts, etc etc

 

[Roadrunner777]

Let's see... lower manifold gasket is straight from the ford dealership, they are metal.

My engine rebuild was a complete out of vehicle rebuild for my high school junior year of auto shop. I had people helping me in other periods because it was June and I wanted it done by the end of the school year. I should have done everything myself, I think someone didn't torque the rod bearings.

Anyway, yeah, you should know your way back, especially with new heads. If you have not read/heard, a lot or people get new pushrods right about now. The stock ones are a bit thin and get noisy.

 

[det107]

Make sure you get a quality brand like Fel-Pro. It should have everything for an "engine rebuild ".
Roadrunner's advice about new pushrods sounds just about right. I would get new bolts for the heads too-
Good luck w/installing the heads & make sure you torque the bolts to specs AND in circular fashion.

 

[mohavewolfpup]

Thanks for your tips everyone. Is there a favorite place for push rods? Price is always a good thing to keep a eye on, but I don't want chinese foundry junk either. Would motorcraft have improved rods, or the same old junk?

Earlier in the thread, I saw it mentioned that I could use simple green to dissolve alot of the junk in the water jackets. Still a good idea? or anyone have better ideas?

Also, the cylinders seem to have carbon in them. Is there a recommendation to clean it off? or I better not touch it? I believe in sea foam, but hell the engine is torn down to the block so it's even easier to get what sea foam probably misses!

 

[Roadrunner777]

Look for threads on rebuilds, there is one that compares stock to the desired rods. Hopefully someone that has done them will point them out.