Good overhaul, Advice please.

[fordkid88]

Ok guys, today I picked up my explorer from its previous my buddy and drove it no more than 5 miles down the road to where I do all my vehicle work.

Here is what I noticed.
-Check engine light is on(Pre 96 so I have to take it to a shop to get codes)
-Parking brake light always on.
-Gas gauge seemed to flicker and either stay on empty or full.
-Speedometer would shutter on acceleration, but truck would accelerate fine.
-Left turn signal worked fine-Right would stay solid green.
-Sluggish on acceleration from idling position.
-Water temp gauge would fluctuate between cold and m on normal
-Brakes felt spongy.
-Broken seat belt lock on drives side.
-Squeaks and broken seal on belt tensioner
-Bypassed heater core.
-Driver window is not properly on its track.

...If I remember anything else I'll add it later.

Now for the plan of action over the next four or five months.

-Brakes-Ill replace calipers, shoes, rotors and pads(When I can afford it)
-Check gas gauge volts and resistance to see if its the gauge or the sending unit which could explain CEL and sluggishness.
-Speedometer???
-Check all bulbs and blinker relay
-Change plugs-I hate doing plugs and so Ill take it to the shop and have some Iridium plugs and new wires put in.
-Change fuel filter
-Change coolant and thermostat and check for play in the pump.
-Replace heater core, hoses, and clear out blower fan because it supposedly squeaks.
-Replace Idler pulley and belt tensioner.
-Start gutting the interior, replace one damage fender panel and start painting.

What has already been done.

-Oil change
-PCV change
-Air filter
-Muffler replaced(not quite happy with it yet, cheap couplers and no mid hanger)
-Power steering pump replaced.

Now that initially seems like alot, but I think its a diamond in the rough, especially considering what I went through with my 93 ranger.

http://www.fordrangerforum.com/project-logs/42298-another-93-but-not-cool-mcramers.html

The ex still has all the undercoating on the body and on 2/3 of the frame, and just a super light layer of surface rust on the rest. Now if you stuck around on this post to the end, I greatly thank you and would greatly appreciate any and all thoughts and advice.

 

[rookieshooter]

The first thing I would do would to be jack the front up and grab the tire and shake north to sout and east to west. If you don't have slop, it would surprise me unless the uppers and lowers were changed.
Next rotate drive shaft for ujoint failure.

 

[arco777]

-Check engine light is on(Pre 96 so I have to take it to a shop to get codes) - Not true! 95 was the first year of OBD-II (for Explorers) by the way. OBD-I is easy to get codes from. Do a search, there's a simple procedure to do it yourself. Or you can get a code reader for about $30-40.
-Parking brake light always on. - Check the sensor/switch that's actuated by the pedal. Probably disconnected or bent out of the way or something.
-Gas gauge seemed to flicker and either stay on empty or full. - May have a bad sender, or bad gauge connection. Check resistance values at the gauge and at the wires.
-Speedometer would shutter on acceleration, but truck would accelerate fine. - Usually means the cable needs lubed, not a big deal though.
-Left turn signal worked fine-Right would stay solid green. - Check multifunction switch. Easy to replace if that is what's necessary to fix it.
-Sluggish on acceleration from idling position. - Check codes for more info.
-Water temp gauge would fluctuate between cold and m on normal - How fast are the fluctuations? If it's not dancing, usually a thermostat is to blame for unusual temp fluctuations.
-Brakes felt spongy. - Bleed them, it's easy
-Broken seat belt lock on drives side. - Junkyard part should fix that.
-Squeaks and broken seal on belt tensioner - The tensioner can be bought as a unit new, or you can buy just the pulley with bearing. Same pulley is used for the idler.
-Bypassed heater core. - Really easy fix on these trucks. Do a search for a how-to. The job takes about 15 minutes.
-Driver window is not properly on its track. - Doubtful it has anything to do with the track, if it's not wanting to go up - if you hear motor running but window is not moving, you need to replace the rubber plugs inside the power window motor. Easy, I just did mine today and it took about 15 minutes.

...

-Brakes-Ill replace calipers, shoes, rotors and pads(When I can afford it) - Unless you have leaky calipers and warped rotors you can skip those, or have calipers rebuilt and turn the rotors.
-Check gas gauge volts and resistance to see if its the gauge or the sending unit which could explain CEL and sluggishness.
-Speedometer???
-Check all bulbs and blinker relay
-Change plugs-I hate doing plugs and so Ill take it to the shop and have some Iridium plugs and new wires put in. - Plugs and wires are easy on these cars. Just use good quality wires and Autolite or Motorcraft plugs. These motors don't care about fancy plugs and some (like Bosch +4) cause problems.
-Change fuel filter
-Change coolant and thermostat and check for play in the pump. - Recommend a stock replacement thermostat equipped with a bleed hole.
-Replace heater core, hoses, and clear out blower fan because it supposedly squeaks.
-Replace Idler pulley and belt tensioner.
-Start gutting the interior, replace one damage fender panel and start painting.

 

[fordkid88]

acro777 you are a damn stud-super informative post.

Blinker not working right-Bad hazard/flasher, pulled it out of my ranger to test.

Unfortunately I didnt install one o-ring properly and the power steering resevoir leaked, so this time it was done properly with teflon tape.

All the window motors work but none of the windows move.

Ill bleed the brakes, do the coolant flush, check the resistance on the fuel pump this weekend.

 

[fordkid88]

acro777 would it be possible for you to pull up a link for the windows, im not entirely sure what im looking for.

 

[arco777]

Well most people would tell you to do a search (in this case it would be for Power Window Bushing Replacement) but here's your freebie

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145469

The front and back procedure is the same. Three bolts hold the power window motors; two have access holes already, the third you'll need to find the dimple and drill a 1/2" or so hole to access. Once you pull those bolts the motor comes out, one more screw to remove dust cover, and you're at the scene of the crime.

The window bushings are available in the HELP! section of your local parts store. They cost around $8 for three usually, which IMO is unreasonable, but I'm told they can be ordered online or in bulk a lot cheaper.

 

[fordkid88]

Well I changed the the thermostat and burped the coolant, whoever previously changed it loaded the gasket and threads with rtv blue. The threads on one of the bolts and head mounts were in sad shape but I replaced the bolts and there was still a good amount of threads on the head to snug it down. It doesnt want to go above O, Im wandering if thats because the heater core is not in the coolant system loop. Oddly enough after awhile the CEL went off, bad gas??? Probably tomorrow im going to bleed the brakes and start working under the dash to diagnose the fuel gauge.

 

[arco777]

Well I changed the the thermostat and burped the coolant, whoever previously changed it loaded the gasket and threads with rtv blue. The threads on one of the bolts and head mounts were in sad shape but I replaced the bolts and there was still a good amount of threads on the head to snug it down. It doesnt want to go above O, Im wandering if thats because the heater core is not in the coolant system loop. Oddly enough after awhile the CEL went off, bad gas??? Probably tomorrow im going to bleed the brakes and start working under the dash to diagnose the fuel gauge.

The water neck is one place where putting new 8.8 bolts in really is cheap insurance for the future... lots of people have had the stock bolts break off there. As for the temp gauge don't sweat it, sounds normal to me unless you live in a real hot climate.

For the fuel gauge I'd pull the dash bezel off, then the clear face and inner bezel off the gauge cluster, then yank out the fuel gauge (but leave the cluster in place), then just probe the connections where the gauge plugs into. If you get the proper resistance at the connections then your gauge is bad. Easier than pulling the whole cluster out. If the resistance value doesn't add up, suspect a bad tank sender unit.

 

[fordkid88]

Alright folks I forgot to mention when I was changing the thermostat I noticed the very tip of each fan blade were black and melted, and when I crawled under the front to release the drain valve on the radiator I saw that a portion of the fan shroud was busted off. So I started planning on fixing this, remove fan clutch, remove fan shroud, replace fan shroud, replace fan, reinstall fan clutch. Then I got to thinking about electric fans. What are your thoughts on this guys.

And I didnt think to use some 8.8s, so looks like those bolts will be replaced, Hopefully I can replace them with out spilling coolant everywhere.

And acro777 the next time im in Little Rock, Im buying you a couple rounds of beers.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288467

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291870

 

[arco777]

Alright folks I forgot to mention when I was changing the thermostat I noticed the very tip of each fan blade were black and melted, and when I crawled under the front to release the drain valve on the radiator I saw that a portion of the fan shroud was busted off. So I started planning on fixing this, remove fan clutch, remove fan shroud, replace fan shroud, replace fan, reinstall fan clutch. Then I got to thinking about electric fans. What are your thoughts on this guys.

And I didnt think to use some 8.8s, so looks like those bolts will be replaced, Hopefully I can replace them with out spilling coolant everywhere.

And acro777 the next time im in Little Rock, Im buying you a couple rounds of beers.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288467

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291870

Guess the fan shroud probably broke off its mounting points and contacted the fan - they get weak. Might want to get the heavy duty fan clutch. There's one for sale on the forum classifieds right now.

Your stat should hold back the coolant even with the water neck removed if the sealing surfaces are good - every time I've replaced my stat it stayed on until I pulled it off. Or just change one bolt at a time. For 8.8s I just got a box of misc metric nuts/bolts/washers from the parts store and found some bolts that worked with one washer and one lock washer. Pretty cheap, I think the whole box was $13 for 126 pieces and it's made by Dorman.

As for electric fans, many people on the board have installed them. I recall claims of slight power and mileage increases. Whether those improvements are real or psychological, personally I don't care for electric fans. Went through that dance on a Mustang and a Camaro. For a tiny gain in power I was always watching the temp gauge, worried the fan wouldn't kick on. In both cases, both stock and aftermarket temp sensor-based fan controllers burned out despite good wiring and relays. Also I had to stress about whether my alternator was keeping up with the added load. I've never had a mechanical fan fail and the peace of mind is worth more to me. Just my opinion.

Also thanks for the beer offer but I don't drink - would accept any other cold beverage though. It's hot out here!

EDIT: By the way, the electric fan I used on the Mustang was the Taurus 2-speed with a Hayden controller. The amp drain of the high speed circuit is hard enough on speed controllers but the startup spike is what kills them I think. Good fan but probably needs a switch or a circuit that spins it up on low speed before engaging the high speed circuit.