Howdy! New Missouri Member Here With A Couple Questions...

[88red4cyl]

Hey everybody! My name is Will, and I'm from Kirksville, MO... I did some searching on the internet for an Explorer forum, and found this place which seems pretty active.. I am totally new to Explorers, but not to cars.. I have been into the Fiero scene for several years (hence my name), and more recently into the GM W-body scene..

I have recently moved from the city to the country, so a need has risen for a 4WD vehicle.. I had a Blazer in the past, but wasn't too impressed with it.. My wife is a huge Ford fan, so I have decided to give an Explorer a try... I don't actually have one yet, but I have it narrowed down to 2 candidates, and I was hoping I could get some advice on the situation.

Option 1: 1996 Explorer Limited
This thing is fully loaded except for SWRC (Steering Wheel Radio Controls), or I think it is based on my limited knowledge of Explorers. It's got sunroof, leather, premium sound, automatic climate control, rear seat controls, message center, Control Trac 4WD, and Automatic Ride Control... It's got 126k miles, is pearl in color (with tan interior), and has the V6..

Option 2: 1997 Explorer XLT
The only thing I can tell this vehicle has is sunroof and Control Trac 4WD... It's purply-grey with grey cloth... It's got the V6 and 113k miles.. I know the previous owner of this vehicle, and it has been well cared for in the 11 years she had it...

What do you guys think would be the better option.. Price for either is about the same, and neither vehicle has any body rust I can see. My main concern on the 96 is the Automatic Ride Control.. It's a one owner, but I have no idea how its been treated in its lifetime..

Sorry for the longwinded post!
Thanks,
Will

 

[lynchy wa]

G'day Will and welcome, I'd go for the '97 but only because you know it's history.

 

[88red4cyl]

G'day Will and welcome, I'd go for the '97 but only because you know it's history.

Thank ya! I just got back from driving the 97 and discovered that it has an antifreeze leak... I can't see where it's leaking from (its dark out), but the resevoir is completely dry... She didn't know it was leaking... Otherwise it drove very nice, although a little slower than I imagined it would with the SOHC V6... Any common leak points on these motors?

 

[lynchy wa]

I'm not sure of common leaky bit's, but would look at the condition of the hoses when you get some light, check there's no coolant in the oil and possibly consider a V8 if you're not really happy with the performance side of thing's.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Look into the 96 if it has less issues or buy both (his & hers vehicles).

 

[88red4cyl]

Welcome to this forum! Look into the 96 if it has less issues or buy both (his & hers vehicles).

Ha ha.. I would love to buy both.. My wife is pretty attached to her 06 Monte Carlo though... I am going to look into this 96 Limited tomorrow and see about driving it.. The ARC on my grandpas 94 Mark VIII is still working after all these years and 200k+ miles, so I guess the ARC isn't something I should be worrying about that much..

I'd love to get a V8 Explorer, but they seem to be few and far between in my neck of the woods... The check engine light was on in the 97 too, so that may have been a factor in the less than stellar performance...

 

[gmanpaint]

Welcome to the forum!

I would go for the 96 with the OHV myself. Dependable engine for a long long time. The 97 with the SOHC has a problem with the timing chains. I think there is a way to check and see if it was serviced for the recall on it, but I am not sure how to go about that. Between 80k and 150k they tend to go out and is a costly repair. If it was serviced, it is a good engine with more HP.

Check the sides of the heads for coolant leakage. You don't want a bad head on either of these engines.

 

[lynchy wa]

Gman makes excellent points and I will bow to his wisdom.

 

[88red4cyl]

Welcome to the forum!

I would go for the 96 with the OHV myself. Dependable engine for a long long time. The 97 with the SOHC has a problem with the timing chains. I think there is a way to check and see if it was serviced for the recall on it, but I am not sure how to go about that. Between 80k and 150k they tend to go out and is a costly repair. If it was serviced, it is a good engine with more HP.

Check the sides of the heads for coolant leakage. You don't want a bad head on either of these engines.

Thanks for the advice!! Are bad heads a common problem on the 4.0?

Also, I guess I should ask if there's any things I should be watching out for on these 2nd gens?

 

[gmanpaint]

They are known to go out on them. A crack between the cylinder walls is ok, as the coolant leak usually does not seep into the cylinders. A crack in the cylinder area is not a good thing, and will kill an cylinder internals and the head itself.

The problem with some of the later model OHV is faulty soft tip pushrods, they mushroom and get shorter. Not only does this restrict oil flow, but it also makes for rocker arm slop, causing audible ticks. But that will not stop it from being driven. some have dealt with a ticking OHV for 100k and have just dealt with the noise. There is a kit for them for $200 from Delta cams that have hardened pushrods and refurb rocker rails.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I also vote OHV if you can't find a V8. The chain tensioner issues mentioned by gman is reason enough. The OHV is a smaller engine, but it will run forever if fed properly.

Also- if the ARC goes out, it's easy enough to swap in standard shocks, most people do.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome 88

 

[88red4cyl]

Thanks for the welcomes!!

Look what I have in my garage this evening!!

 

[lynchy wa]

Go the '96 Wicked mate!

 

[gmanpaint]

Congrats !

 

[crazyflights]

Good choice, the 97 with SOHC would be asking for trouble with timing chains. Enjoy!!

 

[max_overdrive]

hello from a fellow Missouri resident, im down in ofallon mo. nice looking truck.

 

[1Aauto]

welcome to the site

 

[88red4cyl]

Thanks guys!! Mechanically it is a fantastic truck.. Runs smooth, 4WD works great, ARC functions correctly, and best of all it doesn't leak antifreeze! lol

It does have some small issues that need fixed on it though.. The sunroof won't open more than 1/4 inch (just enough to let wind noise in), I can hear the motor running when I hit the button but no luck.. The sunroof does vent, but opening and venting may be controlled by different motors (I'm not sure).. The subwoofer is blown from the JBL system, so that speaker needs replaced. The power antenna doesn't move under its own power (again the motor runs, but the antenna doesn't). The on/off buttons for the cruise are also broken (exposed internals). They were like this on this truck and the 97, so it must be a common explorer issue, but they function correctly.. I'd like to add steering wheel controls down the line, so I don't really care about it for now though... The biggest issue is needing new rotors.. Brakes good below 30ish, but above that and the whole truck shakes bad... That should be easy enough though if they're anything like GMs setup...

It's also doesn't have a cd changer (which surprised me) or homelink, so I will have to add those in the future if its not too difficult to do...

 

[BrooklynBay]

It's a good idea to update your profile with the vehicle's information.