IAmTodd's '94 POS, wait thats my Saab thats the POS

[IAmTodd]

Brackets are off! Took a bit to find the right socket of the arm nuts but once they were off I just put a jack in the center of the brackets and the force popped them off the rivets. Now to get the rest of the rivet out.

*Note the cut lower one and the worn edge on the upper one due to a bad bushing.

 

[IAmTodd]

Took the day off yesterday to get some work done. Crossmember is in and bushings are installed. I also replaced the front calipers, pads, repacked the bearings and got the manual hubs installed. Engine is in and I've started to put that all back together. Plan is to do the tranmission Friday night. Insurance will be on it June 18th and that is my goal date to get it running by. Lots of work to do!

 

[IAmTodd]

SHE LIVES! Still on jack stands at the moment, I just wanted to put the trans through the test before closing it all up. Took a bit to start up but once it fired it idled well. Trans works well in each gear, the real test will be once all is spinning though. :/ I need to snag a new heater valve at the pick n pull. mine has decided to split and leaks a bit of coolant.

It still has the issue of stumbling just off idle. I'm hoping it's bad gas. I also haven't cleaned the MAF. Other than those issues it's golden. Can't wait to get it all finished up!

 

[IAmTodd]

Radiator that a friend gave me decided it didn't like the side tanks. I had leaks on both sides. I cleaned out my old radiator (nasty!) and hooked everything back up. Still have the heater valve leak but everything else is dry. Whew!

I also cleaned the MAF last night and added some fresh petrol to the tank. It seems to be running MUCH better now. It now has enough pep to rock the engine in the mounts. Tonight the interior goes back in as well as the driveshafts and hopefully a test drive will commence.

 

[parli22]

Looking good todd making alot of progress and it is good to see you back ina truck again

 

[IAmTodd]

Thanks parli! As of last night it moves under it's own power! It's back together for the most part, only a few things left to do. Seems as though I may have a bad rear u joint. It likes to jerk around. I figure them to be original so both rears will be replaced. I need to find a new boot for the front driveshaft before I put that back in.

It doesn't run too bad. It seems down on power but then again I'm coming from a car with twice the power and a good bit lighter so I can't say if it's running ok or not. I haven't left the neighborhood yet as it isn't registered or insured. That should change tonight though!

 

[sport97]

I saw on facebook you were having registration issues. Is that for the ex?

 

[IAmTodd]

Yea, went to get the plate signed over from my old car yesterday. I sold that car two months ago and of course dropped the insurance on it since I no longer owned it. Apprently since that plate hasn't had insurance in 30 days it's dead and should have been sent to the state. That makes zero sense to me since it still is valid for 6 months according to the sticker on it. Why would I continue to insure a car I didn't own?

Calling my insurance to double check this and also another notary to see if this is in fact true. If it is I have to go through PennDOT directly to get a new plate. We all know how fun it is dealing with PennDOT.

 

[sport97]

Oh PennDOT. Not to mention buying a new plate is like 100 dollars more than a plate transfer if I remember from last time I did this...

 

[IAmTodd]

Oh PennDOT. Not to mention buying a new plate is like 100 dollars more than a plate transfer if I remember from last time I did this...

Since I have to go through PennDOT directly it should just be the standard $36 to get it going. I'm sure they'll find some way to fee me to death though.

And on to the mandatory flex pictures!

 

[IAmTodd]

Bad news has visited this Explorer. The engine is running like pure poo. Not sure if it's a fueling issue but there is no power under load, barely pulls up hills, surging, and lots of pinging. Needless to say it's been garaged until that is diagnosed. It is also unable to hold fifth gear. 1-4 and reverse are perfect but fifth is very angry. It will coast in fifth but the second power is applied you can see it working its way out.

Back to the work bench.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Yikes-sorry to hear. Maybe time to look for a green 2nd gen sport???

 

[IAmTodd]

I wish I could find my first Sport! I would love to rock that again!

Did a little work again today. Fuel pressure tested out fine. Disconnected the MAF and it runs great. Not sure if I should snag a MAF at the pick n pull or go searching for something else. I think I need to see if there are any KOER codes. Didn't think to check for those. d'oh.

 

[IAmTodd]

The Explorer has once again assumed the position on jack stands in the garage. Couple issues going on;

Transfercase fluid desperately needed changed, the shift motor lost it's way, and fifth gear troubleshooting.

I pulled the tailshaft housing off the trans to expose fifth and reverse so I can check out the gear and shift fork.

Found an alarming amount of debris in the one area:

Turns out it's what was left of my lower shifter bushing. I'll clean that all up so it's not floating around any more.

 

[IAmTodd]

After some digging last night I discovered the fifth/reverse synchro hub was on backwards. I have to order a mainshaft and countershaft nut. Once those are in I'll get it back together and she'll be back on the road running slightly more efficiently.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

And to think I was all happy I cleaned the IAC, it was 2 whole bolts and an electrical connection to disco.... You are really diggin in deep Todd!

 

[IAmTodd]

I'm in much deeper than I ever thought I would be with this. However the amount that I've learned in the past 4 months (both good and bad) is unbelievable. Thankfully the first gens are fairly simple as well. I don't think I could haven gotten away with nearly as much with a second gen.

 

[IAmTodd]

And the official transmission verdict is a bad 5th/reverse slider. It's very worn on the 5th gear side and causing the teeth to slip out. Look like another $70 for a new one and it will be good as new.

Cannot stress how important it is to look over EVERY aspect of every part when it comes to dealing with these gears. I'm only dealing with two, I couldn't imagine looking in the main section.

 

[IAmTodd]

Transmission is put back together and is better than ever! It now holds fifth without a problem. It does grind into fifth if the clutch isn't depressed fully but that will just be considered normal operation.

Shocks have been installed and have greatly improved the ride. Front end still bouncing a good bit but I can now take corners at speed without scraping the door handles off. Only things left on the list are the fuel level sending unit/pump, sway bar end links, and rotors.

I got the transfer case to shift into low range, after that the shift motor got lost and gave up the ghost. I attempted a repair but it's in bad shape so either a new motor or a manual case will be needed. Don't need it right now anyways!

 

[IAmTodd]

Figured I'd post a quick update. I've crested 159k miles. All seems to be going well getting 15-16mpg. Transmission still isn't right. The gear lever still wanders in fifth gear. I'm going to run it until it eats itself and then worry about a replacement. I got a good deal on snow tires for the Saab so I won't have to rely on the Explorer entirely.

The front end of the truck is a bit of a mess. The front diff stopped leaking and I fear only because it's run out of fluid to leak. The ball joints need done and I'm hoping to cure an awful droning noise by replacing the front wheel bearings. I'm going to pull the entire axle to get it cleaned up and prepped. I'll be doing new u joints across the front as well as the c-clip eliminator since everything will be easy to access. I'm hoping to get some 2 inch coil seats to lift things up a bit.

I plan to pull the rear axle as well to rebuild the LSD. The axle shafts have a lot of play in them and I suspect the clutches are worn. AAL and shackles will also be tacked on at that time.

The shift motor for the transfer case has shifted it's last cog. That will be replaced unless I can find a manual TC before the snow flies.

One of these days I'll have a good truck that will be wheelable.