Inherited Clean G1 - Overheated drive home, worth saving?

[Nicky Chrisman]

Hello, long time lurker.
My grandfather has had a 93 Explorer XLT my whole life, he no longer wants it and I of course wanted to scoop it up. Cosmetically, it looks brand new. Immaculately cared for. 120k miles, kept up on maintenance religiously. To take possession I had to fly to california and drive it home to Colorado where I live. His mech who he trusts checked it out and declared it road worthy after him maybe driving it 1000 miles cumulatively over the last 5 years.
It was a 103 degree day in the CA central valley and the thing immediately started to run hot driving over the first incline I encountered. Made it maybe 60 miles. Stopped a couple times to have it cool off before deciding to turn around. Around the third cooling stop, the thing wouldn't kick into gear. Noticed the trans fluid (auto) was low, took 3 quarts and was able to kick it into drive. Thinking there is a serious problem now, only focused on limping it back the 60 miles. Runs fine for 45 mins, overheats again, I stop and let it cool for 20, begin to drive. Last 5 minutes before it overheats again, stop, and same deal, trans won't kick into gear. Add 3 quarts fluid again (all I had), and it kicks into reverse but not drive. Have to tow it the last 15 miles.
Interested in anyones experience what could be wrong, it's at the shop now. More importantly, how much money would you dump into a cosmetically beautiful Gen 1 explorer to save it? Only dailying my 91 BMW E30 and wanted something with more offroad capabilities. Reading these forums I was thinking of a 2 inch body lift and some bigger tires for improved ground clearance. Was looking forward to it as a project car. Have a number of maybe the KBB value in my mind as the limit, and of course, I'll need to fly back to California and attempt the 1200 mile drive to CO again in a few weeks if I decide to save it. What would you do? I'm in love with how it looks and feels but do I save myself heartbreak early her

 

[BKennedy]

My 1994 overhearheated twice while on a trip up to the Sierras. I replaced the water pump, heavy duty fan clutch and thermostat and it's been fine ever since. Only heat issue I've ever had since is the temps will creep up when I use the AC on long grades, so I don't do that. I used all Gates parts.

Full disclosure, my Explorer is modified for off road use. It has the stock 4.0 engine with no modifications, but the rest of the drivetrain is not OEM. I have kept the original engine because it's reliable and eventually gets me where I want to go. I'm planning on eventually swapping a GM 3800 series V6.

 

[BeartoothEx]

"I'm planning on eventually swapping a GM 3800 series V6."

Nooooooooooooooooooo. Well, to each his own, but to me, GM is still the dark side... Anyway, I'll defer to those more experienced than me, but if it were me and I could find a clear external cause for the overheating (bad fan clutch, radiator, gunked up cooling system, thermostat, etc.) and it wasn't pushed too far, I'd fix the cooling issues and see what it does. My Dad's 6.0 has lost the belt and got hot twice in the last few years (compressor bearing, then tensioner most recently), but a new belt and associated parts, and you'd think nothing happened. I know a 4.0 is more likely to crack a head (ditto the 3.0: we had an Aerostar back when), it just seems worth a try. Or you could put a pressure tester on the cooling system and see if it holds.

 

[BKennedy]

My 94 has a GM700R4 transmission and a Atlas II transfer case. The GM V6 will bolt to the 60* transmission, and it should fit without major suspension modifications. I have coil over shock mounts that extend into the engine compartment. Those little GM V6's are reliable, have lots of aftermarket support and plenty of horse power. Some even have integrated exhaust manifolds, making them even easier to swap.

 

[410Fortune]

TTB v8 for the win

So when ford made the 302 fit the gen ii explorer they made it much easier to fit the gen 1 explorer as well… you just have to be a wizard to get it all in there wired and plumbed. Not sure what the holdup is lol

I can tell you a v8 bronco ii with two lockers and 35s is a heck of a lot of fun to pilot and cheap to own and operate it makes it better that it was likely the worst 4wd to ever leave the ford plant!! Underdogs unite!!!

 

[BeartoothEx]

I thought about a Bronco II when I got the idea to dig up a light off-roader, but the longer wheelbase and more capacity were bigger priorities since I most had being able to tackle rough roads and bring along some friends in mind. But for serious off-roading, the Bronco II is hard to argue with: more nimble, better breakover and departure angles, and that's probably not all. As for worst 4wd ever to leave Ford - and I've never had one - but don't forget the Tempo!

 

[BKennedy]

The 4 door 1st gen Explorer, in my opinion, has a near ideal wheel base and width for a overall good off-roader. Its the same width as a XJ and fits on all the trials. It's long enough that it climbs better than a TJ. Doesn't hit both TJ ruts and steps at the same time. Never felt like I was going over backwards like I have in my buddy's TJ. With a flexy suspension and 35's mine has taken me everywhere I've wanted to take it.
Older picture but one of my favorite

 

[Josh P]

My 94 has a GM700R4 transmission and a Atlas II transfer case. The GM V6 will bolt to the 60* transmission, and it should fit without major suspension modifications. I have coil over shock mounts that extend into the engine compartment. Those little GM V6's are reliable, have lots of aftermarket support and plenty of horse power. Some even have integrated exhaust manifolds, making them even easier to swap.

LS4 would bolt to that transmission too.

 

[kubrickan]

Mechanic got back to me (who I trust) - Needs a full transmission rebuild ($3500 - 4k) and he diagnosed the coolant issue as just needing a flush- the car sat so long that the coolant got gummed up and was preventing the system from circulating (quoted $700). So in total I'm looking at $4300 - $4800 to get someone to professionally fix the car. I'm at a loss. That's way more than KBB just to get it running. Considering getting it shipped out to CO and having it sit. What would you do? Is that a fair price for the repair? Should I learn how to replace a transmission myself? Attached is a photo. 120k miles. Apparently the transmission is supposed to go out around this milage.

 

[RangerX]

I would consider removing it yourself and having it rebuilt. I had never done anything similar until my Ranger needed a new clutch. I couldn’t afford it, so I learned with much help from this forum how to drop the trans and everything after that.

 

[BKennedy]

Can you rent or borrow a trailer tow it to Colorado? I would get it out there for as least money as possible, then take your time looking for a rebuilt or replacement transmission. It appears to be in very good condition. You have basically zero invested in it so far.

It's not like they are making any more 1st generation Explorers.

Is this the same mechanic who said it was good to be driven to Colorado? If so, I'm not so sure about his judgement. Flushing the cooling system is not a $700 job.

 

[BeartoothEx]

Real nice-looking vehicle. That's not a shocking price to pay for a transmission job, but just a rebuilt unit is less than half that. I do agree that $700 is a lot for a cooling flush though. $5000 doesn't seem excessive to be into such a vehicle for. I'm not sure if DIY is an option, but you'd probably be looking at closer to $2000. A $200 transmission jack from Horror Freight is plenty to do the job (handled my F250 even). Or it's light enough that maybe a floor jack and extra set of hands (or just enough extra hands) would do. Not an option for everyone though, to be sure.

Valuations are a sticky thing on these. If it were in average shape cosmetically, you'd be way ahead just finding a decent used one. But when it comes to really nice examples, supplies are drying up. It's one of those things: at one point there were so many of them relative to the number of people actually looking for one that you couldn't get much no matter the condition. Those days are long gone. I'm not sure values reflect that yet, but I think they will. Nobody realizes you can't find nice ones anymore until something sparks interest. It's fickle, to be sure, but I think the Explorer (especially 1st gen) will be one of those vehicles that ends up sought after any day now. You saw values on the likes of the '57 Chevy surge as Boomers started approaching retirement age, and the 1st gen would just be coming into a similar timeframe. But ultimately, gambling on car values is a risky game; what matters is if it's worth something to you.