DeadAWD
Member
- Joined
- September 17, 2009
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Duvall, WA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '96 Ford Explorer XLT AWD
Hi,
DeadAWD Dave here. Last month I sold my 1996 AWD LTD Explorer. I did a ton of work to it over the 3 years I owned it and got it into nearly-new condition (my Dad bought it new and gave it to me in 2009). Even though it had 155k miles it ran and drove like the day it rolled out of the dealer. I was proud of that.
Everything worked perfectly, the interior was in excellent condition and so was the outside, with zero rust). Two tires were in great shape and I replaced two the week I sold it. I sold it for $3000. The guy who bought it seemed very pleased. I even had towels that matched the interior color that were always used to cover the seats, which I gave him. Oh, and two boxes of spare parts (starter, coils, lug nuts, handles, sensors, etc- misc. junk yard stuff) that I gave him.
As I mentioned, I did a lot of work to it over the 3 years I owned it. The last major job was the summer of 2011, the complete disassembly of the A/C system. I replaced all the o-rings (which I later discovered were NOT the cause of my problem) and eventually removed and replaced the evaporator coil. (Getting the wiring connector off under the blower motor was no fun.) I added a little more compressor oil (the CORRECT, difficult to find, double-ended CAP stuff, after a ton of research) and a variable orifice valve. 90+ degree outdoor temperature last summer and it blew 26 to 28F out of the vents at idle. I could refrigerate the truck in the summer, if I wanted to. I was terribly rushed to do the job before a long road trip but the results were great. A shop vacuumed and filled it for me.
I was glad I shopped around for the evaporator coil. After minding many that wanted $250 I ordered one for $140. But the morning I needed it they called and said that they failed to order it for me within my deadline. I turned to a "Federated Auto" in lower DE and they had it in stock for under $80. The location and reason the evaporator coil went bad was right near the end of one of the tube where the orifice value goes in. There is a steel bracket that stabilizes the tube. The steel rusted over the years and corroded the aluminum pipe to the point where there was a pin hole. If I had more time and was thinking properly I would have vacuumed the system, put a piece of plastic tubing inside the aluminum pipe, sanded the outside of the aluminum pipe, and covered in with that epoxy putty that sets in 5 minutes. I think that would have worked perfectly and I wouldn't have had to remove the evaporator coil (talk about jig-saw puzzle!). Not to mention cheaper. I did NOT replace the steel support bracket.
Over the years of repairing and improving things the only major thing I would have done differently would have been to NOT have put on the rear coil-over shocks. The additional coil-over springs on the shocks made the truck too firm for the type of driving I did (I never used the truck for off-road, it was always a street vehicle). It was an inexpensive and easy way to eliminate the sag from the rear (and it looked good afterward) but it was too firm for my soft-wussy on-road tastes. For my tastes I should have bought new stock rear springs, bushings, and standard shocks.
But the bottom line was that I sold the Explorer because I couldn't stand the 10mpg city fuel consumption. I bought an extremely well cared for 10-year old 5-speed Honda Civic (and spent a lot of money for it too). At 100k miles it probably needs shocks and struts all around and I'll get to that eventually. But I'm now getting at least 30mpg city OR highway. It should pay for itself in a year or two at these gas prices. As long as I don't get hit and crushed by some huge, heavy, gas-guzzling V8 on the highway!
Thank you all again for your kindness and help over the years, especially in the beginning when, after driving across country within a week of getting it, the viscous coupling in my AWD transfer case died.
You all have been great. Thank you. Be well everyone.
Warmly,
Dave
DeadAWD Dave here. Last month I sold my 1996 AWD LTD Explorer. I did a ton of work to it over the 3 years I owned it and got it into nearly-new condition (my Dad bought it new and gave it to me in 2009). Even though it had 155k miles it ran and drove like the day it rolled out of the dealer. I was proud of that.
Everything worked perfectly, the interior was in excellent condition and so was the outside, with zero rust). Two tires were in great shape and I replaced two the week I sold it. I sold it for $3000. The guy who bought it seemed very pleased. I even had towels that matched the interior color that were always used to cover the seats, which I gave him. Oh, and two boxes of spare parts (starter, coils, lug nuts, handles, sensors, etc- misc. junk yard stuff) that I gave him.
As I mentioned, I did a lot of work to it over the 3 years I owned it. The last major job was the summer of 2011, the complete disassembly of the A/C system. I replaced all the o-rings (which I later discovered were NOT the cause of my problem) and eventually removed and replaced the evaporator coil. (Getting the wiring connector off under the blower motor was no fun.) I added a little more compressor oil (the CORRECT, difficult to find, double-ended CAP stuff, after a ton of research) and a variable orifice valve. 90+ degree outdoor temperature last summer and it blew 26 to 28F out of the vents at idle. I could refrigerate the truck in the summer, if I wanted to. I was terribly rushed to do the job before a long road trip but the results were great. A shop vacuumed and filled it for me.
I was glad I shopped around for the evaporator coil. After minding many that wanted $250 I ordered one for $140. But the morning I needed it they called and said that they failed to order it for me within my deadline. I turned to a "Federated Auto" in lower DE and they had it in stock for under $80. The location and reason the evaporator coil went bad was right near the end of one of the tube where the orifice value goes in. There is a steel bracket that stabilizes the tube. The steel rusted over the years and corroded the aluminum pipe to the point where there was a pin hole. If I had more time and was thinking properly I would have vacuumed the system, put a piece of plastic tubing inside the aluminum pipe, sanded the outside of the aluminum pipe, and covered in with that epoxy putty that sets in 5 minutes. I think that would have worked perfectly and I wouldn't have had to remove the evaporator coil (talk about jig-saw puzzle!). Not to mention cheaper. I did NOT replace the steel support bracket.
Over the years of repairing and improving things the only major thing I would have done differently would have been to NOT have put on the rear coil-over shocks. The additional coil-over springs on the shocks made the truck too firm for the type of driving I did (I never used the truck for off-road, it was always a street vehicle). It was an inexpensive and easy way to eliminate the sag from the rear (and it looked good afterward) but it was too firm for my soft-wussy on-road tastes. For my tastes I should have bought new stock rear springs, bushings, and standard shocks.
But the bottom line was that I sold the Explorer because I couldn't stand the 10mpg city fuel consumption. I bought an extremely well cared for 10-year old 5-speed Honda Civic (and spent a lot of money for it too). At 100k miles it probably needs shocks and struts all around and I'll get to that eventually. But I'm now getting at least 30mpg city OR highway. It should pay for itself in a year or two at these gas prices. As long as I don't get hit and crushed by some huge, heavy, gas-guzzling V8 on the highway!
Thank you all again for your kindness and help over the years, especially in the beginning when, after driving across country within a week of getting it, the viscous coupling in my AWD transfer case died.
You all have been great. Thank you. Be well everyone.
Warmly,
Dave
