Just Bought - Couple questions

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

Just bought a 1991 Ford Explorer this afternoon. I'm in college, senior year and wanted to get something that could handle itself on the trails and also be reliable. Almost bought an 89 Bronco, glad I did not. Excited to begin the work shortly!!

173k miles. Eddie Bauer trim. 4.0L V6 Engine. Only one owner. Everything stock besides stereo.

Pros:
-Paint is in good condition, slight wear in very small areas but not bad by any means.
-All electrical besides cruise control work without hesitation
-Heating/Air works very well
-1 Owner
-interior is in good condition (no tears in seats, no real damage, just some wear on door panels, maybe due to heat
-All gauges work
-Drives straight as an arrow
-Very affordable ($1800)
-4x4 engages/works (only gone a couple miles offload)
-Engine bay relatively clean, plastics/rubber still looks pretty good
-Weatherstripping has held up very well

Cons:
-Although interior is in good condition, the headliner has small holes but is not sagging at all (not sure why it got more worn than other parts of interior)
-It was in Tahoe for 10+ years, leading to rust. There is a spot on the driver rocker panel that has been repaired, liner in all the wheel wells look to have been installed as well, also 2 spots of rust on hood, those are the only two noticeable blemishes I guess on the body
-Wiper fluid spigot is broken on passenger side, I almost sprayed a car next to me at a light lol
-Horn and Cruise control both do not work
-Automatic (I love manuals, but it does drive nice)

Would love to hear what you guys think, I will attach pictures as well. I know most of the cons I mentioned can be pretty easily fixed. I think the most important to take care of is the rust, it really isn't that bad though. I just want to nip it in the bud and not have to worry about it. My thoughts are using a buddies lift if I can get my hands on it and wire anything I see, followed by sealing it with an anti-rust formula and then rhino lining the whole bottom? Hopefully the horn and cruise control are just a relay/something simple electrically. Neither are necessary for the time being. I should also state that this will NOT be my daily driver. I eventually want to build this into a more offload capable but still reliable vehicle. I plan on eventually getting newer tires, preferably nearly as large as possible without a lift (if anyone knows sizes that would be fantastic), installing a roof rack onto the rails on top, attaching the spare tire to the rear hatch/tailgate if possible(?), replacing all the speakers/ stereo, removing front/rear bumper ---> design custom bumper, replace headliner, restore door panels where needed, put on an exhaust, probably 2 LED pods, light bar on roof, and 2 10'' bars in grill or on bumper, and then begin bulletproofing the thing.. not literally, well maybe haha. Get better suspension, maybe 1-2'' lift, replace brakes, off road filters (Nevada dust/Cali dirt get everywhere), more durable transmission, front/rear diff, stay ahead of the repairs that will surely happen someday! This vehicle will primarily be used for exploring (punny) the great state of Nevada, largely off road through pretty basic terrain but not asphalt.

Tell me what you think, I'm new to Forums, but I figured this would be good to see other people's ideas and to be able to communicate with other people that could be running into similar problems or did in the past!

 

[Centaurious]

Good looking truck. Sounds like you will want to look through the modified forum as well for ideas. I wouldn't rhino coat the underside as it is hard enough to work on some things without having to dig stuff out of undercoating. Clean well, derust, and spray with light grey paint.

The top off a can of spray paint works well to support the armrest. Place right behind the storage latch in its normal orientation, not upside down.

 

[Gmctyphoon]

That explorer looks nice! The seats are awesome!

I had a very nice 93 ranger sxt, I should have held onto that one! It had a high flow cat and a mangaflow muffler. Sounded great on the 4.0 ohv.

Enjoy the new to you truck!

 

[JustinGibson]

Nice explorer man. I think the first thing I would do is some maintenance if you don't know when it was last done. Flush the coolant replace thermostat and all the hoses they could be 30 years old and it is cheap insurance to prevent a head gasket failure. I don't own an automatic but I'd probably replace the fluid in that too. People like to run a larger aux transmission cooler for towing and off roading with the autos so you should look into that.
I would also upgrade to manual hubs because they are stronger than the auto hubs and way easier to torque down the wheel bearing to 200 ft lb and not have to worry about it coming loose and developing play. While you're in there you can replace brakes, wheel bearings and seals as well it is a good time to learn if you have never done cone style bearings. If you buy new rotors you won't have to press the new races in for the bearings too.
You can fit 31x10.5 with out a lift no problem with stock wheels but you won't be able to mount to your tailgate without serious reinforcement. The metal is too thin. You may be able to fit a 31 in the stock location and they sell the hitch mount carriers now too. For the lift you can run a coil spacer up front from a f150 or lift coils. I have heard great things about the skyjacker 132x coils and would be the route I would go. Rear you can run a longer shackle or you can add a leaf so you have some options for different budgets.
Have fun

 

[410Fortune]

two words
trans cooler

Justin had it right, your 91 auto trans is called an A4LD, the first thing I would do is drop the pan, replace some fluid and a filter. Check to see what type of trans cooler setup your eddie has and consider upgrading. KEEP THAT TRANS COOL!!

Very very nice truck to start with! That Gen I is in great shape, looking forward to see what you do with it.
thanks for the thread, welcome to EF!

Next look into manual hub conversion, those 4x4 auto hubs suck. If your still work you can sell them on Ebay and probably pay for a good set of Warn manual hubs and the conversion kit........

That is a wicked nice Gen I! The first year of the explorer, 1991, they are TANKS!

 

[DeRocha]

Very clean survivor you have there..

 

[BKennedy]

I would change all the fluids, including differentials, transmission and coolant. Add a trans cooler if it doesn't already have one but I think the Eddies all came with the tow package. Inspect all the hoses and belts, and replace the thermostat. Maybe do a front spacer lift and go with a little bigger tires if you use it on trails. Then drive it while you finish school. Keep an eye on the rust, but that's a very common spot for rust and not a huge deal. That should keep it running and reliable until you finish school.

Being a Eddie and two-tone. You could repair the rocker rust without having to match paint. If you are determined to tackle the rust now, then cut it all out and replace the metal with new. Then paint it or get some type of tan bed liner and respray the rockers.

Post a picture of the rust on the hood, can't see it in the pictures. If you need any help with the maintenance, just search the forum.

 

[sandsprayer]

Welcome to the forum, that is a great truck to start on!
I traded in my 94 XLT for the Sporty, and like Gmctyphoon, wish I just kept it around.
There is a wealth of information here, spend a few hours searching, getting to know how to find.
You've already got responses from guys who really know things, and there's a ton more out there.

 

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

Good looking truck. Sounds like you will want to look through the modified forum as well for ideas. I wouldn't rhino coat the underside as it is hard enough to work on some things without having to dig stuff out of undercoating. Clean well, derust, and spray with light grey paint.

The top off a can of spray paint works well to support the armrest. Place right behind the storage latch in its normal orientation, not upside down.

Okay thanks for the advice appreciate that, I didn't really think about the implications it could cause down the road doing that!

 

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

Nice explorer man. I think the first thing I would do is some maintenance if you don't know when it was last done. Flush the coolant replace thermostat and all the hoses they could be 30 years old and it is cheap insurance to prevent a head gasket failure. I don't own an automatic but I'd probably replace the fluid in that too. People like to run a larger aux transmission cooler for towing and off roading with the autos so you should look into that.
I would also upgrade to manual hubs because they are stronger than the auto hubs and way easier to torque down the wheel bearing to 200 ft lb and not have to worry about it coming loose and developing play. While you're in there you can replace brakes, wheel bearings and seals as well it is a good time to learn if you have never done cone style bearings. If you buy new rotors you won't have to press the new races in for the bearings too.
You can fit 31x10.5 with out a lift no problem with stock wheels but you won't be able to mount to your tailgate without serious reinforcement. The metal is too thin. You may be able to fit a 31 in the stock location and they sell the hitch mount carriers now too. For the lift you can run a coil spacer up front from a f150 or lift coils. I have heard great things about the skyjacker 132x coils and would be the route I would go. Rear you can run a longer shackle or you can add a leaf so you have some options for different budgets.
Have fun

Thank you for the valuable information, yes I think getting all the fluids flushed and topped off would be a good start, and wow okay 30s-31s would be ideal, not too big but definitely more agressive!

 

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

two words
trans cooler

Justin had it right, your 91 auto trans is called an A4LD, the first thing I would do is drop the pan, replace some fluid and a filter. Check to see what type of trans cooler setup your eddie has and consider upgrading. KEEP THAT TRANS COOL!!

Very very nice truck to start with! That Gen I is in great shape, looking forward to see what you do with it.
thanks for the thread, welcome to EF!

Next look into manual hub conversion, those 4x4 auto hubs suck. If your still work you can sell them on Ebay and probably pay for a good set of Warn manual hubs and the conversion kit........

That is a wicked nice Gen I! The first year of the explorer, 1991, they are TANKS!

Okay so what would your estimate be for a trans cooler? also is it relatively easy meaning I could do it with the help of my roomate? If I do switch out the auto hubs, is the 4x4 and 4 low still push button and then I just have to lock/free them before driving?
Thanks! I'm very excited, it is pretty clean and definitely happy I was able to find a gen 1.

 

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

I would change all the fluids, including differentials, transmission and coolant. Add a trans cooler if it doesn't already have one but I think the Eddies all came with the tow package. Inspect all the hoses and belts, and replace the thermostat. Maybe do a front spacer lift and go with a little bigger tires if you use it on trails. Then drive it while you finish school. Keep an eye on the rust, but that's a very common spot for rust and not a huge deal. That should keep it running and reliable until you finish school.

Being a Eddie and two-tone. You could repair the rocker rust without having to match paint. If you are determined to tackle the rust now, then cut it all out and replace the metal with new. Then paint it or get some type of tan bed liner and respray the rockers.

Post a picture of the rust on the hood, can't see it in the pictures. If you need any help with the maintenance, just search the forum.

Totally agree on the fluids, the coolant is low, just under cold fill level when running. I'm hoping to keep it for 10+ years, I know it will need some upkeep, the rust isn't awful but I know it'll do nothing but get worse if left alone. My camera on my phone is on the fritz right now but the rust on the hood is in two places. One spot it looks like the metal actually has been partially cut back and they sealed it and painted it to match, the other spot is maybe 3x3'' and the paint is barely starting to peel off and underneath I can see rust, I am eventually planning on wrapping the truck as I did it professionally for 4 years. It would require lots of prep work but basically the plan would be to sand everything down locate the rust on the panels, and seal them very well, then wrap. Thank you!

 

[Mitch - '91 EXPLR (EB)]

Welcome to the forum, that is a great truck to start on!
I traded in my 94 XLT for the Sporty, and like Gmctyphoon, wish I just kept it around.
There is a wealth of information here, spend a few hours searching, getting to know how to find.
You've already got responses from guys who really know things, and there's a ton more out there.

Yes I am excited! Seems like a very knowledgeable group, hopefully I will start being able to contribute towards other people's struggles in the near future. I have a more cosmetic background with cars and less mechanical, so this will be the perfect project to balance that out!

 

[JustinGibson]

Okay so what would your estimate be for a trans cooler? also is it relatively easy meaning I could do it with the help of my roomate? If I do switch out the auto hubs, is the 4x4 and 4 low still push button and then I just have to lock/free them before driving?
Thanks! I'm very excited, it is pretty clean and definitely happy I was able to find a gen 1.

I have never done the trans cooler myself but I think it is straight forward. I would look through threads to find which ones people run and a good mounting place.
You got it right on the hubs. The buttons still work for the transfer case you just have have to manually lock hubs.

 

[sandsprayer]

here is a good starting point

JEGS 60381: XHP Transmission Cooler 20,000 GVW - JEGS

XHP Transmission Cooler

www.jegs.com

The plate style coolers are more durable, cheap insurance for about $10.
The preferred method is mounting it (fabed or kit), but strapping it is ok.
Consider pulling the radiator,flush by running a garden hose from the bottom and then top, use a rad. comb, and also using a pick to clear out the super small gravel from the fins.
It is surprising how much gets stuck in there. Especially if the truck has done any foraging. From the pictures, doubtful though.
Nice and easy!
If you want to get more a little more involved, go with push loc hose and fittings instead of the hose barbs.

 

[dbredes]

Just bought a 1991 Ford Explorer this afternoon. I'm in college, senior year and wanted to get something that could handle itself on the trails and also be reliable. Almost bought an 89 Bronco, glad I did not. Excited to begin the work shortly!!

173k miles. Eddie Bauer trim. 4.0L V6 Engine. Only one owner. Everything stock besides stereo.

Pros:
-Paint is in good condition, slight wear in very small areas but not bad by any means.
-All electrical besides cruise control work without hesitation
-Heating/Air works very well
-1 Owner
-interior is in good condition (no tears in seats, no real damage, just some wear on door panels, maybe due to heat
-All gauges work
-Drives straight as an arrow
-Very affordable ($1800)
-4x4 engages/works (only gone a couple miles offload)
-Engine bay relatively clean, plastics/rubber still looks pretty good
-Weatherstripping has held up very well

Cons:
-Although interior is in good condition, the headliner has small holes but is not sagging at all (not sure why it got more worn than other parts of interior)
-It was in Tahoe for 10+ years, leading to rust. There is a spot on the driver rocker panel that has been repaired, liner in all the wheel wells look to have been installed as well, also 2 spots of rust on hood, those are the only two noticeable blemishes I guess on the body
-Wiper fluid spigot is broken on passenger side, I almost sprayed a car next to me at a light lol
-Horn and Cruise control both do not work
-Automatic (I love manuals, but it does drive nice)

Would love to hear what you guys think, I will attach pictures as well. I know most of the cons I mentioned can be pretty easily fixed. I think the most important to take care of is the rust, it really isn't that bad though. I just want to nip it in the bud and not have to worry about it. My thoughts are using a buddies lift if I can get my hands on it and wire anything I see, followed by sealing it with an anti-rust formula and then rhino lining the whole bottom? Hopefully the horn and cruise control are just a relay/something simple electrically. Neither are necessary for the time being. I should also state that this will NOT be my daily driver. I eventually want to build this into a more offload capable but still reliable vehicle. I plan on eventually getting newer tires, preferably nearly as large as possible without a lift (if anyone knows sizes that would be fantastic), installing a roof rack onto the rails on top, attaching the spare tire to the rear hatch/tailgate if possible(?), replacing all the speakers/ stereo, removing front/rear bumper ---> design custom bumper, replace headliner, restore door panels where needed, put on an exhaust, probably 2 LED pods, light bar on roof, and 2 10'' bars in grill or on bumper, and then begin bulletproofing the thing.. not literally, well maybe haha. Get better suspension, maybe 1-2'' lift, replace brakes, off road filters (Nevada dust/Cali dirt get everywhere), more durable transmission, front/rear diff, stay ahead of the repairs that will surely happen someday! This vehicle will primarily be used for exploring (punny) the great state of Nevada, largely off road through pretty basic terrain but not asphalt.

Tell me what you think, I'm new to Forums, but I figured this would be good to see other people's ideas and to be able to communicate with other people that could be running into similar problems or did in the past!


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Nice. I just bought a 92 w/102,000 miles! Leather.

 

[Happy Jack]

Nice looking truck. I'd like to add some things to think about though. The A4LD is a great trans on and off road while it lasts. With the high miles you have on yours I would be not want to go with larger tires than stock until I something is done with the trans. As was said it may have an aux. trans cooler. Check your radiator. On the drivers side engine facing part of the radiator below the radiator cap are your trans lines. Follow them back to see if you already have an aux. cooler. It will be a small radiator looking cooler. If you have one no need to install another now. I would not do a complete trans flush. Just drop the trans pan and clean and install a new filter(screen). Buy a good service and repair book for the proper way and torque sequence. When you buy the new gasket, filter, and fluid locate a retailer who sells BG products. This is great stuff. I had a A4LD in my 89 Bronco II and it let go on Hotel Rock Trail in Utah. I cooled in down and refilled with fluid but it would not pull on a incline. Drove up to Moab (about 3 hours) and stayed in a campground. The next morning it would not back up until it warmed up for about 10 minutes. Went to a shop that sold BG and put a can in and it worked great. Drove it home to Kansas over the passes in Colorado. Do not buy the cheap trans fixes in a bottle. My friend that recommended BG rebuilt trans for a living and said the have brake fluid in them. They can lock a tranny up so tight they cannot be disassembled. old transmissions use varnish build up on worn parts to work. A tranny flush could clean enough of that varnish away to make it stop working. You might consider either installing or having a trans temp gauge installed. That way you can monitor your temps. If you are good at wiring a big red light would be great to tell you when to pull over and cool things down while idling. Even with all this I would stay with stock tire size. Taller tires without changing gear ratio is like pulling a trailer all the time. Hard on the trans and cost more in fuel. This is why many used car dealers will remove a hitch from vehicles before putting them on the lot for sale.

You did not say if you are planning to do any off roading or much other driving in this current condition. Or how long before you are planning your Nevada Expeditions. The above with other service of engine, cooling, brakes and drive line would be good for local mild off road trips with stock aggressive tires. A bit about the 35 TTB independent axle. First in stock form and mild wheeling the auto lock outs are fine. Just service and replace worn parts. They use a different locking method than the manual lock outs and do not require 150lbs. of torque. Final torque according to my Chiltons is 16 inch pounds. If and when you do decide to change to manual lock outs get the Warn heavy duty lock outs made for the rear dana 35. These are a lot heavier and I run them. Do not buy the Warn conversion kit. Go to a Dana Spicer dealer and buy the stock 2 large nuts and lock ring for each side. Saves a bunch of money that way and you get the same parts. The 35 does have some things that need to be addressed with proper service. First is that the design placed the front wheel bearings very close together. This does not give them the strength of others with wider spacing. So they need to be replaced more often. Another related issue is spindle removal. Please stay away from advice to hammer or pry off the spindle. There is a socket that can be purchased like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KEHECY/?tag=serious-20. You will need a slide hammer but many auto parts stores will let you use one when you buy your service parts from them. Behind the spindle are seals that keep water and dirt out of the lock outs and bearings. I would include this to the list of service for you Explorer. And don't forget driveshafts and transfer case.

If you are not going to do any wheeling local or in Nevada until you have it the way you want it you can still start with all the things listed. Then transmission is first on the list. You can buy a pedal assy. and switch to a M5OD. If you do try to get one from a 2.9 as 1st gear is lower and you will love it off road. Of course if you can find a really good A4LD specialist out in Cali that is an option also but I would have an over size trans cooler and the temp gauge/light. The thing with an auto trans is heat. Std. trans don't need to be cooled and auto's do. That heat goes into the engine compartment and radiator. But for off road an auto is awesome. Much easier to work 2 pedals with 2 feet than 3 pedals. Then you need to decide on tire size an lift. You need to check what gear ratios you have now. If you have a high (numerically low) ratio then you can look for used parts with low (numerically high) ratio's and figure how tall of a tire you will need and how much lift. Car-Part has been good for me in the past. And you can think about if you want to add a lunch box locker or not.

I run 33's on my 94 Sport with 3.73 gears and a mild lift. But I have a lot of other mods. C-4 auto, Stubler 2nd low range box, and lockers front and back and I can do most difficult trails in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. I drive mine around Kansas with 31x10.5's but put it on a trailer with 33x 10.5's to go out west. Mine is not near as nice as yours.

If you have any questions please ask. You can PM or e-mail me. I can even get you my phone number. Take care and good luck.

 

[Pete Deering]

Just bought a 1991 Ford Explorer this afternoon. I'm in college, senior year and wanted to get something that could handle itself on the trails and also be reliable. Almost bought an 89 Bronco, glad I did not. Excited to begin the work shortly!!

173k miles. Eddie Bauer trim. 4.0L V6 Engine. Only one owner. Everything stock besides stereo.

Pros:
-Paint is in good condition, slight wear in very small areas but not bad by any means.
-All electrical besides cruise control work without hesitation
-Heating/Air works very well
-1 Owner
-interior is in good condition (no tears in seats, no real damage, just some wear on door panels, maybe due to heat
-All gauges work
-Drives straight as an arrow
-Very affordable ($1800)
-4x4 engages/works (only gone a couple miles offload)
-Engine bay relatively clean, plastics/rubber still looks pretty good
-Weatherstripping has held up very well

Cons:
-Although interior is in good condition, the headliner has small holes but is not sagging at all (not sure why it got more worn than other parts of interior)
-It was in Tahoe for 10+ years, leading to rust. There is a spot on the driver rocker panel that has been repaired, liner in all the wheel wells look to have been installed as well, also 2 spots of rust on hood, those are the only two noticeable blemishes I guess on the body
-Wiper fluid spigot is broken on passenger side, I almost sprayed a car next to me at a light lol
-Horn and Cruise control both do not work
-Automatic (I love manuals, but it does drive nice)

Would love to hear what you guys think, I will attach pictures as well. I know most of the cons I mentioned can be pretty easily fixed. I think the most important to take care of is the rust, it really isn't that bad though. I just want to nip it in the bud and not have to worry about it. My thoughts are using a buddies lift if I can get my hands on it and wire anything I see, followed by sealing it with an anti-rust formula and then rhino lining the whole bottom? Hopefully the horn and cruise control are just a relay/something simple electrically. Neither are necessary for the time being. I should also state that this will NOT be my daily driver. I eventually want to build this into a more offload capable but still reliable vehicle. I plan on eventually getting newer tires, preferably nearly as large as possible without a lift (if anyone knows sizes that would be fantastic), installing a roof rack onto the rails on top, attaching the spare tire to the rear hatch/tailgate if possible(?), replacing all the speakers/ stereo, removing front/rear bumper ---> design custom bumper, replace headliner, restore door panels where needed, put on an exhaust, probably 2 LED pods, light bar on roof, and 2 10'' bars in grill or on bumper, and then begin bulletproofing the thing.. not literally, well maybe haha. Get better suspension, maybe 1-2'' lift, replace brakes, off road filters (Nevada dust/Cali dirt get everywhere), more durable transmission, front/rear diff, stay ahead of the repairs that will surely happen someday! This vehicle will primarily be used for exploring (punny) the great state of Nevada, largely off road through pretty basic terrain but not asphalt.

Tell me what you think, I'm new to Forums, but I figured this would be good to see other people's ideas and to be able to communicate with other people that could be running into similar problems or did in the past!


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It looks nice, I have a 95 and the rockets rusted out, I believe thats typical I am in the rust belt area.

 

[Sparkplug93]

Beautiful truck you've got there! Not much to add beyond what others have already said, but I will confirm that you can fit 31x10.50 tires without a lift, and you can fit a full-sized 31" spare in the stock location (I'm currently doing exactly that with my 94 XLT). That said, if you're convinced you want to mount the spare tire near the tailgate, I would recommend building/buying a carrier that mounts to the rear bumper. It's not cheap, but as others have said, the tailgate is not strong enough to hold the weight of the spare and even if you reinforced it, you'd have to take your spare off every time you need to open the tailgate. With a bumper-mounted carrier you can just swing it out of the way.

 

[Hamster65]

I didn't see anybody mention it so..........here goes.
For your horn an CC, first check the fuses and relays. If all those are good, check the wiring to make sure nothing is disconnected or broken.