Just picked up a 96 4 door, XLT, 4WD, 4.0 OHV, 5 Speed Manual and have some questions

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

of the combos offered, id say the OHV w/ the 5 spd is the most reliable combo. certainly far from a race car, but its a super reliable platform. its a tight contest between the 5.0 4AT and OHV 5MT, but if you keep it cool, my money is on the OHV 5MT

Thank you

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

Thank you all for your responses. So, I have finally been able to get around to driving the Explorer after having it looked over by the mechanic. They replaced the fuel filter, changed the coolant and thermostat as well as all fluids. Everything else was in good shape according to them. I had to run it thru emissions out here when I purchased it a few weeks ago and it passed however, the gas cap failed the pressure test and they gave me a new one at the emissions testing center. Then all of the sudden yesterday, I smelled a bit of a fuel vapor smell when I was reversing into my parking space and when I went out to run my next errand my check engine light came on. I checked the code at my auto zone and it is giving a catalytic converter P0420 code bank 1 which seems very odd to me with only 98K miles on it. I am hoping (really hoping) that it isn't a cat issue. I went to ford and got a replacement gas cap instead of the emissions testing replacement one they gave me to see if that sealed better as well (even though I was not getting and evap code). Has anyone else experienced anything like this with their rig?

Also, I am out here in AZ and it is quite hot, I noticed today while driving that typically the temp gauge is right under halfway but at some points today it happened to move up slightly to just a tad above half (within the ranges of just before and just after the little thermostat symbol) it did not go above that. I am just always used of temp gauges typically not fluctuating. Has anyone else experienced that?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Thank you all for your responses. So, I have finally been able to get around to driving the Explorer after having it looked over by the mechanic. They replaced the fuel filter, changed the coolant and thermostat as well as all fluids. Everything else was in good shape according to them. I had to run it thru emissions out here when I purchased it a few weeks ago and it passed however, the gas cap failed the pressure test and they gave me a new one at the emissions testing center. Then all of the sudden yesterday, I smelled a bit of a fuel vapor smell when I was reversing into my parking space and when I went out to run my next errand my check engine light came on. I checked the code at my auto zone and it is giving a catalytic converter P0420 code bank 1 which seems very odd to me with only 98K miles on it. I am hoping (really hoping) that it isn't a cat issue. I went to ford and got a replacement gas cap instead of the emissions testing replacement one they gave me to see if that sealed better as well (even though I was not getting and evap code). Has anyone else experienced anything like this with their rig?

Also, I am out here in AZ and it is quite hot, I noticed today while driving that typically the temp gauge is right under halfway but at some points today it happened to move up slightly to just a tad above half (within the ranges of just before and just after the little thermostat symbol) it did not go above that. I am just always used of temp gauges typically not fluctuating. Has anyone else experienced that?

to see if it seals you can smoke test

in this one if i pull up the tejon pass when its hot out (which i imagine is similar to AZ) it moves just a smidge by the end of the hill. i don't see it being a bad thing as long as it doesnt really go up much

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

to see if it seals you can smoke test

in this one if i pull up the tejon pass when its hot out (which i imagine is similar to AZ) it moves just a smidge by the end of the hill. i don't see it being a bad thing as long as it doesnt really go up much

okay, cool. Thank you @Fix4Dirt I appreciate it . I am a serial gauge watcher I suppose and am so used of not really seeing them move or budge at all so while I am learning this rig these are the type of things I am studying like a hawk on my end LOL

 

[Josh P]

Thank you all for your responses. So, I have finally been able to get around to driving the Explorer after having it looked over by the mechanic. They replaced the fuel filter, changed the coolant and thermostat as well as all fluids. Everything else was in good shape according to them. I had to run it thru emissions out here when I purchased it a few weeks ago and it passed however, the gas cap failed the pressure test and they gave me a new one at the emissions testing center. Then all of the sudden yesterday, I smelled a bit of a fuel vapor smell when I was reversing into my parking space and when I went out to run my next errand my check engine light came on. I checked the code at my auto zone and it is giving a catalytic converter P0420 code bank 1 which seems very odd to me with only 98K miles on it. I am hoping (really hoping) that it isn't a cat issue. I went to ford and got a replacement gas cap instead of the emissions testing replacement one they gave me to see if that sealed better as well (even though I was not getting and evap code). Has anyone else experienced anything like this with their rig?

Also, I am out here in AZ and it is quite hot, I noticed today while driving that typically the temp gauge is right under halfway but at some points today it happened to move up slightly to just a tad above half (within the ranges of just before and just after the little thermostat symbol) it did not go above that. I am just always used of temp gauges typically not fluctuating. Has anyone else experienced that?

How much fuel was in the tank?

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

How much fuel was in the tank?

It has just below a half a tank, I would say more than 1/3 of a tank but a tad under a half a tank. I was thinking of going and topping it off fully

 

[Josh P]

It has just below a half a tank, I would say more than 1/3 of a tank but a tad under a half a tank. I was thinking of going and topping it off fully

Half a tank of air will pressurize slightly, especially if the vent tube is obstructed or the ball in the vent valve doesn't move freely. Check the evap line from the gas tank to the engine, rubber gets brittle in the environment.

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

Half a tank of air will pressurize slightly, especially if the vent tube is obstructed or the ball in the vent valve doesn't move freely. Check the evap line from the gas tank to the engine, rubber gets brittle in the environment.

Thank you Josh for the additional info and tips, I will for sure. brittle rubber seems very likely out here for sure with age and heat.

 

[Josh P]

Thank you Josh for the additional info and tips, I will for sure. brittle rubber seems very likely out here for sure with age and heat.

Not the exact same issue, I've got a refrigeration trailer that when it's over 100 degrees and the fuel gets down to half a tank the fuel pump doesn't get the fuel to the engine. If I loosen the fuel cap on the tank, all is well.

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

Not the exact same issue, I've got a refrigeration trailer that when it's over 100 degrees and the fuel gets down to half a tank the fuel pump doesn't get the fuel to the engine. If I loosen the fuel cap on the tank, all is well.

That is wild!!!!! I have never heard of that. Always so interested what you learn by talking to others. I love it

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Not the exact same issue, I've got a refrigeration trailer that when it's over 100 degrees and the fuel gets down to half a tank the fuel pump doesn't get the fuel to the engine. If I loosen the fuel cap on the tank, all is well.

ive seen this before on the darn TK when its under about 1/3 tank where sometimes i just leave the cap off

 

[410Fortune]

I don’t suspect the fuel cap as the issue

I suspect the canister purge valve
Uou said you smelled fuel like raw fuel after driving it for a bit (especially at stop after a highway run) in my experience with these old 4.0 the canister purge valve fails first before anything else. If the canister purge does not open then the fuel vapors from the tank cannot be purged from the charcoal canister into the engine

As with any trouble code the first thing to do is clear it and see if and when it returns

I hope they returned your stock fuel cap to you, chances are very good the emissions doofus used the wrong sized tester on your cap which is why it failed. I have seen that more than a few times with my own emissions experiences back in Colorado. The first time they failed a cap that had just passed the day before when I went in for a re test… the 02 sensor wiring pins ended up being the issue and once I fixed the repair they then tried to fail me for a bad gas cap… that same cap had just passed twice the two days prior.
I waited and spoke to the manager who re tested my cap and it passed, he explained to me and his technician that there were two cap adapters very close to the same size and if the tech chose the wrong one your cap would fail.

 

[96 XLT OHV 5 Speed]

I don’t suspect the fuel cap as the issue

I suspect the canister purge valve
Uou said you smelled fuel like raw fuel after driving it for a bit (especially at stop after a highway run) in my experience with these old 4.0 the canister purge valve fails first before anything else. If the canister purge does not open then the fuel vapors from the tank cannot be purged from the charcoal canister into the engine

As with any trouble code the first thing to do is clear it and see if and when it returns

I hope they returned your stock fuel cap to you, chances are very good the emissions doofus used the wrong sized tester on your cap which is why it failed. I have seen that more than a few times with my own emissions experiences back in Colorado. The first time they failed a cap that had just passed the day before when I went in for a re test… the 02 sensor wiring pins ended up being the issue and once I fixed the repair they then tried to fail me for a bad gas cap… that same cap had just passed twice the two days prior.
I waited and spoke to the manager who re tested my cap and it passed, he explained to me and his technician that there were two cap adapters very close to the same size and if the tech chose the wrong one your cap would fail.

That is great info. Is the Canister Purge Valve difficult to change and get to ? I have not had any experience with those. I have had the code cleared and got a replacement fuel cap from the ford dealer out here. Unfortunately, the emissions place did not give me the stock one back. So far, I have driving 43 miles since the code was cleared and so far the light has not come back yet. If the canister purge valve is simple and inexpensive to replace I may do that as a precaution if you think it would be beneficial. You are correct as to the smell being raw fuel, that was exactly what it smelled like. Thank you again for the assistance and info.