Making it drive more comfortable | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Making it drive more comfortable

Berserkers360

Member
Joined
June 24, 2021
Messages
36
Reaction score
5
City, State
Texas city, Texas
Year, Model & Trim Level
03 Mercury mountaineer
I have an 03 Mercury mountaineer premier edition with a 4.0 V6 engine. I'm looking into modifying my motor to make it a sleeper. So far I have researched everything so I can get the best HP. I've done as of right now made two three by four inches holes on my stock air box with a regular air filter. You can automatically fill the air intake and acceleration is much better than it was before. I have also clean my throttle body and the idle control valve and it's idling and when you press the pedal you can feel the instant air flow through as in the power feels good. I've added iridium spark plugs with brand new spark plug wires and it feels a lot more better constant recommend oil change every 3 months with high mileage full synthetic oil it has 180,000 MI. So far I've noticed a difference in acceleration top speed and gas safe. The next items will be removing my intake manifold and the oil caps to replace all the gaskets. Also I will be deep cleaning my intake manifold to reduce everything that the years have attached to it. I would get a cold air filter but keep my original box for now as I am looking into modifying an air intake. I've researched and looked for the best option to get a scoop and I will be replacing my windshield wiper fluid container a little bit further back as well as my radiator overfill tank to move a little bit more towards the firewall. It will give me access to the bottom passenger side headlight in which I will cut a hole and under neath at a school with a pipe feeding into a modified air box or possibly get another one from a bigger truck after that exhaust is very important any recommendations on that. Also can I put or ADD electrical radiator fans and do I have to buy a special one or can I use some from another car. I was thinking about adding two electrical fans and should I how long directly connected to where they don't turn off please let me know we'll keep posted
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Electric fan helps

Best thing that is inexpensive
Get a tune
 






To really make it a “sleeper” you’re gonna need forced induction.

For the fans, I’d run an aftermarket fan controller.
 






To be honest, the modifications you have made will do little to increase power and performance. I think the performance improvements you "feel" are more psychologically based than reality based. I have seen people do all kinds of bolt-on mods and get 5hp in return that makes virtually no different in performance results without a supporting tune. You need exhaust mods and intake mods AND a tune to maximize their performance potential to really see a meaningful difference in performance. The money you spend to do this will not be cheap. IMO, a supercharger and good tune is the best bang for the buck mod one can do. Second is to do intake/exhaust mods and a tune. This would also work well with adding a supercharger later.

Look into what the 2005-2009 V6 Mustang owners do to make more power. This will give you insight on what is worth doing and possible. Also, a few people here have supercharged their 4.0L SOHC engines and have good write ups on how they did it. Just be aware that making more power cannot be done cheap unless you use nitrous which is risky as hell and not very useful to utilize in day to day driving. Plus, filling nitrous bottles can get very expensive.

Lastly, IMO, the best way to get more power is to sell your current Explorer and buy a 2006-2010 V8 Explorer or Mountaineer. You will gain 82hp with the ability to get around 30hp more with a tune and a few intake mods. So that adds up to 112hp more than you have now along with a newer, more reliable vehicle as a bonus. To reliably get 112hp more on your current vehicle will likely cost more than selling yours, putting the proceeds toward buying a V8 4th gen and doing the mods I suggested.
 






To be honest, the modifications you have made will do little to increase power and performance. I think the performance improvements you "feel" are more psychologically based than reality based. I have seen people do all kinds of bolt-on mods and get 5hp in return that makes virtually no different in performance results without a supporting tune. You need exhaust mods and intake mods AND a tune to maximize their performance potential to really see a meaningful difference in performance. The money you spend to do this will not be cheap. IMO, a supercharger and good tune is the best bang for the buck mod one can do. Second is to do intake/exhaust mods and a tune. This would also work well with adding a supercharger later.

Look into what the 2005-2009 V6 Mustang owners do to make more power. This will give you insight on what is worth doing and possible. Also, a few people here have supercharged their 4.0L SOHC engines and have good write ups on how they did it. Just be aware that making more power cannot be done cheap unless you use nitrous which is risky as hell and not very useful to utilize in day to day driving. Plus, filling nitrous bottles can get very expensive.

Lastly, IMO, the best way to get more power is to sell your current Explorer and buy a 2006-2010 V8 Explorer or Mountaineer. You will gain 82hp with the ability to get around 30hp more with a tune and a few intake mods. So that adds up to 112hp more than you have now along with a newer, more reliable vehicle as a bonus. To reliably get 112hp more on your current vehicle will likely cost more than selling yours, putting the proceeds toward buying a V8 4th gen and doing the mods I suggested.
Well thank you very much for your opinion. and I believe that the little mods .if we should call it that. Have made an improvement in my driving speed acceleration and all and I don't know why would you even try to put me down trying to say some psychological thing because I mean you trying to say I'm stupid one and two by cleaning the throttle body and making it seem like new u you already should know that it's going to restore power maybe that's what I should have said restore power instead of modifying but thank you for your opinion anyways I ain't trying to make my car you know fast and the furious 11 just a good ride that I'm going to spend some money cuz I got money saving for a Chevy Chevelle 67 super Sport but that's another story although I will look into the Mustang owners because I have read that some parts are interchangeable and that is a good insight thank you very much other than that I'mma keep my mountaineer 03 because it's been with me since 2016 when I bought it and to be honest I put into it's money and I haven't really drove around too much because it was parked two and a half years when I was incarcerated waiting for me got new tires rebuilt transmission and several other things but I'm going to stick to it for now and slowly but surely start adding stuff and yes it cost money that's why I take my time I ain't got no rush got nothing but time
 






To really make it a “sleeper” you’re gonna need forced induction.

For the fans, I’d run an aftermarket fan controller.
I will look into forced induction and the aftermarket fan controller .like I mentioned on the other comment I'm just taking my time with it I ain't got no rush and if I do anything here or there the only thing that matters is that I'm doing it myself and enjoyed it.nt
 






Well thank you very much for your opinion. and I believe that the little mods .if we should call it that. Have made an improvement in my driving speed acceleration and all and I don't know why would you even try to put me down trying to say some psychological thing because I mean you trying to say I'm stupid one and two by cleaning the throttle body and making it seem like new u you already should know that it's going to restore power maybe that's what I should have said restore power instead of modifying but thank you for your opinion anyways I ain't trying to make my car you know fast and the furious 11 just a good ride that I'm going to spend some money cuz I got money saving for a Chevy Chevelle 67 super Sport but that's another story although I will look into the Mustang owners because I have read that some parts are interchangeable and that is a good insight thank you very much other than that I'mma keep my mountaineer 03 because it's been with me since 2016 when I bought it and to be honest I put into it's money and I haven't really drove around too much because it was parked two and a half years when I was incarcerated waiting for me got new tires rebuilt transmission and several other things but I'm going to stick to it for now and slowly but surely start adding stuff and yes it cost money that's why I take my time I ain't got no rush got nothing but time
First I am not putting you down or calling you stupid. I have been modifying cars for 40 years and I have done many, many mods from mild to wild. I have seen others do all manners of mods along with seeing the results of these mods in dyno pulls and running at tracks. The mods you reference are going to make little to no difference regarding performance. I am telling you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. I wish someone would have done the same for me in my early days of modding. It would have saved me a lot of time, frustration and a hell of a lot of money. Maybe the term you used confused people here. The term "sleeper" means a car that looks stock but runs like a bat out of hell. I built my 1989 Mustang LX to be a sleeper. It looks bone stock except for the rims and tires but made 435 rwhp and 462 rwtq in a car that weighed 3,200 pounds. I spent more money to get to this power level than I paid for the car new. Just getting 30 more hp will cost you $1k-$2k and 30 hp in a 4,500 pound, brick shaped vehicle might decrease your 0-60mph speed a whopping 0.2-0.3 seconds for a vehicle with a 0-60 time stock of 9.1 seconds. In the end it is your money and your time to spend. However, if you are going to ask for advice you can't pick and choose what you get or how you get it. In my experience, guys who have extensive knowledge about modding cars are not going to care about your feelings when they give you advice.

My advice is to determine what you want the end result to be. In my younger days I wasted a lot of money buying parts and making modifications that I later replaced as I refined my plan for what I was building. Keep in mind that you are driving a 4,500 pound vehicle shaped like a brick that has an under powered V6, with limited ability to make power (especially low end torque) without forced induction. It takes a lot of money in modifications to see any appreciable increase in performance on a vehicle like this. For this reason I never plan to do a single performance mod to my 2010 V8 Mountaineer.
 






Electric fan helps

Best thing that is inexpensive
Get a tune

First I am not putting you down or calling you stupid. I have been modifying cars for 40 years and I have done many, many mods from mild to wild. I have seen others do all manners of mods along with seeing the results of these mods in dyno pulls and running at tracks. The mods you reference are going to make little to no difference regarding performance. I am telling you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. I wish someone would have done the same for me in my early days of modding. It would have saved me a lot of time, frustration and a hell of a lot of money. Maybe the term you used confused people here. The term "sleeper" means a car that looks stock but runs like a bat out of hell. I built my 1989 Mustang LX to be a sleeper. It looks bone stock except for the rims and tires but made 435 rwhp and 462 rwtq in a car that weighed 3,200 pounds. I spent more money to get to this power level than I paid for the car new. Just getting 30 more hp will cost you $1k-$2k and 30 hp in a 4,500 pound, brick shaped vehicle might decrease your 0-60mph speed a whopping 0.2-0.3 seconds for a vehicle with a 0-60 time stock of 9.1 seconds. In the end it is your money and your time to spend. However, if you are going to ask for advice you can't pick and choose what you get or how you get it. In my experience, guys who have extensive knowledge about modding cars are not going to care about your feelings when they give you advice.

My advice is to determine what you want the end result to be. In my younger days I wasted a lot of money buying parts and making modifications that I later replaced as I refined my plan for what I was building. Keep in mind that you are driving a 4,500 pound vehicle shaped like a brick that has an under powered V6, with limited ability to make power (especially low end torque) without forced induction. It takes a lot of money in modifications to see any appreciable increase in performance on a vehicle like this. For this reason I never plan to do a single performance mod to my 2010 V8 Mountaineer.
Your right, maybe I did confused people with the name and what I'm trying to do. First, I won't waste an excessive amount of money to make it into a sleeper,(between regards to everybody I apologize my mistake will be changing the name), I will do certain things that will make it run smoother and little mods here and there. I do understand what it is to raise money on a vehicle not knowing where exactly or what you're doing. I've had a 99 Nissan Sentra and I understand. That's why with this vehicle I'm doing everything with no rush and here and there. So little stuff like actually replacing the windshield wiper fluid tank and the radiator overflow tank and making an air scope modified to the airbox through a custom intake air vacuum is something that I feel confident in doing and would like to do it of course you have mentioned it money is a factor and that's why I have no rush. Now I am thinking about doing a tune but that's later on when I at least have added a good exhaust system and have the motor itself running in its best performance to my standards. And everything else is taken care of as in breaks ,suspension, and stuff of that nature because one of my dream car that I have mentioned earlier is Chevy Chevelle super Sport and in the future not so far I want a Tahoe instead.i do however appreciate the feedback and knowledge that has been and will be providing thank you very much and I will continue to do my work will post pictures later on and if I have any questions well I now know who exactly you talk to
 






I don’t think anyone is trying to put anyone else down here. We have tons of members join that have an Explorer and don’t understand that it takes a lot of money to make one of these bricks fast. As long as your expectations are reasonable I think you’ll find tons of information and support here.
 






.Dam I was looking forward to another sleeper
....not that mine is and I spent some coin and took a few years ...
 






.Dam I was looking forward to another sleeper
....not that mine is and I spent some coin and took a few years ...
I’d call yours a sleeper. Very few people are expecting the blower.
 






Your right, maybe I did confused people with the name and what I'm trying to do. First, I won't waste an excessive amount of money to make it into a sleeper,(between regards to everybody I apologize my mistake will be changing the name), I will do certain things that will make it run smoother and little mods here and there. I do understand what it is to raise money on a vehicle not knowing where exactly or what you're doing. I've had a 99 Nissan Sentra and I understand. That's why with this vehicle I'm doing everything with no rush and here and there. So little stuff like actually replacing the windshield wiper fluid tank and the radiator overflow tank and making an air scope modified to the airbox through a custom intake air vacuum is something that I feel confident in doing and would like to do it of course you have mentioned it money is a factor and that's why I have no rush. Now I am thinking about doing a tune but that's later on when I at least have added a good exhaust system and have the motor itself running in its best performance to my standards. And everything else is taken care of as in breaks ,suspension, and stuff of that nature because one of my dream car that I have mentioned earlier is Chevy Chevelle super Sport and in the future not so far I want a Tahoe instead.i do however appreciate the feedback and knowledge that has been and will be providing thank you very much and I will continue to do my work will post pictures later on and if I have any questions well I now know who exactly you talk to
Any time tinkering around on a vehicle adds to your experience. I think the first time I really dug into a car was my first one which was a 1971 Chevy Nova coupe. It had a 250CI straight six and a two speed transmission. It looked great but didn't run so good. I knew little about working on cars and decided to tackle taking off the head, having it machined, I would reassemble it and put it back together. It actually went a lot easier than I expected. It helped greatly than cars from this era were so less complicated than they are today. This gave me a lot of experience and confidence to keep working on and modding cars.

I am assuming you are a younger person, if so, it is good to see you taking an interest in working on vehicles. I feel the complexity of newer vehicles are killing off the DIY gear heads these days. The 3rd gen Explorers/Mountaineers are fairly easy to work on and troubleshoot. You can learn a lot tinkering around on one. Plus, this web site is an excellent source of information. Come here with a problem and/or question and there is a high 90% chance that you will get an answer. I have used this site as a resource for around 20 years and have save untold thousands of dollars in repairs from being able to diagnose the problem correctly and then learning how to do the repair myself.

Welcome aboard. You will find nearly everyone here very helpful and friendly.
 






.Dam I was looking forward to another sleeper
....not that mine is and I spent some coin and took a few years ...
I would definitely classify yours as a sleeper. ;)
 






I’d call yours a sleeper. Very few people are expecting the blower.
Haha I see what you got but hey you know what I love my that's what I called her because she waited for me two and a half years this time when I got locked up and as soon as I got back from work I was but a brand new battery turned it on and hit the ignition it turned on like it never was left so now I'm treating her lmao *******
 












Any time tinkering around on a vehicle adds to your experience. I think the first time I really dug into a car was my first one which was a 1971 Chevy Nova coupe. It had a 250CI straight six and a two speed transmission. It looked great but didn't run so good. I knew little about working on cars and decided to tackle taking off the head, having it machined, I would reassemble it and put it back together. It actually went a lot easier than I expected. It helped greatly than cars from this era were so less complicated than they are today. This gave me a lot of experience and confidence to keep working on and modding cars.

I am assuming you are a younger person, if so, it is good to see you taking an interest in working on vehicles. I feel the complexity of newer vehicles are killing off the DIY gear heads these days. The 3rd gen Explorers/Mountaineers are fairly easy to work on and troubleshoot. You can learn a lot tinkering around on one. Plus, this web site is an excellent source of information. Come here with a problem and/or question and there is a high 90% chance that you will get an answer. I have used this site as a resource for around 20 years and have save untold thousands of dollars in repairs from being able to diagnose the problem correctly and then learning how to do the repair myself.

Welcome aboard. You will find nearly everyone here very helpful and friendly.
Yes thank you I have been busy working but I like doing things myself and of course money is a good factor in everything. But I'm a take it slow right now I'm going to remove the intake manifold with the oil caps to change all the gaskets since it's leaking coolant. And I have look ed and research over the internet thank God for the internet thank God for Google thank God for YouTube. And other than that I might go to a salvage part junkyard and get a throttle body out of there Mustang or as long as it's a 70mm because I if it comes my mountaineer with a 65 mm other than that I need to take some pictures before or anything will keep you guys posted thank you for your support
 






Electric fan helps

Best thing that is inexpensive
Get a tune
I will get a tune once I at least have a exhaust pipe feeding of along with a flow master or some other muffler that has a deep tone but not too loud just but it is. Then I will get the tune so everything can work better. Would it be better to go to a tune-up shop or what about them online and everything else that you see regarding Tunes online
 






I will get a tune once I at least have a exhaust pipe feeding of along with a flow master or some other muffler that has a deep tone but not too loud just but it is. Then I will get the tune so everything can work better. Would it be better to go to a tune-up shop or what about them online and everything else that you see regarding Tunes online
Getting a tune should be done in conjunction with your performance mods. A tune can only cover what is installed and mods that may be instlled later might require you to pay for another tune. This is why I strongly suggested planning your modifications to keep from wasting money of multiple tunes etc. It is typically best to save up and do several mods at once so one tune can cover them all. You can buy a tuner with 2-3 tunes build in that allow you to accommodate various mods on your own. This might work for a 4.0L SOHC engine since it is shared between the Explorer and Mustangs. I use an SCT tuner than has canned tunes and will allow the use of custom tune files too. SCT just came out with a tuner that uses a small, bluetooth enabled OBD2 dongle that uses your smartphone and an app to run it. It is fairly affordable at $269. Not too bad considering their other tuners run from $400-$600 and require wired connections to the OBD2 port. Before buying one make sure it is compatible with you year of Explorer. I know they work with the 4.0L SOHC 2005-2009 Mustangs. I have their Livewire TS+ tuner and and canned tunes work fairly well as long as the mods are covered by the tuning parameters they have built in.
 






Getting a tune should be done in conjunction with your performance mods. A tune can only cover what is installed and mods that may be instlled later might require you to pay for another tune. This is why I strongly suggested planning your modifications to keep from wasting money of multiple tunes etc. It is typically best to save up and do several mods at once so one tune can cover them all. You can buy a tuner with 2-3 tunes build in that allow you to accommodate various mods on your own. This might work for a 4.0L SOHC engine since it is shared between the Explorer and Mustangs. I use an SCT tuner than has canned tunes and will allow the use of custom tune files too. SCT just came out with a tuner that uses a small, bluetooth enabled OBD2 dongle that uses your smartphone and an app to run it. It is fairly affordable at $269. Not too bad considering their other tuners run from $400-$600 and require wired connections to the OBD2 port. Before buying one make sure it is compatible with you year of Explorer. I know they work with the 4.0L SOHC 2005-2009 Mustangs. I have their Livewire TS+ tuner and and canned tunes work fairly well as long as the mods are covered by the tuning parameters they have built in.
Will research on it and thenkyou
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





I will get a tune once I at least have a exhaust pipe feeding of along with a flow master or some other muffler that has a deep tone but not too loud just but it is. Then I will get the tune so everything can work better. Would it be better to go to a tune-up shop or what about them online and everything else that you see regarding Tunes online
Doing the mods first was obvious sorry if I was confused
I run a flow master 50 sounds great at low rpm and no drone down the highway.
 






Back
Top