Metric or SAE?

[Geo_08]

So as I have been tinkering on my 99 EB I have found both metric and SAE fasteners. Is this pretty common throughout the 2nd generation explorers?

 

[swshawaii]

Not common at all. In fact, the only thing I found on my ST that are "standard", were 3/8" brake bleeder screws.

May be more SAE fasteners, I just haven't found or seen them.

 

[96eb96]

So as I have been tinkering on my 99 EB I have found both metric and SAE fasteners. Is this pretty common throughout the 2nd generation explorers?

V6 Engines are made in Germany and the V6 Trans in France, so it is getting close to being an imported car :lol:

 

[swshawaii]

V6 Engines are made in Germany and the V6 Trans in France, so it is getting close to being an imported car :lol:

^ VERY good point.
u.s. cars standard vs. metric - Google Search

 

[96eb96]

Not common at all. In fact, the only thing I found on my ST that are "standard", were 3/8" brake bleeder screws.

May be more SAE fasteners, I just haven't found or seen them.

The ABS system and brake lines have all metric fasteners. I think I use an SAE on the oil plug,but it may be metric. I know my OHV engine has E-7 torx fasteners, something you would find a BMW or Audi.

 

[koda2000]

I find mostly metric. There are some things that I use SAE wrenches/sockets on, but it could be that these happen to be the few sizes that are the same between metric and SAE (for example 3/4" and 19mm, 1/2" (or is it 9/16"?) and 13mm , 5/16" and 8mm (or is it 5mm?). I'm sure there are other's.

 

[J_C]

Yeah I always reach for metric sizes and haven't had a reason to grab a standard (that I recall) except the brake bleeders and brake line flare nuts.

Sometimes a rusty fastener will seem like standard is a better fit but if I get lazy and try a standard, too often it would just round the bolt head or nut off. Better to file the surface free of rust or grab a cheap duplicate/set socket and pound it on with a hammer.

 

[swshawaii]

^ Interesting. Thought I had the "correct" 7/16"" tubing wrench to install my Deerfield Precision SS hoses. Anxious, and ready to go I crawled under and found it a hair loose. Had a bad experience in the past rounding those soft flare nuts causing a lot more work than necessary. Needless to say, I drove to my local NAPA to buy an 11mm flare nut wrench and small caliper for future use. I should have searched the forum and read first. LOL

Flare nut wrench size

 

[J_C]

I just looked up the parts ahead of time and saw the brake flare fittings and nuts were standard, 3/8-24.

 

[koda2000]

^ Interesting. Thought I had the "correct" 7/16"" tubing wrench to install my Deerfield Precision SS hoses. Anxious, and ready to go I crawled under and found it a hair loose. Had a bad experience in the past rounding those soft flare nuts causing a lot more work than necessary. Needless to say, I drove to my local NAPA to buy an 11mm flare nut wrench and small caliper for future use. I should have searched the forum and read first. LOL

Flare nut wrench size

Yes, tubing/line wrenches are the only way to go for lines. IDK why they make those fittings out of such soft metal. Perhaps to make a better seal? I've used stainless steel brake lines on classic cars and they're really hard to get them not to leak.

 

[1998Exp]

The 5.0L engine is a legacy from the 60's (with modifications for electronic ignition and fuel injection), so anything "deep inside" is standard, of course.
And on this note: I just watched a Canadian "Home Flipping" TV show. You would think that in a country which adopted the metric system half a century ago, they would use that for construction. Not at all - everything, even including interior decoration, is standard

 

[Tech By Trade]

The 5.0L engine is a legacy from the 60's (with modifications for electronic ignition and fuel injection), so anything "deep inside" is standard, of course.
And on this note: I just watched a Canadian "Home Flipping" TV show. You would think that in a country which adopted the metric system half a century ago, they would use that for construction. Not at all - everything, even including interior decoration, is standard

We only got half way through the conversion then Molruney got elected. Technically it's a hybrid.

 

[Scheuvront1993]

Are you sure there is a mixture or are you just using SAE on metric bolts? I recently replaced the rear speed sensor in the diff and found that a 10mm was too big and a 9mm was too small. I had to use 3/8s on it, but I've used metric on virtually everything else. Perhaps everything else is SAE and I've just been using metric, not really sure? Good question though, I've often wondered the same.

 

[CDW6212R]

They do have a mixture of SAE and metric. The oldest things may still have standard, like the 302 engines. But the transmissions will all be metric fasteners, as well as the SOHC 4.0's. Interesting related item, the 4.0's all had the FL1A standard oil filter. Some time at the end of the 90's, Ford changed the block oil filter adapter, so they began using the metric FL820S filter. So you can use either filter based on which block adapter you want to put on the engine.

But most of the vehicles have metric fasteners, and the old carry over stuff is standard(check out the rear differential bolts, standard, the fronts are metric).

Here's a bigger question I thought of back in 2005, why is there French labeling all over the truck? Why is the radiator support covered with half of the warnings in french? Do we speak French in any measurable amount here in the US, or for anything for that matter? I don't think anything should be used but English written on labels of products sold here in the USA. This isn't a patriotic thing, it just make no sense to see French written on my lawn mower, my cars, or any other common product I own.

When I rebuilt my 99 Explorer in 2005/06, I had to remove the labels from the radiator support. I did save them, and cut them apart, and discard the non-English parts.

 

[Geo_08]

Are you sure there is a mixture or are you just using SAE on metric bolts? I recently replaced the rear speed sensor in the diff and found that a 10mm was too big and a 9mm was too small. I had to use 3/8s on it, but I've used metric on virtually everything else. Perhaps everything else is SAE and I've just been using metric, not really sure? Good question though, I've often wondered the same.

I take both sets out when I do work so am pretty good about using the appropriate bolts

 

[Mbrooks420]

They do have a mixture of SAE and metric. The oldest things may still have standard, like the 302 engines. But the transmissions will all be metric fasteners, as well as the SOHC 4.0's. Interesting related item, the 4.0's all had the FL1A standard oil filter. Some time at the end of the 90's, Ford changed the block oil filter adapter, so they began using the metric FL820S filter. So you can use either filter based on which block adapter you want to put on the engine.

But most of the vehicles have metric fasteners, and the old carry over stuff is standard(check out the rear differential bolts, standard, the fronts are metric).

Here's a bigger question I thought of back in 2005, why is there French labeling all over the truck? Why is the radiator support covered with half of the warnings in french? Do we speak French in any measurable amount here in the US, or for anything for that matter? I don't think anything should be used but English written on labels of products sold here in the USA. This isn't a patriotic thing, it just make no sense to see French written on my lawn mower, my cars, or any other common product I own.

When I rebuilt my 99 Explorer in 2005/06, I had to remove the labels from the radiator support. I did save them, and cut them apart, and discard the non-English parts.

View attachment 156615

View attachment 156616

It’s probably the North American labeling package, due to French being relatively common in Canada, where a fair amount of Explorers ended up.

 

[Tech By Trade]

They do have a mixture of SAE and metric. The oldest things may still have standard, like the 302 engines. But the transmissions will all be metric fasteners, as well as the SOHC 4.0's. Interesting related item, the 4.0's all had the FL1A standard oil filter. Some time at the end of the 90's, Ford changed the block oil filter adapter, so they began using the metric FL820S filter. So you can use either filter based on which block adapter you want to put on the engine.

But most of the vehicles have metric fasteners, and the old carry over stuff is standard(check out the rear differential bolts, standard, the fronts are metric).

Here's a bigger question I thought of back in 2005, why is there French labeling all over the truck? Why is the radiator support covered with half of the warnings in french? Do we speak French in any measurable amount here in the US, or for anything for that matter? I don't think anything should be used but English written on labels of products sold here in the USA. This isn't a patriotic thing, it just make no sense to see French written on my lawn mower, my cars, or any other common product I own.

When I rebuilt my 99 Explorer in 2005/06, I had to remove the labels from the radiator support. I did save them, and cut them apart, and discard the non-English parts.

View attachment 156615

View attachment 156616

Do you by chance have KM's on the outside and miles on the inside of your speedometer as well? Do you have french on the air bag stickers on the sun visors? Might be a Canadian model. Even though a large majority of the country has absolutely nothing to do with french, its more B.S. Canadian Politics care of our current prime ministers father.

 

[CDW6212R]

Mine have all been US models. I did mistakenly buy a low mileage speedometer cluster a while back. It was sweet at just 500 miles or so, but then I saw it was kilometers, so I couldn't use the speedometer to fix mine. I used a lot of it, the plastic was still very white, and the old ones are very beige.