Multiple questions about 4WD, Window/Doors, and Fog Lights | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Multiple questions about 4WD, Window/Doors, and Fog Lights

Prince_Polaris

Well-Known Member
Joined
October 6, 2016
Messages
201
Reaction score
14
City, State
Maryland
Year, Model & Trim Level
1998 Ford Explorer Sport
So, I'll go in order of the title! As you guys might know, winter is finally descending onto maryland, and the road I live on might as well never be plowed for the good it does. (It's an old road and the damn plow only gets the center.) Obviously I'll be using the 4wd on there, haha. So, I want to know, will 4WD high be able to handle it if I'm driving on roads that are snowy, but might also have parts that are just fine? Also, can you turn it on or off while you're driving like you would perhaps shifting from drive to 2nd gear? (it's an automatic) And lastly, would it be a good idea to try 4WD low if I get stuck, since it'll have more power and less speed going on?

So, about my windows... I already know that my window is slower if I'm leaning on the door (I'm a fat ****) but now that the cold weather has rolled in, it's even slower, but not like it's broken or anything, I hope. Can I just lube where it goes up with some silicone lube and be all good? In addition, it jolts in the frame when you put it down, it kind of tilts a little, but when you put it up it jolts back into place and seals okay. Also, about the door, how much pressure can it handle before it may break open? As I said, being the ****** I am, I don't like making the sharp right turns these roads have at the speeds us marylanders drive on them, I always feel like it's gonna spring open and dump me out on the highway, seatbelt or no.

And lastly, my fog lights. Whoever owned my explorer before me let water get into them, and not only were they full of mud or something but the bulbs had exploded inside. I did my best to wash them out, but it's not good enough, they're yellow as hell and do next to nothing when I turn them on, I can't even tell they're on unless I lean up to look straight in front of the car. Anyway, I want to clean inside of them. I want to take them apart and clean the glass and maybe the inside of the light too, and get the dirt out. However, how do I seal it back together again? Is there a certain thing I need to use, or can I use this E6000 glue my dad has? Me and him are also planning to remove the headlight on our 07 chevy minivan and seal it too, it gets condensation inside of it so badly that there's always about half an inch of water in it, and the water has eaten all of the chrome out of the bottom of it. Anyway, I want to make sure water doesn't get in the foglights again, I really need them working soon, because this time of year the area I live in gets fog thick enough to swim in, and sometimes it sticks around for a week or more!

Haha this is unrelated but today the rain was so bad that my poor wipers on max speed were barely able to keep up with it, the rain didn't last long but the wind made it nasty! (Also, is it normal for my left wiper to have like, 4 inches of room where it can just be pushed up or down on the window?)

Sorry about my massive post!
 



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!
.





Windows: Lube the window channels with Liquid Wrench brand foaming silicon spray once or twice a year to keep your windows working fine. Don't worry about lubing the regulator parts. They shouldn't need it.

Wipers: No there shouldn't be any play in the wiper arms (maybe a 1/2"). If there's 4" of play your wiper transmission arm bushing are worn out and need to be replaced before they stop working all together.

Fog lights: Your fog lights will need to be replaced. No saving them now.

Door: Just how large are you? I've never heard of anyone worrying about a door breaking open. The latches are designed to be strong enough to remain closed in an accident.

4WD: High is good for most muddy/snowy situations. Do not use 4WD on completely dry roads. Low range is for climbing steep trails, you'll probably never need it on the road. I believe you can turn 4WD on/off while moving. Read the owner's manual.
 






Windows: Lube the window channels with Liquid Wrench brand foaming silicon spray once or twice a year to keep your windows working fine. Don't worry about lubing the regulator parts. They shouldn't need it.

Wipers: No there shouldn't be any play in the wiper arms (maybe a 1/2"). If there's 4" of play your wiper transmission arm bushing are worn out and need to be replaced before they stop working all together.

Fog lights: Your fog lights will need to be replaced. No saving them now.

Door: Just how large are you? I've never heard of anyone worrying about a door breaking open. The latches are designed to be strong enough to remain closed in an accident.

4WD: High is good for most muddy/snowy situations. Do not use 4WD on completely dry roads. Low range is for climbing steep trails, you'll probably never need it on the road. I believe you can turn 4WD on/off while moving. Read the owner's manual.


Windows- So can I use this maybe? https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-Specialist-Resistant-Silicone-Lubricant/dp/B0083V8K0U

Wipers- Hmm, would it hurt anything if I just waited for it to burn out, and then get it replaced? the only problem I have is that it used to hit my air vents if you let it go all the way down, so I took the arm off and put it further up, so it's either in its normal position or stuck weirdly up onto the windsheild by 4 inches. Better than it hitting the vents though! (this seems to have been a problem for a long time, I've only had it for a few months but there's a dug-out little part of the air vent plastic where the left wiper has scratched into it)

Fog Lights- Aww, really? Well, I found some on ebay, but they're pretty pricey:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/95-99-FORD-...ash=item58e73c1bd4:g:NfIAAOSw44BYGq6t&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Explor...ash=item3f40c4422f:g:UY4AAOSwIgNXmXOQ&vxp=mtr

Door- Haha.... well, I weigh 460 pounds, so it's a little bit of a tight fit sadly, but I tend to worry about small things, so as long as the door can't fly open then I'll be quiet about that lol.

4WD- Okay, cool, and one more question about it, does 4WD work in reverse? I like to back into our driveway, so I sure hope it does..

Thanks for the help!
 






Do not use WD40 on the window channels (It is a lousy lubricant).

Wipers - It's not a matter of them burning out. It's a mechanical problem, not an electrical one. If you wait they may break completely, do more damage and it will not happen on a nice sunny day.

At 460 lbs I'd be more concerned about the seat breaking than the door latch.

Fog lights - Check RockAuto for replacements.
 






Do not use WD40 on the window channels (It is a lousy lubricant).

Wipers - It's not a matter of them burning out. It's a mechanical problem, not an electrical one. If you wait they may break completely, do more damage and it will not happen on a nice sunny day.

At 460 lbs I'd be more concerned about the seat breaking than the door latch.

Fog lights - Check RockAuto for replacements.

Window- Okay, so I should get this? https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Wrench-M914-Silicone-Lubricant/dp/B000ABE98I

Wiper- Well, I looked at Rockauto and it is either gonna be like, 16 bucks or 20 bucks for that wiper transmission part, so that's cheap, how hard is it to replace?

Door- Haha yeah I already broke the seat, paid someone to reinforce it with a lot of steel and it's been holding good!

Fog lights- So, I looked, and they have them, but they are out of stock of a lot of them and they have a Right of one brand and a Left of another brand... I dunno, is it worth paying 10 or 20 dollars less for that? I mean, I could buy two of the same light/brand and ignore the brackets, but then if I decide to ever replace those too I'm either gonna have two right ones or two left ones. :(

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...p+assembly,803?a=Referer+www.google.com+URL+/
 






Window- Okay, so I should get this? https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Wrench-M914-Silicone-Lubricant/dp/B000ABE98I

Wiper- Well, I looked at Rockauto and it is either gonna be like, 16 bucks or 20 bucks for that wiper transmission part, so that's cheap, how hard is it to replace?

Door- Haha yeah I already broke the seat, paid someone to reinforce it with a lot of steel and it's been holding good!

Fog lights- So, I looked, and they have them, but they are out of stock of a lot of them and they have a Right of one brand and a Left of another brand... I dunno, is it worth paying 10 or 20 dollars less for that? I mean, I could buy two of the same light/brand and ignore the brackets, but then if I decide to ever replace those too I'm either gonna have two right ones or two left ones. :(

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,1998,explorer,4.0l+v6+sohc,1304413,body,fog+/+driving+lamp+assembly,803?a=Referer+www.google.com+URL+/

Windows: Yes - This Liquid Wrench brand works really well.
Wipers: Pretty easy once you get the black plastic cowl vent cover off.
Fog Lights: Also check eBay and Amazon. Prices are about the same as RA.
 






Windows: Yes - This Liquid Wrench brand works really well.
Wipers: Pretty easy once you get the black plastic cowl vent cover off.
Fog Lights: Also check eBay and Amazon. Prices are about the same as RA.


All right, got the lube on order!

Might buy the wiper part too, we'll have to see about that one..

And about the fog lights, how come it's a bad idea for me to just take them apart, clean em, and put them back together? From what I saw it looks like the glass (plastic) snaps onto the rest of it, so I could remove it, clean it, then snap it back on and seal it up right?
 






Fog lights: They do not come apart and the reflective part most likely can't be cleaned even if they did. You can try, but I doubt you'll be successful.

If you want to save some money, try a salvage yard. Usually plenty of Explorers there.
 






Fog lights: They do not come apart and the reflective part most likely can't be cleaned even if they did. You can try, but I doubt you'll be successful.

If you want to save some money, try a salvage yard. Usually plenty of Explorers there.


Yeah that sounds good, I think I might grab these though http://www.ebay.com/itm/191126246766
 






Back
Top