My 95 Explorer has a few issues.

[cherrington]

Well... looks like i'll be lurking on the board a bit...

I'm Chris. My g/f just got a '95 explorer 4x4, 165k miles and its got a few issues that need fixing. Since i'm the resident DIY repair guy, its up to me. Personally, I maintain and lightly modify my '03 olds alero.. and that got my started on my interest in working on cars.

Little about me, I'm 25, and a first year Chiropractic student. Should graduate with a doctorate in 3-4 years. (3 if i go at a normal pace, 4 if i take my time, due to having to work to pay a big chunk of tuition)


If someone could direct me to the links of a few noticible problems... that would be great. So far, the list is:
The ABS is intermittent. (possibly a bad sensor?)
The airbag light on the dash blinks intermittently (not in any rhythm)
When backing out of my driveway, there was a decent knock from the back end(maybe a bad strut?)
There are a few dash lights out and the HVAC doesn't light up. (bulb sizes?)

where is the oil filter? (its dark out, i couldn't see where it was)
any specific spark plugs that need to be used?

any other quirks about the truck i should know about/look for?

Thanks for having me, and i'll be around.

 

[tgreene92]

issues

prob could use a new oxygen sensor just for simple maintenance and could help solve a few issues . keep and eye on the timing chain mine went at about 110k miles and there notorious on to go on the explorers. a new idle air control would also help with rough idling and such. new shocks, struts and sway bars would also significantly help ride comfort. id recommend the EE sway bars, you can take a look at them in the product reviews sections. significant ride difference. and when the knock noise is made backing up does the car stop or feel like it is locking up. if so you could have some begging tranny issues. and if you already havent done so change all fluids including tranny and t case. and about the ABS and airbag lights if theres nothing wrong with the ABS or air bags id try to find the wires to the dash that control the lights and make sure nothings wrong. mine got wet and shorted and my dash lights went haywire for a few days. nothing else i can think of right now. keep posting whats been fixed and how its goin.

 

[cherrington]

O2 sensors are pretty easy. but a timing chain is well beyond my level of skill (plus i only have several hours a day, and no official garage space to dedicate for a repair)

the knock definitely sounded like a strut in the back.(or do they have shocks?) the tranny seems remarkable quiet. when i test drove it, it shifts with no hesitation at all.

i forgot to add, the passanger speaker is intermittent. i'm guessing water corroded some wires and is causing it, but i won't know until i look.

other than those few small problems, the interior is immaculate, the outside has very little rust (some around the edge of the rear hatch and gas cover) but my g/f did bodytech work in highschool... so she can handle grinding the rust out and smoothing it out.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've renamed your thread, and moved it into the stock 95-01 section.

 

[robertoa1a]

There must be more to the story. At this point I'm thinking this one has been in a serious accident. That can be a lot of un-doing.

There is hope!

 

[Joe Dirt]

Dash lights that are out are probably just bad bulbs- they're 194's, they sell them just about anywhere. If you have some lights on but not all, no need yet to check all of the wiring, the bulbs do just go out, they're old. Don't know what he said that indicates that new O2 sensors need to be installed, that's just extra money for a student. The rear clunk could be (among a variety of things) a shock (they're shocks) or a u-joint, etc... but not necessarily a transmission problem (!?!) and the '95 has an OHV, not a SOHC, so the timing chain problem isn't an issue, that wasn't in the OHV. Let's try not to freak the poor guy out yet, and get the advice on target...

 

[cherrington]

the little bit of time i was looking under the hood, i did see SOHC on the cover. so timing chain might be an issue, on that version?

the bulbs shouldn't be a problem. 194s are easy to swap (converted my own to a dual led system. red and blue) So i'm familiar there. I'm guessing the standard twist lock base, style? I also noticed nearly EVERYTHING in console that lights up, is green. Is that just a film they put on it, or is the plastic actually colored like that? Personally, i prefer clean white led color.. that green is just horrendous. (same with the gauges, can that green be removed?)

I wonder why the HVAC has no lights at all. Its certainly possible that they all blew, i'll have to get my DMM and an afternoon free to find out. Does everything just clip in and out like most normal cars? (nothing overly complicated to remove the console components?)

 

[coonerboy]

The SOHC engine didn't come out until '97 so either you have a transplanted engine/trans, its not a '95, or you didn't see something right.

Pulling the radio bezel will allow you to access the HVAC control. 2 bolts right above the HVAC and the bezel is just clipped in. Pull it out a couple inches and then reach in to disconnect all of the wiring harnesses.

 

[cherrington]

it is certainly possible i was told the year wrong... it absolutely saw SOHC. I'll keep yall posted.

don't be surprised if after i check things out, and start getting supplies, you'll be seeing pictures of a pink backlit interior. lol

 

[Joe Dirt]

If you have a SOHC and green interior lights, you don't have a '95...

If it is a SOHC, cam chains could be an issue moving forward... Yes, the 194's are the black-backed twist-ins.

The green on the HVAC is a plastic backing that can be removed. The green radio lights cannot. I tried replacing he rubber underlayment that was i my '95 radio when switched everything to green, but the other years' radio rubber underlayment piece didn't line up because the buttons were not the same. I suppose you could do something, but the rubber is colored, and it also creates the "spring" in the buttons, so it can't be removed entirely. The green on the compass is the facing plastic screen, it can be swapped out with blue from the earlier Ex, the green on the bezel switches, buttons, and headlight switch indicator are created with rubbery "caps" over the bulbs and can be changed/removed. The green on he gauges is part of the gauges itself, and is very difficult to remove without some major work.

There are some LED writeups, search for them and you might find some useful info there...

Check your build date on the sticker on the driver door and see what year it really is...

 

[cherrington]

ok, so after a little looking... i was wrong, its a '97.

the airbag light stopped blinking on its own. which i find odd, but ok. (i'll keep my eyes open for it again, if it comes back, i know to count the code and post about it)

She had the back brakes fixed. The drums were shot. Now they work again, but the brake light is still on. I know i gotta check the fluid, but is there any other quirks about the truck that might cause this?

also had the problem w/ the 4lo engaging, and not disengaging. Searched around, and tried a couple recommendations... disconnecting the battery worked. What does that mean? Is that a computer hiccup, or is that still the transfer case that needs to be fixed?


as for leds, i saw the threads, and it seems that the green film can be removed, and the bulbs can be changed. Since shes a huge fanatic, i think i'm going to make pink gauges for her.... I'll post results as per how they turned out. (i'm already familiar with the process... my car has selectable backlighting)

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w246/cherrington17/Car Pics/?action=view&current=P1020312.jpg
http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/...&current=2006_0427interior0019-1.jpg&newest=1
http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w246/cherrington17/Car Pics/?action=view&current=P1020311.jpg
http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/...ew&current=2006_0427interior0021.jpg&newest=1

 

[Paraphoe]

as for leds, i saw the threads, and it seems that the green film can be removed, and the bulbs can be changed. Since shes a huge fanatic, i think i'm going to make pink gauges for her.... I'll post results as per how they turned out. (i'm already familiar with the process... my car has selectable backlighting)

Definitely keep us posted and if you could, post up some how-to photos. I'd love to change mine all red.

 

[cherrington]

ok. the brake light was just low brake fluid. (duh)

ABS is still intermittent, and apparently the front door speakers also intermittent. i thought it was the passanger, she thought it was the driver's side. I got my hand behind the radio and shook the wires... didn't seem to replicate. I'm being told it happens when a bump is hit... i gotta find out how/where this happens.

 

[Mirge]

Someone had mentioned changing tranny fluid... my personal opinion is to not change the tranny fluid at 165k miles unless you know the service history of the truck and that the tranny fluid/filter has been changed at regular, appropriate intervals.

 

[cherrington]

Ok, I'm still around and looking for a bit of info on the shocks. My own car has struts, so I'm completely unfamiliar with the suspension on this thing.

It appears the fronts don't have springs at all? and I saw in another thread that the backs do?

Is there a noticible quality difference between different makes? And how do you adjust for the ride height? I know on my own car, if i buy different springs, i can raise or lower the height... this obviously doesn't have the same setup. (want to keep it the same height) But you feel every little crack she drives over. Its very stiff and rough.

I just did the plugs (wires were fine) and an oil change. Its running better now. So now we have to fix the rough ride. It looks like the shocks might be OEM. (ouch)


And I will update when I do the lighting... I ordered leds, and they got lost in the mail. Then the new semester started... so I've had no time to even look at it. (or reorder for that matter)