New and have a few questions

[jmdetwiler]

Ok first I have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer v6 4.0 non flex fuel. I would like to lift it, but i don't have much money whats the best and cheapest way to do so. Next i would like a brush guard but cant seem to find one made specifically for a Mountaineer. Next is there any maintenance that i can do to keep the engine running longer. I have flushed the trans the diffs, and will do the transfer case. I'm looking to get 300 thousand plus miles so if anyone has any tips or tricks please let me know. Hmmm anything else umm i have electrical issues with my rear wiper, and with my accessory delay my puddle light does not work on driver side, and i cant unlock the door from the driver side with the interior lights on. Ok any ideas?

 

[lynchy wa]

G'day, 1.5" body lift for $50.
Explorer brush guard will fit a mounty.
Consistent maintenance on your engine is the key, I change my oil and filter every 4-5k.
and look for a broken wire in the rubber boot between the front of the driver side door and fender, that could be what's causing the electrical issue's.

 

[Ronin8002]

Ok first I have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer v6 4.0 non flex fuel. I would like to lift it, but i don't have much money whats the best and cheapest way to do so.

There's no "best way" with lifting, but there are a few different ways of doing it. See the stickies at the top of the modified 2002-2005 forum for the options.

Lynchy already mentioned the $50 1.5" body lift but if that isn't enough lift for you the next most expensive option would be the 3" body lift, Performance Accessories kit PA-883 (designed for the 98-00 Ford Ranger but will work fine on our trucks). It costs more mainly because it has some extra brackets and things to allow you to go that high with it. If you shop around or look on ebay sometimes you can find it for around $150.

 

[jmdetwiler]

Ok i will look at ebay for a lift and even though its for an early version it will still work for mine? Also i have pulled the boot back and cant seem to find a wire break. I switched the window switches and it dosent seem to make a difference. I bought a new headlight switch because every time i turned my interior lights on i blew a fuse. The accessory delay fuse. I went ahead and spliced the wires for the clip that connects to the master switch and that didnt make a diff either. I dont blow fuses anymore but i cant leave my interior light switch on i have to shut them off to lock and unlock my car from the driverside. I was thinking of checking the clip that was connected to my mirror. Oh my mirror got taken out by a mule deer ha i missed him, but he didn't stop running. As far as the rear window wiper i bought a new one and replaced the old one, but it didnt work either. Is that a common problem? and also the heat dosent work on in the rear of the car. I think it got to be a flow or blend door but im not sure. The heater core has water going through it and its hot so iduno. How much does a blend door go for? oh and does anyone know where i can get the ac lines that run to and from the compressor for a good deal i found them on rock auto for 150 but unfortunately im a college student so i dont have much money.

 

[jmdetwiler]

oh and one more thing if i lift the truck i saw a post for spacer rings that go above the struts. It seems like a good idea but i was wondering will this cause excessive wear on my drive axles and wheel bearings?

 

[06xlt]

If you are really looking to keep this vehicle for as long as possible you should keep it stock. Soon as you start adding lifts and bigger tires you are going to increase the wear on every single part of the car. Let me say that again every single part of the car!

Bigger tires are going to make your engine work a lot harder which is going to increase the wear and the larger tires are going to wear on the wheel bearings which are already prone to a short life.

Now a body lift is a great way to gain the look of a lift but it is not going to increase the functionality of your Explorer in any way. With our without a body lift your truck can fit a 32'' tire. The only way to actually increase the ground clearance besides adding the bigger tires is going to be by adding strut spacers.

Doing things on the cheap is always a great way to end up spending more money later on. It doesnt sound like you have extra money to be spending on modifications.

Just do the smart thing and save your money and invest it in the good maintenance of your truck so that it will last as long as you want.

 

[Ronin8002]

Ok i will look at ebay for a lift and even though its for an early version it will still work for mine?

All the 2002-2005 explorer/mountaineers are similar enough that the PA-883 kit will work for you. It is made for Rangers but if you read these two threads it shows you how to install it on our trucks:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...&postcount=342

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...&postcount=343

If you look in the body lift thread in the stickies you'll see that someone installed it on their mountaineer and it worked fine.

oh and one more thing if i lift the truck i saw a post for spacer rings that go above the struts. It seems like a good idea but i was wondering will this cause excessive wear on my drive axles and wheel bearings?

That's a strut spacer lift. It does work well, as long as you don't go over 2.25" on the front and 1.75" in the rear. The wear isn't so much on the axles/bearings as it is on the upper ball joints of the front suspension. Some people also have issues with the 2.25" spacers in the front leading to the spindles hitting the coil springs when flexing. If you don't really offroad it's not a big issue. If you do offroad, then you will probably have problems eventually. Hence the "upper control arms with uniball" thread that was stickied up there at the top of the modified 2002-2005 forum. That is supposed to fix the issue. Starting to get expensive there though so if money is tight I recommend the just 1.5" body lift (only $50). Which only changes the look a bit and lets you run bigger tires without rubbing but it's an improvement over stock.

 

[auburnfan138]

If you don't have much money to lift it, I wouldn't lift it. You have no idea the repairs that you will go through after lifting it.