New Guy needs help!

[CosmosM3]

I just got my girlfriend's explorer and I'm going to try and fix it up for her. It's a 93' Eddie Bauer edition. I know for a fact the AC is blowing hot air, the 4x4 doesn't seem to work, the oil pressure is high (3/4 of the gauge), and the water temp runs high. I checked the FAQ and none of these are listed. I'm sure these can be frequent issues on an Explorer with 193k miles on it, but I don't know where to start. Can anyone give me a hand with some online resources or obvious things to check on the car? Also, what are some good online parts dealers? Thanks for your help!

Chris

 

[Soundguy01tx]

fordpartsnetwork.com is a good place for parts.

as far as whats wrong with the AC, umm... my suggeston would be to take it to a shop and have them run an "A/C Check"... they can usually tell you whats wrong with it, and only charge like 30 bucks. That way you KNOW what needs to be done to it.

I dont really know answers to the other questions tho, sorry...
--Bryan

 

[CosmosM3]

Thanks for the parts info.!

 

[lonestar]

try here

Dead Link Removed

 

[Positive Vibes]

Yes have the AC checked out. It will probally just need to be recharged. "4x4 doesn't seem to work" - Need some more info. How do you know it isnt working?

When was the last oil change also I would have the radiator flushed and refilled if that hasn't been done in a while. Sounds like she just might need some TLC, did your girlfriend take care of it?

 

[CosmosM3]

Nope, didn't take care of it at all. I've already done an oil change.

My girlfriend told me that in the past when you pushed the 4x4 button you could feel it engage. I can't feel anything. Is there a trick to it? Seems like it should be rather straight forward. Are there common problems with these systems? She never took the thing off road so I'm not too sure how it broke.

I'm guessing I need some sort of a new oil sending unit. I was thinking about buying an oil cooler, those are cheap, but that would just be masking the problem.

I'm going to do a radiator flush this weekend or next.

 

[Positive Vibes]

Is the 4x4 light coming on? To test it, MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON DIRT OR GRAVEL, engage the 4x4 and see if your front wheels are grabing.

When you did an oil change what was the condition of the oil? Is this a problem? If its reading a little high but there are no problems????

 

[CosmosM3]

The oil was super black. The car had been sitting for three months and before that almost a year, but only about 6k miles had been put on the car the entire past 12 months. I didn't see any impurities like metal shavings or anything, just really dirty (black).

The light on the 4x4 button does not come on. But I'll find some dirt later today and give it a shot.

 

[lonestar]

TRy tapping on the shift motor. The shift motor may just need to be cleaned.

 

[CosmosM3]

I guess I need to go ahead and get a Bentley or Haynes, huh?

I don't know what the shift motor looks like.

 

[lonestar]

TRry a search, "Shift motor" "4x4 shift motor" "clean shift motor" There is thread around here with detailed instructions and pics.

The AC probably needs to be recharged. Does the compressor even engage when the AC is on. Look at the pulley on the AC compressor, (driver side below steering pump). With the engine running, the front of the pulley will appear not to be turning. When the AC is on, a clutch inside the pulley should engage and start turning.

Oil pressure guage is a dummy guage anyway. It just reads a default value if the pressure is within acceptable range. You can make it work like an actual guage. Search for a thread on it. "Oil pressure dummy guage".

Since oil has not been changed in awhile, I would change it again after 1000 miles, and change it hot, so you get all the crude out. Hot oil flows faster and allows dirt particles suspended in the oil to drain, rather than sink back down to the oil pan.

There is alot of useful information here, look around.

 

[CosmosM3]

Thanks guys! This is my first attempt at working on a domestic vehicle. Every car has it's quirks, I just need to find the ones for the Explorer.

 

[Zulu95]

Fake Guage Link

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14894