New Guy with an XLT

[kai34]

Hey all, I just bought a 1999 XLT with 167,800 miles yesterday. I am 19 and am a BMW guy. My first car was a 1991 E34, and my current car is a 1997 E39. I needed a 4x4 to get to and from college on weekends this winter if we end up having feet of snow every few days again. I wouldn't have got another vehicle for this but I know I will be coming home regardless of weather to spend time with my mom. I don't really want to even go back to school so I can spend time with her but that isn't an option. So here I am with an XLT.

So now what you all actually care about. It is gold with tan leather, sunroof, roof rack, running boards, 6 disk changer...and as far as I know at this point you knew everything I just listed from it being an XLT and I look silly. I know BMWs inside and out, I know German cars in general fairly well, so the Explorer is a new experience for me.

I have a few questions that some of you might be able to help me with to start off. It has a noise that can be heard in acceleration, especially after 35-40 mph. It seems to be coming from right at or behind the rear seat. Anything that is common on the Explorers that would cause this? I am taking it to get it looked at real good tomorrow so I will probably know by then at least. And, are there any things that you fine people think I should know about the XLT, neat things I don't know, not so neat things I need to know.

One last thing, any snow/ice driving tips under the assumption that I wont have chains(which I might but I don't know)

Hopefully I can get as involved here as I am at my BMW forum.

Edit: I will try and get some pictures tomorrow after I try to restore the headlights just a little bit.

 

[section525]

Welcome! What motor you got in that thing?

 

[kai34]

V6, I think there were two versions in '99 right? I'm not sure if that is correct, but either way I'm not sure which it is if it is correct, haha.

 

[jrowe6]

it is best to duct tape the gas pedal to the floor when driving in the snow

jk, these things are sweet in the snow if you have some good tires. some decent semi aggressive tires help out big time. other than that its no big, just take it to a parking lot the first snow you see and play around a bit and get a feel for it. when going around a corner you can pull the ass end around with you since its 4x4. its nothing like breaking the rear end loose on a rwd car. you can actually get yourself out of trouble by giving it gas and getting the tires to dig in and pull you where you want to go. hard to explain, test it out and get a feel for it.

 

[kai34]

I will have to find a place to place around. I am used to driving in the snow with my 528i, and it is very doable...but it isn't worth risking it to me to drive it 120 miles in bad weather and have that many chances for someone else to screw up. Not that I want the XLT to get messed up either, but it was a lot cheaper than my E39 and I wouldn't be as upset. Tomorrow will decide if I keep it or not, I got it for 1,800 and I think I can make a profit on it if I give it a little time, and get my money back if I don't want to wait for the right buyer. All depends on how much hassle it will be to get that noise checked out and fixed and to get a few other quirky things fixed.

By the way, other than removing or replacing, what do you all do about the cracking/peeling center console? Mine has a spot right where my arm rests and it annoying the crap out of me bringing it home yesterday evening.

 

[jrowe6]

you can buy that material and re wrap it. its super easy and pretty cheap. there is a thread on here that shows some guy doing it. mine had that same spot from my elbow, it was rough when i got it and i learn on it hard so i trashed it real quick. i put some nice soft carpet on there. lol.

also, something i do for highway driving in ****ty conditions. im assuming you have the auto 4x4, i think thats all they had on the v6's. the v8's are awd. anyways, you dont want to run 4x4 non stop at highway speed, so when changing lanes and there is a line of snow/ice whatever between lanes being able to flip the switch and use 4x4 to run over that crap helps emensly when you want to change lanes. or if the road gets real bad for a minute. most of my friends have jeep cherokes, live by them, but they are always jelous that i can hit 4x4 on the fly. once you get used to owning one of these i doubt you will consider selling it. they are very useful, and alot of fun. get it fixed and live it up man.

 

[kai34]

Money is really tight. I actually used all but $200 of the money that I had saved to hold my spot in pharmacy school when I get accepted in a few months for next year (taking the PCAT on the 16th and not happy about it haha). And my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer two months ago. She is in Ecuador for treatment now and is coming home 4 or so in the morning on Thursday. If it need repairing that is much I would be able to keep it, even though it is worth it to have it.

Thanks for the tips. I read the Ford 4x4 supplement manual and it was talk about the situations to use the 4x4 auto, high, and low. What is the difference in the auto and high? It says that auto has power to all four wheels, I assume it is more one way? And is there a speed that you have to be under to go from auto to high?

 

[Fav390]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164801&highlight=center+console

heres the thread rowe was talking about. looks pretty simple and cheap, never done it. Hope it helps!

 

[kai34]

Thanks!

 

[Fav390]

haha not a problem!

 

[kai34]

Looks like a couple of people had trouble with the staples messing up the plastic. I will get some spray on adhesive and get the color matched kit from the ebay seller and see what I can come up with I guess.

 

[deadernie]

First thing I could tell you is they are fairly easy to work on and this fourm is a great wealth of knowledge. Parts will probably be a good bit cheaper for the Explorer than the bimmer too. And 4wd will help you go in the snow and ice but it doesn't really help you stop and if you get stuck your're in twice as deep as you were with 2wd. Lol.

 

[jrowe6]

your x is like mine, and many others on here. for that generation x the 4x4 is basically an electrically activiated clutch on the front drive shaft, it is either engaged or disengaged. auto means it will lock in the front driveshaft when the rear wheels slip, it will only be in 4x4 when it needs it. 4 high means the clutch stays engaged and it is full time 4x4, this is good for taking turns and slowing down using the engine. in auto if you let off the gas and go around a corner the front tires are not locked in so you are pushing them around the corner, in 4 high they will be connected to the rear tires so even if not on the gas they will be forcer to turn at that speed so they still help pull the front end through the corner. it makes a big difference. in 4 low the front driveshaft is locked in as it was in 4 high, but the transfercase also shifts into a reduced gear ratio that provides additional torque to the tires, its like if you had a gear lower that 1st gear, this is good for offroading when you are going up a steep hill, it is also good over rocks and when you need power but are at a very low speed, like 10mph and under, it adds an extra level of control over your speed and added power. you can go from auto to 4 high at any speed, it is not reccommended to go over 55mhp in 4 high tho, i have done it, its not a big deal if you dont do it for a long time. like i said, flipping to 4 high when changing lanes over a pile of crap is really nice, and it wont hurt anything. where you could do harm is running it on dry pavement in 4 high or 4 low, this puts extreme stress on the drivetrain. to go into 4 low you MUST come to a complete stop, i believe the trans needs to be in park, it might also work in neutral, and the brake must be applied.

so for instance, you are in auto driving down the road and all the sudden the road has not been plowed and there is a curve, no need to stop just flip the switch to 4 high and keep on rollin. also, if you are on a snowy road and at a stop, in auto if you mash the gas you will hear a BANG as the front drive shaft engages, its normal, but you can avoid it by hittin the switch to 4 high before taking off, then once you get up to speed and you dont want to be locked into 4x4 anymore flip it back to auto and 4x4 will disengage. it really is a very nice feature.

 

[jrowe6]

a key bit of info you need to find out is which of the v6's you have. i have the ohv which is an older less powerful engine, but very reliable and durable. the sohc has more top end power and is better for highway driving, but has a few weaknesses and needs a bit more maintenance. both are good engines when taken care of properly and given the proper maintenance.

as for your noise, you need to explain it more, situations where you hear it, what it sounds like, do you feel it as well as hear it? grinding? chattering? thumping? whistling?

and for fixing things if you can do the work yourself alot of the parts can be found real cheap. some stuff you can buy new for fairly cheap, some stuff you might be better off finding at a junk yard. all depends what you need. i havnt been on here that long and havnt had all too many issues, but ive been around this site quite a bit and have found there is info on damn near everything that ever went wrong on one of these trucks. search for your answer first, then if you still cant find it post your question and people will answer. sometimes within a few minutes. its helped me out alot, and saved me loads of money, and ive learned alot in the process.

 

[kai34]

Found out what the noise was. And it has the sohc engine. I will be deciding soon if I am keeping it or flipping it I guess.