New, Old Explorer owner with a few questions?

[Skibug]

Fisrt off, my name is Jon and I have gone out and purchased myself a 96 2dr Sport 4x4. This is my first American made vehicle ever. I have owned nothing but Nissan trucks up till now. But the puchase of a boat and the lack of used V6 Nissan Pathfinders and trucks in my area have forced me to look at other makes (didn't want payments on a new one). I went out and bought a 19 ft ski boat and the little nissan 4 banger was not going to cut it anymore. I hope that this Ford will not make me wish I did not go domestic.

But I have had it now for about 4 days and love it so far. It has 89,000 miles on it and was garage kept for it's entire life. I am the second owner. The original paint looks brand new.


Now for the questions.
1. It does not have a hitch. My boat with trailer weighs 2400 lbs. I have always pulled stuff with bumpers with no problem with my nissans. Should I get a class 3 hitch for a small boat like this? Would an anti-sway bar setup be needed for the long trips?

2. Would I need a Tranny cooler for long trips pulling 2400 lbs?

3. How much gas is left in the tank of the 2dr sport 4x4's when the check gage light comes on? I know it has a 17.5 gallon tank, and was just wondering.

4. Is it ok to leave it in 4 auto instead of 2wd? And is there any difference in the two when the rear wheels are not slipping?

Thanks for the help. I am sure that many more questions will come up as I owne this vehicle.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Fisrt off, my name is Jon and I have gone out and purchased myself a 96 2dr Sport 4x4. This is my first American made vehicle ever. I have owned nothing but Nissan trucks up till now. But the puchase of a boat and the lack of used V6 Nissan Pathfinders and trucks in my area have forced me to look at other makes (didn't want payments on a new one). I went out and bought a 19 ft ski boat and the little nissan 4 banger was not going to cut it anymore. I hope that this Ford will not make me wish I did not go domestic.

But I have had it now for about 4 days and love it so far. It has 89,000 miles on it and was garage kept for it's entire life. I am the second owner. The original paint looks brand new.


Now for the questions.
1. It does not have a hitch. My boat with trailer weighs 2400 lbs. I have always pulled stuff with bumpers with no problem with my nissans. Should I get a class 3 hitch for a small boat like this? Would an anti-sway bar setup be needed for the long trips?

2. Would I need a Tranny cooler for long trips pulling 2400 lbs?

3. How much gas is left in the tank of the 2dr sport 4x4's when the check gage light comes on? I know it has a 17.5 gallon tank, and was just wondering.

4. Is it ok to leave it in 4 auto instead of 2wd? And is there any difference in the two when the rear wheels are not slipping?

Thanks for the help. I am sure that many more questions will come up as I owne this vehicle.

1. Yeah, a class 3 hitch is always best.

2. Explorers are known have having somewhat weak automatic transmissions when the truck has a V6. You're new to Explorers, but don't let this fact discourage you. So yes, getting one would be a good choice. It's good to have even when not towing. Flushing it and refilling with synthetic ATF would also be helpful in keeping the temperature lower and limiting wear. Amsoil is the best to use, but I use Mobil 1 and that's decent stuff too.

3. Gee, I don't know.

4. I guess 2wd would be best when driving in conditions that are for sure dry and hard. From what I've heard, 4 auto may send a very small, like residual amount of power to the front wheels. There would be a slight decrease in gas milage and increase in wear. 4 auto is good for driving in rain and cruising on loose dirt roads or times when it's a waste for 4 high but a little too slick for 2wd.

 

[Crazy5711]

Hi, welcome to the site. I have a 98 Sport 4x4, and it only has 4auto, 4hi, and 4lo. I drive in 4auto all the time and it doesn't cause any problems so far (i've had the truck for two years now and put over 50,000 on it myself)

I have roughly 2 gallons left in the tank/lines when the check gauge light comes on, but every truck is a little different. You should wait till the light comes on and fill it, see how much you put in, and that will give you a general idea as to how much was left over when the light came on.

A Class III is always a better choice than the bumper. not to mention, it gives extra stiffness if you get rear-ended.

A tranny cooler would also be better to have than not. Your tranny should hold up for a while, though, depending on what your driving habits are.