New owner, need some help

[djblackout]

ey im a new owner of a 1996 ford explorer 4wd 4 door. its got the 4.0L v6.

Ive got a couple issues i need help with. i might post them here or in the tech section. but the problems are...

i need to replace the door lock cylinders on both front doors. the lock doesnt work on the driver side.

the driver window is slow to go down then shudders towards the bottom. im thinking maybe the arm inside the door is out of alignment

the rear wiper doesnt touch the glass, lol.

the console that indicates what gear your in is off. park is by reverse kinda creepy lol

but besides that, for 175k miles its not bad..


are these common problems?

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Welcome to the forum.

Lock cylinders are easy and quick to replace. You need to remove the inside door panels - 2 screws next to the handle, then run a wedge or pry bar around the edges starting at the bottom to pull off the plastic push pins, lift up and off the window channel. The lock cylinders are held in by a single metal clip. 2 cylinders + keys is about $25-40 depending on color at most autoparts stores.

The window rides in a track - you will see it when you are changes the locks. Could be a number of misc issues, but just run the window up and down with the inside panel off. The problem should become obvious - like a loose part or broken plastic piece.

Wiper arm is a common issue - a couple quick searches in the forums will get a fix. Usually its either the arm is bent or the mounting bolt it loose.

The gear selector indicator is operated by a wire attached to the shifter up under/behind the dash. You can either become a great contorsionist and fix it laying on your back looking up, or remove the plastic panel and steel crash plate under the steering column (about a dozen screws total) and just follow the shifter to the connections and make the adjustments as needed. I believe there are two screws holding it to a pair of plates. I haven't had the need to adjust it on an explorer as yet, but recall seeing it when I took the dash out to replace a heater core.

 

[gmanpaint]

Welcome to the forum!

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

Everything your asking about is covered in this sub forum. Use the search feature, you will be amazed at what pops up

 

[Joe Dirt]

Romeo had some good info, the only thing I'd add is that your wiper arm isn't the one I think he's thinking about- if you have a 1996, your rear wiper arm does not have a mounting bolt. The spring may be very weak, the hinge corroded, or it may just be bent (common to all years) so you can try bending it back. The good news is that the '91-'97 wiper arms are much easier to make worn than the '98+ arms... Welcome to the forum!

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Hey there Joe. I was thinking the motor mounting bolts that hold the wiper motor assembly bracket to the inside of the hatch door. Sometimes the third bolt (drivers side) gets loose and the whole thing moves when the wiper is engaged. Heck, a lot of times a simple soak with PB blaster and wiggling around to get the crud out can work miracles.

 

[djblackout]

yeah i can actually see part of the base going into the hatch and out. moves a little bit. so maybe it is the bolt.

if i have 175k miles should i do a timing belt or anything important?

 

[Joe Dirt]

Ah ok- Romeo is right... That bolt can be a problem. I had that issue on my '95. The shaft should have some play though, it isn't 100% fixed into place...

At 175k, you might toss on a new serpentine belt for winter. If nothing else is of issue, I would just drive it and put some $ away for parts later. Don't worry- stuff will break...

 

[RomeovilleIL]

At 175k, you might toss on a new serpentine belt for winter. If nothing else is of issue, I would just drive it and put some $ away for parts later. Don't worry- stuff will break...

Definitely the best advise you can get! Fix that which needs fixing and just drive!

 

[djblackout]

can i add keyless to it? it didnt come with a fob, but im wondering if the car did originally?

 

[RomeovilleIL]

That is an excellent question. Do you have power locks? If so, cycle the ignition from off to run (not start) 8 times in a row in less than 1 minute stoping on run. If you can accept a key fob, this will activate the programming mode. You will know because the locks will cycle lock/unlock when you stop on run the last time. At this point, all you would do it press any button on an appropriate key fob. Locks will cycle if the fob is accepted. The programming mode only last for 1 minute, or until you turn the key back to off whichever come first.

I would suggest you go to the stock 1995-2001 section and look at the collection of stickys. They are very good info with lots of pictures. You will get a good idea of potential problems that can arise with your truck and how to fix just about anything that may happen.