GWSteppin
Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2013
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Colorado Rocky Mountains
- City, State
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 97 Sport 4wd OHV M5
I just purchased a 1997 Explorer Sport. I have never owned, driven or (the the best of my recollection) ridden in a 2nd Gen Explorer before.
This one is in really good shape. It has the 4.0 OHV engine and M5OD transmission with 167,087 original miles. Everything on it works, and the body is almost perfectly straight. The paint and trim have some fade, but there is absolutely nothing about this vehicle that would dissuade me from driving it coast-coast. I am the third owner and bought it from a guy who had owned it since 2003.
That said, there are some issues/questions I have about it. Some of these might be answerable with a thorough search, but I'm hoping y'all will cut a noob some slack.
In no particular order:
The seats in this thing suck. Back in the day everyone was doing soft squishy foam, but I don't want to drive from my living room sofa. Any suggestions as to firm seats that can go in with none-to-minimal modifications?
Transmission. My understanding is that the OHV engines all came with the M5OD-R1 transmission. It is my further understanding that the R1 has a 3.72 first gear. Some quick RPM/speed testing tells me I have a 3.40 first gear which, again, my understanding is found only in the R1HD. The trans code on the door tag is M, and the VIN decoder on the FTE site (is it OK to reference them?) returns 3.40 as the first gear for the manual transmission. Is it possible I have the R1HD trans? Or is my understanding in need of correction?
Is there a thread somewhere telling how to adjust the parking brake? I have a slight incline on my driveway and would prefer not to park it in gear to keep it on my property. Haven't owned/driven a manual transmission since 2002.
The steering seems to have some play in it. Haven't yet checked the front end components yet - is there anything specific to this vehicle I should be looking for?
Is there a way to defeat/remove the annoying lever you have to push to remove the key from the ignition?
It came with 2 keys but no remote door openers. I'm rather surprised - were the remotes optional back then? Can they be added? Can I add the keyless entry pad on the drivers door?
Will a 3rd gen steering wheel fit on these?
The alternator appears to be identical to the one on used on 7.3 Powerstrokes. I haven't measured/compared yet, can anyone confirm. I have a nice 200 amp alternator from my old Powerstroke (more about that at the bottom) that would be sweet to swap over.
Any other foibles common to these I should be on the lookout for?
I'm downsizing from an 02 Excursion with a (now-dead) 7.3 Powerstroke. Anyone looking for a fair Excursion with a dead diesel should contact me before everyone else does.
This one is in really good shape. It has the 4.0 OHV engine and M5OD transmission with 167,087 original miles. Everything on it works, and the body is almost perfectly straight. The paint and trim have some fade, but there is absolutely nothing about this vehicle that would dissuade me from driving it coast-coast. I am the third owner and bought it from a guy who had owned it since 2003.
That said, there are some issues/questions I have about it. Some of these might be answerable with a thorough search, but I'm hoping y'all will cut a noob some slack.
In no particular order:
The seats in this thing suck. Back in the day everyone was doing soft squishy foam, but I don't want to drive from my living room sofa. Any suggestions as to firm seats that can go in with none-to-minimal modifications?
Transmission. My understanding is that the OHV engines all came with the M5OD-R1 transmission. It is my further understanding that the R1 has a 3.72 first gear. Some quick RPM/speed testing tells me I have a 3.40 first gear which, again, my understanding is found only in the R1HD. The trans code on the door tag is M, and the VIN decoder on the FTE site (is it OK to reference them?) returns 3.40 as the first gear for the manual transmission. Is it possible I have the R1HD trans? Or is my understanding in need of correction?
Is there a thread somewhere telling how to adjust the parking brake? I have a slight incline on my driveway and would prefer not to park it in gear to keep it on my property. Haven't owned/driven a manual transmission since 2002.
The steering seems to have some play in it. Haven't yet checked the front end components yet - is there anything specific to this vehicle I should be looking for?
Is there a way to defeat/remove the annoying lever you have to push to remove the key from the ignition?
It came with 2 keys but no remote door openers. I'm rather surprised - were the remotes optional back then? Can they be added? Can I add the keyless entry pad on the drivers door?
Will a 3rd gen steering wheel fit on these?
The alternator appears to be identical to the one on used on 7.3 Powerstrokes. I haven't measured/compared yet, can anyone confirm. I have a nice 200 amp alternator from my old Powerstroke (more about that at the bottom) that would be sweet to swap over.
Any other foibles common to these I should be on the lookout for?
I'm downsizing from an 02 Excursion with a (now-dead) 7.3 Powerstroke. Anyone looking for a fair Excursion with a dead diesel should contact me before everyone else does.