New to forum, need some advice/help on my 1998 Eddie Bauer V8 AWD

[mrelee75]

Hey all,

I'm new to this and need a lot of help!

My mom recently got a new car so the explorer she used to drive is now my weekend truck!! It's a 1998 Eddie Bauer AWD 4dr. It has around 180,000+ miles on it and I want to get it so it's running like new. So, if anyone could help me with the problems and how to go about fixing it, I'd greatly appreciate it.

First of all, it has been in a few incidents. My mom rear ended someone a few months after she got it (mostly cosmetics damage), but the most severe incident was when I broke a part of the driver side suspension. I want to say it was the A-arm, but can' remember. The steering wheel is always ****ed to the right slightly, even when driving straight, and most of all theres a squeaking sound that comes from the left front when going over speed bumps, accelerating, braking etc. (I suspect it's mostly suspension work, even though it was replaced a few years ago)


The 5.0L V8 engine doesn't run like it used to. There's a deep ticking sound when I accelerate. (Can someone tell me how to post sound so you can hear it under acceleration?) It's almost as if you can hear every piston crank as it moves. There's also a heavy exhaust smell inside the cabin so you have to drive with the windows cracked open.

The heater doesn't work, the stock subwoofer hasn't worked in over X years, window washer won't turn on unless you push down and turn on the high beams at the same time, some of the lights in the gauge cluster do not work, and whenever I turn on the head lights the system display near the arm rest shows "Head lamp needs to be checked", driver side seatbelt doesn't lock, driver side door lock doesn't turn when you use the key, so i have to use keyless entry in order to get in or the unlock button on the key. All in all there's a lot of issues with it, but I want to get everything working again like it were new.

I know there's a lot of problems, but I love that truck and want to get all of it in working order. Can someone help me and direct me in the direction I should go? I want to do most of the work myself, but I don't know my way around it, Especially removing panels, electrical/wiring etc etc. I tried fixing up our old 1984 custom Econoline E-350, but my mom donated it when we moved and I DO NOT want to lose the explorer. I want this truck to run like new, so any help would be great!

Thank you!

 

[1Aauto]

welcome to the site

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Take a look around the forum. I'm sure that you will find what you're looking for. You could always post a question in the appropriate section if you can't find what you need.

 

[BabyNapes]

I only have a few ideas on of the problems.

With the 5.0, it is common for the exhaust manifold to crack causing a ticking sound when you accelerate. My 1997 Mountaineer with the 5.0 has it now (and apparently it is costly to fix at the dealer). If it is the exhaust manifold, it should be worse when the motor is cold, and likely be louder the faster you are accelerating.

My door locks would also not turn when I bought the Mountaineer. I first that the key wasn't the correct cut, but it turns out nobody ever used the key in the door lock, so it had gotten very stiff. I shot WD-40 (the pro's recommend graphite lube) in the key hole and worked the key back and forth (in and out of the hole) as well as side to side (turning it) until it finally freed up. It takes a little persistence but should work.

Hope these helps. Nothing like a free truck. Good luck with it.