New to me 96 ex

[gmbroy]

20180208_174611

• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

20180208_174454

• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

20180208_174508

• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

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• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

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• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

IMG_76571

• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

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• gmbroy
• March 3, 2018

I bought my first explorer 5 years ago for 800 . I ran it for 5 years put over 70k miles on it . It still runs just need to clean the gov. On the a4ld . Found this one close to me on craigslist . Went to see it, had the x code 4.0 95k miles no rust , garage kept ,very well maintained. Got it for under 2 grand . Comes to find out it was owned by nascar driver Buck Bakers wife . Has the 4.10ls 8.8 , the motor & trans are solid as a rock .some small issues but its 22 years old .nothing i cant fix . Just wanted to share with you guys .

 

[toypaseo]

Looks nice

 

[96eb96]

Wow, the red sister to mine! Really Nice truck! Good Luck with it!
Looks like you have the limited slip 4.10. Mine was open, but changed that.
Time for its first tuneup.
I would change the idler pulley at the top of the engine, it is probably ready to let go. Check it out if it wobbles ASAP.

 

[toypaseo]

Time for its first tuneup. I would change the idler pulley at the top of the engine, it is probably ready to let go. Check it out if it wobbles ASAP.

and the belt tensioner and serpentine belt...

 

[gmbroy]

I have already did the tune up . I had the fuel filter changed & the trans flushed & new fluid installed . The idler i will check today . the previous owner had maintained it VERY well. I am going to get slotted rotors & good pads as i pull my bass boat with it . The driver seat leather is going bad . cant get replacement , going to have it re covered & match as close as possible .

 

[96eb96]

I have already did the tune up . I had the fuel filter changed & the trans flushed & new fluid installed . The idler i will check today . the previous owner had maintained it VERY well. I am going to get slotted rotors & good pads as i pull my bass boat with it . The driver seat leather is going bad . cant get replacement , going to have it re covered & match as close as possible .

100K is time for the diff and friction modifier too. You can throw in a heated seat while the cover is changed. Good to see lots of these 95-96s around lately. They are some of the best V6 trucks.

 

[gmbroy]

You are right there . The x code 4.0 might not be the most powerful motor but if you change oil they will give you 300,000 + miles . My boat weighs in at 2500 & my 1991 pulled it fine . I had the towing package with the 3.73ls in that . The heated seat sounds like a good idea . I plan on draining both hog heads & the transfer case soon . I use the lucas oil That requires no friction modifier . . Going out to fiddle on it now . have a power antenna mast to replace , of course a piece is broke off & the inner fender has to come off . LOL

 

[96eb96]

You are right there . The x code 4.0 might not be the most powerful motor but if you change oil they will give you 300,000 + miles . My boat weighs in at 2500 & my 1991 pulled it fine . I had the towing package with the 3.73ls in that . The heated seat sounds like a good idea . I plan on draining both hog heads & the transfer case soon . I use the lucas oil That requires no friction modifier . . Going out to fiddle on it now . have a power antenna mast to replace , of course a piece is broke off & the inner fender has to come off . LOL

True about the X. With 4.10s it is a very decent tow rig. 5w30 when it beeps and you should be fine. We have the low setting too, could pull a house off its foundation, lots of low end torque. That setting is great for launching a boat on a slippery dock :lol:
You probably have the trans cooler too, I ended up installing the largest Hayden in there.
I have the heated seat switch on the side lumbar bezel, looks factory. I had some noise on slow turns with valvoline gear oil, supposed to have the friction modifier, had to add the stinky stuff.

I added some inexpensive suspension parts below, took away all the body roll. Handling much improved. If you tow go for those monroe coilovers.

 

[koda2000]

IDK about the '96 leather seats (I believe the style is different from the later Gen II's) but there's a company called theseatshop.com that had a replacement leather seat bottom for my '01 EB driver's seat. I installed it myself after watching one of the installation video's and it was pretty easy (I'd never done anything like that before).

Leather bottom was around $200. I'll be ordering a vinyl version from them for my daughter's '00 Mountaineer's driver's ripped seat bottom ($129) probably later this month.

theseatshop is located in TX and they are soon of the nicest, most helpful people I've ever dealt with. The owner even offered me his personal cell phone number, just in case I was installing the cover over the weekend and had a question. The replacement leather bottom cover I installed matches my interior perfectly. It's been 5 years since I installed it and it's holding up very well.

Nice find BTW, impossible to find a 23 year old vehicle in that nice a shape with such low miles. If you've gotta have the V6, the OHV engine is the one to have. Best of luck with it.

 

[gmbroy]

thanks a lot 96eb96 , looked at those coil overs will put those on my list . And thank you koda2000 I will look at the seat shop & see what they can do . Being it was a nascar drivers wife that owned it it was very well maintained . she never drove it in snow , doubt if the 4x4 was used much except around her house . you can get stung on craigslist but you can get lucky also .

 

[koda2000]

thanks a lot 96eb96 , looked at those coil overs will put those on my list . And thank you koda2000 I will look at the seat shop & see what they can do . Being it was a nascar drivers wife that owned it it was very well maintained . she never drove it in snow , doubt if the 4x4 was used much except around her house . you can get stung on craigslist but you can get lucky also .

I've done very well shopping CL. I've bought all our Explorer's/Mountaineer's off CL and I've never really gotten "stung". Three of them have been exceptional vehicles, and two of them good buys for the money. I didn't buy our first Expl (my daughter bought it w/out my input and it was a POS) but all the others were good vehicles which I bought for way under their market value. My Sport Trac has required a ton of work and still has issues, but what can you expect for a $1000 and I didn't put much money into fixing it up, just a lot of my time and labor. Plus I bought it sight unseen and had it shipped.

The thing with CL is that you have to know what you're looking at (and I do). That's a big reason I've stuck with so many Gen II Expl's/Monty's. I know all their weak points and what to check. That makes me a sellers nightmare when it comes to negotiating a price.