newbie needs help on a few minor question?

[middie8]

1998- eb- problems 52k bought used seven months ago.

check engine light - been on for about a month + .no visible or audible difference in driving. no loss of gas mileage. gas cap? reset computer?

rear brake light lit dimmly when truck is off and sort of flickers. just started happening.

parking brake sticks sometimes and squels when i back up even though it is released.

please help....these forums are great for info.

thanks in advance

 

[01EB5.0]

Originally posted by middie8
1998- eb- problems 52k bought used seven months ago.

check engine light - been on for about a month + .no visible or audible difference in driving. no loss of gas mileage. gas cap? reset computer?

-I would check and replace the Oxegen sensors

rear brake light lit dimmly when truck is off and sort of flickers. just started happening.

-wow, thats wierd...has it ever been in an accident or flood?

parking brake sticks sometimes and squels when i back up even though it is released.

-The parking brake isnt very good on the 95+ explorer...I don;t bother with mine anymore

please help....these forums are great for info.

thanks in advance

 

[middie8]

i heard about the oxygen sensors...how many are there and how much?

just dont't use it anymore? that's pretty much what i have been doing but that is good info on the 95+models having problems.

as for the brake light..no accident or flood...i dont no where to start

thanks

 

[01EB5.0]

I am not sure how many O2 sensors you have...mine has 2, some have up to 4. they are on the exhaust before and after the catalytic converter. The sensors are expensive, but if you only need to replace them every 50,000 it's worth it.

The parking brake on mine the pads were cracked and melted when I bought the truck. I replaced the pads for $100 and readjusted the brakes. they worked ok for a little while, but 2 months later the pads are worn and the parking brake pedal goes all the way to the floor again. ALso I have noticed that sometimes it sticks like you mentioned...i just don;t use it anymore.

As for the 3rd brake lights...I'm clueless as where to start also....

 

[Blue Steel]

for my ford taurus stationwagon the parking brake sucked just like most ford parking brakes do. what you need to do is just look under the truck for the metal cable that runs from the brake all the way from the front of the truck to the rear. it's on the drivers side, kinda up under the truck. pull on the disengage lever while pulling on the parking break cable. then release the lever and then let go of the cable. fiddle with it until it disengages. it's a pain, but once you disengage it, don't use the parking break until inspection time. the brake will work, but then you have to go through the whole process again of disengaging the break. if that doesn't work then you will have to loosen the cable. there is a twisty thingy that holds two pieces of the cable together that can be unscrewed, screwed to lengthen or shorten. it'll probably be tough at first so get some liquid wrench and if that doesnt work, get a flame to it to loosen it up. let me know if that helps.

 

[Alec]

My parking brake works really well. I use it almost anytime I park my truck. I've heard the key to a good pbrake is to use it; so that's what I do. I agree that the check engine light is probably the O2 sensors. As for the lights, sound like you have a short somewhere.

 

[01EB5.0]

Originally posted by Alec
My parking brake works really well. I use it almost anytime I park my truck. I've heard the key to a good pbrake is to use it; so that's what I do. I agree that the check engine light is probably the O2 sensors. As for the lights, sound like you have a short somewhere.

i have heard the same about the parking brake, but up here where is snows and freezes, no matter how much you use the parking brake it still causes problems. my dad had an old volkswagen and he set the parking brake, then came out of work and couldn;t go anywhere because the brake froze up from the temperatures. He refuses to use the parking brake now unless it's absolutly necessary. Also rusting and corrosion of th eparking brake system cause major problems.
i think that ford's parking brake on the explorer is far too weak for such a big truck and it has faults causing it not to operate properly. My parking brake has never worked right since I got it (72,000 miles) and I'm not going to spend any more time or money on it...it's a worthless cause.