newbie questions

[sgt maxx]

I'm considering buying this truck:
1991 Explorer 4d xlt 4x4 /w autotrans & 90,000 miles on it.
It has been lady owned & is very clean, has new goodyear wrangler rt/s tires, factory tow pkg. she wants $2500 for it. seems like a good deal to me. Are there any gremlins for this year truck? (ie recalls, maint. problems, common problems?). I've found alot of good info here, thanks for the opinions.

wayne

One of the Few,
the Proud,
the Marines...

 

[madmike]

max, you still in the marines? what are you doing in niagra falls recruiting or something? just wondering I'm at mcas cherry point.

 

[X24]

have every inch of the 4X4 checked. have you tried using it... hi and lo? I've heard bad things about the tranny too but my 93 had 90k on it and i didnt have any tranny problems. rust near the back doors is common too.

 

[kps36]

Hell and welcome.
I see your from 'The Falls'. I was born and raised there. Went to LaSalle and Niagara Wheatfield. And Niagara Univ.
That was Long Ago and far away.
Anyway, that seems like a fair deal. Since it has the factory towing pack, I assume it has the tranny cooler also, which with the A4LD is a major plus. How has the reg. maint been (records). Also, a very good idea is to run a Carfax with the vin. From up there, hows the body holding up with the salt ?
anyone else?

 

[sgt maxx]

madmike;
yep, been at a recruiting station hq for past 4 years, have orders to mcrd pisc for next month. can't wait to get out of this weather... semper fi.

kps36; they just tore down lasalle hs last year, built a new one over between the lasalle golf course & the landfill (great spot for a school - something about cheap land!!)

thanks for the info, all. I have a buddy who runs a goodyear store who is going to check it out for me also.

wayne

 

[TPLYNCH]

Check to make sure 4x4 hi and lo work, that the Hubs are in good shape, and that the tranny fluid has been changed or flushed on a regular basis (hopefully every 30K, at 60K minimum). Otherwise, sounds like a great deal!

 

[unabonked]

Welcome to the board. I had a 92 with about as many miles before. Make sure you check the following:

Tranny, 4x4 gear has been mentioned so i'll let that be.
your in upstate new york, so you must get as much roadd salt as us. make sure you check out the lower body for rust. this can be difficult, as most older exes had that plastic cladding on the bottom of the door and body. if it has bubles, you most likly have rust. its a ***** to fix too. i had a body shop do it and they just scraped off the rust and repainted. it looked horrible because the bottom is not paint but like this thin adhesive backed plastic i think.

also check the panel seams under the front doors, and the inside of the door that meets the windshield. these get rusty first and because they rub, lose paint fast. Both of these ares can be fixed after painting by putting plastic strips in.

i heard somewhere that the old (91 speciffically) had engines that liked to leak. i never encoutered this problem, and if its treated well, you prolly won't eather.

if it checks out, you got yourself one hell of a truck there

 

[sgt maxx]

update

I drove it last night, runs fine, no hicups. slight intermitten vibration at hiway speed front front end - tires haven't been balance since installed 21k miles ago (goodyear wranglers). It does need shocks. It has manual hubs /w 4x4. The only rust spot is the pass. side rear rocker below the door. It's rusted through, have to weld on a new rocker. It had the trans rebuilt at 60k, new radiator - reciepts for all. for $2500, I think it's a good deal. thanks for the input.

wr

 

[oahrens]

Sgt,

Welcome to the board!! Sounds like you got a great deal there. I bought my 91xlt (auto trans/hubs) with 60k for $6000 from a local dealer in Nov '00. It was very clean in/out and drove strong. New hoses, belt, filters, maint records....etc.
I would've sold my X after the first few issues if it wasn't for this board and the knowledge of the members. I've found that 80% of the issues I've had are "common" and easily self-repaired.
To date, 45k miles later and I've had various problems from lightbulbs to rust to exhaust to the engine block.didn't notice any rust or even bubbles when bought but now I have duplicate 3"x1.5" craters on both reaer rocker panels.
PM or E-Mail me if you want details of what I've done and what "common" issues there are for our exact model.
Sgt. Oscar Ahrens- US Army retired..not for long