One thing after another (rant)

[ZBlackBeast]

So, I cant ***** TOO much considering the truck was free, but. I get the truck knowing it has a bad transmission. Ok, i sourced one here for a good price and swapped it in.

Right after i get that done i put fuel in her to test drive and it all just leaks right out... Big ole rust hole in the tank. After throwing a fit i source one locally for cheap. I clean it up and sprayed it with under coating and put that in. Sweet..

All was well. i start it, drive it now its got a miss. I have plugs and wires to do a tune up and ill tackle that this week.

I get to work and am walking away from the truck and i look back and the left rear bumper bracket has now rusted away.. Typical ford...

If its not one thing, its another with this pile of junk.

I miss my old '97!

 

[deweyville65]

So, I cant ***** TOO much considering the truck was free, but. I get the truck knowing it has a bad transmission. Ok, i sourced one here for a good price and swapped it in.

Right after i get that done i put fuel in her to test drive and it all just leaks right out... Big ole rust hole in the tank. After throwing a fit i source one locally for cheap. I clean it up and sprayed it with under coating and put that in. Sweet..

All was well. i start it, drive it now its got a miss. I have plugs and wires to do a tune up and ill tackle that this week.

I get to work and am walking away from the truck and i look back and the left rear bumper bracket has now rusted away.. Typical ford...

If its not one thing, its another with this pile of junk.

I miss my old '97!

Typical FORD???? Doesn't anything made of ferous metal rust where you live? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of my Explorer, but all manufacturers have some kind of quirk.

 

[shadowless127]

Typical FORD???? Doesn't anything made of ferous metal rust where you live? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of my Explorer, but all manufacturers have some kind of quirk.

Not always. My GF's old 97 Grand Cherokee had probably 50%-75% less rust on the underside then my 2001, and her current 98 Expedition. GC was a NorthEast vehicle it's whole life, as was the 98, and my 2001 spent the first 3-4 years of it's life in Georgia...

With that being said, the Expedition and Explorer are still running...

 

[Goldmaster]

Well, I can attest when you get a vehicle for free or next to nothing in my case ($600 for a 98 XLT with 5.0 AWD) usually comes a list of repairs that will be necessary. Most of the time there is a reason why someone would give it away or sell it dirt cheap. Not really the fault of the truck, but moreso the fault of the previous owners lack of maintenance/repairs. I already have a laundry list of stuff I have to do to mine to get it up to snuff. I'm not complaining though, still seems like I have a pretty good base to start with

 

[ZBlackBeast]

Typical FORD???? Doesn't anything made of ferous metal rust where you live? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of my Explorer, but all manufacturers have some kind of quirk.

Yes things do rust, but Ford's are KNOWN to rust faster than most cars. My 95 540I has 200k and has no rust on the body at all yet my old SHO, from the same year that i washed WEEKLY in the winter, was completely rotted. No rockers, windsheild, strut towers, doors etc with 185000 before i parted it. 90's fords just rust. That's just how they are.

Well, I can attest when you get a vehicle for free or next to nothing in my case ($600 for a 98 XLT with 5.0 AWD) usually comes a list of repairs that will be necessary. Most of the time there is a reason why someone would give it away or sell it dirt cheap. Not really the fault of the truck, but moreso the fault of the previous owners lack of maintenance/repairs. I already have a laundry list of stuff I have to do to mine to get it up to snuff. I'm not complaining though, still seems like I have a pretty good base to start with

Thats why i said i cant ***** too much. The plugs were rustyand fouled and the interior doesnt look like it had been vacuumed since, well, 1996.... Aside from the transmisison, everything else that ive had to replace has been to rust.

I really wish i could get another SOHC ex. I miss that truck.

I REALLY miss my back 97 tho. 5.0, PERFECT paint. No rust, no scratches.. Man, i miss that truck.

 

[colintrax]

Never heard of Fords rusting more than other vehicles, then again I live in Georgia. BTW, if one steel rusts faster than another, that generally means it has a higher carbon content. Which is good for frames particularly (stronger)

 

[ZBlackBeast]

Ford just did a poor job with rest prevention.

 

[derek_redneck91]

My old 94 explorer had ZERO rust, but the 99 I have I am doing body work on it because I live in Canada and the amount of snow and salt here just DESTROYS perfectly fine metal, and I hate the plastic trim. There was NO rocker panel or dog leg left on the passenger side after one winter. The drivers side got done last year but it's rusting already. I will be posting a thread once I'm done covering this fiasco.
Z, you can't complain too much, I have put over 500 hours into this truck in the year I have had it including new exhaust, motor swap, work on new motor, body work, accident repair, tranny filter, tranny gasket x2, oil pan gasket, drivers seat, brown wire mod. That's not including stuff I have had to get it taken to the shop for. Hopefully this body work will put a hault to the crap that needs to be done to it so I can get my K&N

 

[ZBlackBeast]

^Ive probably got a total of 20 hours into this thing working on my back on a gravel driveway. I cant ***** too much.. It sure beats driving my modded SHO around in the winter.

 

[762mm]

Lol... too funny. Did any of you guys actually rustproof your Explorers? I've rustproofed my '99 XLT every fall and the body on it looks like new. The undercarriage looks like a three year old truck too, as it has exceptionally little rust on it. Every time I put this thing on a lift at a garage (which happens very seldom, as the truck runs like a champ), the mechanics ask me what I do to it to keep it in this shape... one word: rustproofing religiously EVERY year, plus all the regular maintenance of course.

Out here (eastern Canada) winters are long, cold, icy and the municipalities don't go cheap on road salt, let me tell you! Yet, with yearly rustproofing, the Explorer looks like a million bucks 13 years after rolling out of the Ford factory (and being a daily driver for those 13 years).

On the other hand, we have a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder that's also been rustproofed yearly at the same rustproofing place as the Ex... and that thing is a bucket of freakin rust! Everything on it is going, especially underneath. It's like it's made of recycled toilet paper and 1950's Coke cans.

All things considered, ricer trucks (and cars) seem to be FAR worse than a Ford when it comes to body rust... so there ain't no reason to b*tch, considering how little our Explorers cost to buy, run and maintain compared to equivalent imports.

You definitely get the best bang for the buck with an Explorer (or at least used to... before the asshats at Ford decided to neuter the Explorer and turn it into a glorified minivan in 2011).

 

[colintrax]

Ford just did a poor job with rest prevention.

Shouldn't you keep up on it??? Ford can only do so much, and that's pretty much just paint.

 

[derek_redneck91]

Did any of you guys actually rustproof your Explorers?

Where my truck came from peterbourough, the only thing it has seen is snow. And apparantly the last owner didn't oil undercoat it for the 4 years they owned it. FFS!

 

[ZBlackBeast]

Shouldn't you keep up on it??? Ford can only do so much, and that's pretty much just paint.

Well, considering the truck was given to me 6 months ago, the damage had already been done.

 

[colintrax]

So then why blame ford.....

 

[ZBlackBeast]

Im not BLAMING Ford for the rust. Im just stating that they did a less than steller job rust preventing?! Jesus..

This isn't the first Ford I've worked on. I've been into, and working on SHO's for the past 5 years, and EVERY single one with over 100k if they're in the northern states, has had NO rockers, and the rear wheel wells are starting to, or have rotted out. Thats JUST how it is.

Now on the other hand, I've also been around E34 BMW's. They do not rot like the Ford's of the same time do.

I'm not dising the Explorer or Ford at all. I am a die hard Ford fan and I have ALWAYS loved the Explorer's. This is my 3rd and it wont be my last. If you guys haven't accepted the fact that they rot from the inside out, you need to wake up and smell the coffee.. ha..

Again, not trying to start a fight, but jesus people, lighten up. I was just stating that the current Ex I have, is a rusty *****, and I'm not surprised.

Yes, on all cars I can rust prevent, and I have in the past. But not EVERY SINGLE motorist gives a **** about spending additional time and money rust preventing their cars. If you look on this board there are really only a hand full of people who are truly dedicated to the Explorer and what not. Now compair that to the millions that Ford sold over the years. You think that a majority of them are going to be mint, clean examples of trucks? No their work horses, and people dont care about the condition of work horses because when they get old they replace them.

k thx!

 

[colintrax]

You sure seemed to be blaming Ford.....
And I have no idea if Fords rust faster than other cars, I live in Georgia and have most of my life. Only real rust I've found on the explorer was under the weather stripping on the hatch. Cleaned it up and I'll continue to check there just incase it comes back.

 

[Jstcruz]

I have an 84 Ranger from cali and it has about as much rust on it as my 97 Explorer.

As the point of the forum suggests, " one thing after another", I have a quick story to tell..

I have been ripping my hair out over a high idel problem for over a month, my ac hasnt worked for over a year, and I finaly replaced my leaking radiater (all today). I got the high idel calmed down -for now- and we finaly fixed the ac, and on the maiden voyage of all these fixes, the door lock actuater quits on my driver door.

 

[762mm]

I have an 84 Ranger from cali and it has about as much rust on it as my 97 Explorer.

As the point of the forum suggests, " one thing after another", I have a quick story to tell..

I have been ripping my hair out over a high idel problem for over a month, my ac hasnt worked for over a year, and I finaly replaced my leaking radiater (all today). I got the high idel calmed down -for now- and we finaly fixed the ac, and on the maiden voyage of all these fixes, the door lock actuater quits on my driver door.

The high idle can sometimes be cured with a simple fuel filter change... that's what happened in my case. My idle was over 1000 rpm in park and, after a fuel filter change, it dropped to about 600. The old filter was one filthy *****, let me tell you! (black goo pouring out of it upon removal). Fuel pump became a lot quieter too after the filter change. Best 10$ I ever spent, lol!

As for the door actuators, eBay has some 12V generic ones that work quite well. I've installed one on my rear hatch and it lasted like 4 years before I replaced it with another. At roughly $5 a piece, it's really a non issue.


Oh and by the way... I am officially declaring being on a warpath with anyone daring to diss Ford Explorer trucks, rusted or not! :

Except for the "new & improved" goofy 2011+ Explorer minivans, those are OK to diss. Freestars in disguise, lol... so they don't count!

 

[ZBlackBeast]

You sure seemed to be blaming Ford.....
And I have no idea if Fords rust faster than other cars, I live in Georgia and have most of my life. Only real rust I've found on the explorer was under the weather stripping on the hatch. Cleaned it up and I'll continue to check there just incase it comes back.

Well that's the thing. You don't live in an area where cars rot. Come up here and spend some time looking at cars.. you'll see each make/model has a place they all rot. Ford's rot on the rockers and wheel wells. Its just the way the designed the pinch seams and side skirt drainage.

 

[kevinspann]

Rust? I've seen that before.

Crush it!