Short guy in an Explorer in Spartanburg, SC

[mclarenf1kid]

Hello!

My name is Steven.

I drive a 1994 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo. She has been my life for the past 5 years. But it came time to get a realistic vehicle I could drive everyday.

I came across a listing on Craigslist.org for a 1992 Explorer for $750. Seeing as how I'm incredibly broke, this was definitely in my budget.

Figure it wouldn't hurt to take a look at it.

I pull up in the drive to find this great condition 1992 Explorer XLT. Two-tone gold with green upper body. Very clean tan interior with normal wear. 245k on the odometer.

Popped the hood to find the suspected filth, though I didn't care as long as she ran good.

Got the keys and took her up the street, only to find she ran like a dream! No valve tick, smooth transmission, no hesitation whatsoever. Shocks were blown, and it needed tires, but that's an easy fix.

I was sold! Got her home and did a full in and out clean up and basic tune up just to be safe. Pressure washed the filthy bay, only to find a shiny new water pump and alternator with new belts. Can't complain there!

It's now been a month that I've been a Ford Explorer owner, and I'm lovin' it!

I don't have my own camera, but I'll get some pictures in time. I have some issues that I'll be posting in the technical sections; hopefully I get these figured out.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome aboard

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum!

 

[welle417]

welcome sir!

my first car was a 93' explorer -Eddie Bauer -that i bought from my brother for 500 dollars with close to 200,000 on the odo... best little v6 i've ever seen and a wonderful truck to learn to wrench on... i own a 97' Mountaineer with a v8 and love it even more (with 215k on it no less..) and i still see that green machine of mine cruisin around occasionally so somebody is still loving it too!

let us know if you have any questions

 

[mclarenf1kid]

^Thanks for the warm welcome!

Looking around this truck, it seems like its gonna be cake to work on.

My baby is my 300ZX:

Twin turbo conversion, endless blood sweat and tears, and 5 years later, I've learned so much from this car.

Now going into a more basic vehicle, I'm loving the ease of maintenance with the Explorer. I still have to do shocks, valve cover gaskets, and an alignment, and I'm looking forward to wrenching at something and having fun with it.

 

[welle417]

^Thanks for the warm welcome!

Looking around this truck, it seems like its gonna be cake to work on.

My baby is my 300ZX:

Twin turbo conversion, endless blood sweat and tears, and 5 years later, I've learned so much from this car.

Now going into a more basic vehicle, I'm loving the ease of maintenance with the Explorer. I still have to do shocks, valve cover gaskets, and an alignment, and I'm looking forward to wrenching at something and having fun with it.

NICE car... im quite the jealous one even if im not much of a car person (truck guy through and through) - i find cars very difficult to work on especially because im massive and have massive hands- so driving AND working on them prove difficult... but i look forward to jacking up my truck every now and again and fixing something or throwing somethin new on there... first thing thats a good check if your engine isn't running great is your MAF and your plugs and wires... in my opinion, quite susceptible to crapping up in thaT motor...
have fun!

 

[mclarenf1kid]

^Thanks for the advice.

I'm the complete opposite. I'm 5'4". Makes working on cars easy, minus leverage issuses lol!

As for the truck, she's in tip top shape. Did the basics as soon as I got it (oil change, plugs and wires, filter, seafoam, brakes, etc) and I couldn't be more satisfied. No CEL, no idle issues, and solid power. Just gotta get my 4x4 switch replaced so I can take advantage of it.

 

[welle417]

Nice im 6' 3'' btw.. and still growing taller-- haha im 19

they're excellent motors and little things as im sure you well know or are thinking- will bring it to life even further-- i'd say my most worth-while mod(s) were the Cold air and headers-- manifold was terriblee stock... (even worse on my V8-still havent changed them yet--haha) i also went with a dual pipe set up (tricky but worth it) I miss that truck... very aggressive looking and never did any body changes to it really, just internal and suspension-

 

[mclarenf1kid]

^What offset were your front wheels?

I'm looking to do 15x7 +0 offset with a 255/70/15. Something aggressive, but still conservative as far as gas mileage and daily driving.

I'm 24 btw, and being 5'4", I hardly get taken seriously lol. But when it comes to cars and trucks, I'm all business!

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site.

 

[welle417]

^What offset were your front wheels?

I'm looking to do 15x7 +0 offset with a 255/70/15. Something aggressive, but still conservative as far as gas mileage and daily driving.

I'm 24 btw, and being 5'4", I hardly get taken seriously lol. But when it comes to cars and trucks, I'm all business!

Those are GoodYear Wrangler MTR's on 16in Pro Comp Alloys (Mickey Thompson Classic II style) tire is 245/75/16 - just bolted them right in... they fit great on my Mountaineer since i have since sold the Expy. and let me tell you-- these tires have the best sidewall tread of any all-terrain tire... never let my air down at the beach and it cruises through beautifully...

 

[briwayjones]

Hello!
Pressure washed the filthy bay, only to find a shiny new water pump and alternator with new belts.

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn't pressure wash an engine bay. More times than not it will probably cause problems. It tends to drive water in the electrical connections and so forth. I would just spray it down with degreaser or simple green, cover the alternator and open element air filter if you have one, and rinse it down with a normal pressure garden hose.

That is one nice looking 300ZX by the way.

 

[mclarenf1kid]

By pressure wash I meant spray with hose, making sure all electrical was covered.. Guess I should have been more specific! Of course it was also hand cleaned with Greased Lightning. Looks much better now than when I picked her up.

And I always make sure to use an air gun and clean each individual connector out prior to any vehicle start up, making sure the engine is pretty much dry.

 

[briwayjones]

I gotcha!