The Black Hole

Whats In A Name?

It was hot humid august night. The winds have all but vanished. I was doing my best to keep the sweat out of my eyes. The A/C was dying in my 94 Explorer, lovingly named "Pugly", and there was no relief in sight. I decided it was time to stop throwing good money into bad. I was gonna do the unthinkable,.......I was going to commit the most heinous crime of them all! I was going to trade Pugly in for a newer model! Oh the heart break! The insanity of it all! I couldn't believe the thoughts were even going through my head.

I managed to get the old girl back home, to her resting place. She seemed at ease in her familiar surroundings. I had to come up with an explanation to let her know of my evil plan. So i just gave her that old wink and grin that she likes to see from me as we made it back home from another day of adventure in the treacherous Midwestern terrain. I did my best in hiding my cynical thoughts, as I walked around to her rear flank and gave her that little pat on her bumper, as I always have when we part for the night.

The next morning I gave her a real good bath, cleaned behind her mirrors, and brushed her grill. She still looked pretty good for her age. Oh sure she had the tell tale signs, gravity has got its firm grip on her, and I am not the best cosmetics guy in the world. she didn't seem to mind too much, she still kept her nose up and drove with pride.

After looking at many vehicles I just could not find anything that had the same feel as my old girl. Then it happened! Was I seeing a mirage? Was I so desperate to find another rig that I was blinded by insanity? I found my replacement! I quickly made a sale with the owner, and brought it home.

When I pulled in the driveway, my heart sunk as I looked into the yard to see my 94 looking at me in disbelief. She was sunning herself in the grass looking all shiny and then, she just looked away from me. My heart was tearing in two. I parked the new rig, and walked up to her and gave her a soft spoken "Hello". No reply. I tried to tickle her mirrors, no response. The tension was so great, you could have cut it with a 32 count fine tooth hacksaw. I had to explain to her that she gave me great satisfaction for many years, and we made a terrific team together, but the time has come for her to just relax and enjoy her final days. She finally revved up, and understood, her days as my work horse has ended (so we thought).

I introduced her to her daily driver replacement. The shiny new(er) next generation of her kind. The 95 Explorer XLT. She warmed right up to it. Before you know it they were swapping stories. Now I had to ask her for help. I needed a name for the new ride,
so I went to find her, and what did I see? Those two were grill to grill in the driveway. rubbing chrome! I had to get the water hose out and break them up! Sheesh, she was acting like a girl at the prom dance! I let the name thing drop for awhile.

The new(er) Ex needed to get its shots, and a physical. When I got the word on it's health, I about had a coronary. "What do you mean Doc"! I yelled. "Your kidding right"? I asked. The Doc just shook his head and gathered his tools. As he walked away, He said it had a 50/50 chance of survival. My stomach knotted up, my teeth ground, my heart raced, and I could feel the energy build up as I let it all out, "Why! Why! Why did this have to happen"! I screamed.

The prognostic exam from the doc was as such. It had a blown steering rack, the shocks were gone, the brakes were non existent, front sway bar was cracked in half, the 3rd brake light was out, none of the windows or the moon roof would work, the door locks were broke, the rear end LS clutch pack was burned up, the tires were all in need of replacement, the spare was a Firestone recall and flat, the engine had a nasty tick to it, the TPS was shot, the MAF was corroded, the battery had a dead cell in it, the hood shocks were not working, the rear hatch lock was jammed up and you couldn't open it with out a key in the lock, The carpet was stained to no repair, the rear window wiper didn't want to work, and we could not tell what year its engine swap came from. it was a mess, to say the least.

I went in the house to get my gun. I was gonna just put it out of its misery right there and then. I suddenly realized I was out of ammo, from shooting at the jeep that was in my field. I went to the computer to find a place to buy some cheap ammo, and I stumbled across this website, explorerforum.com that said it could heal any ford Explorer no matter what the problems were! I jumped for joy, I could not believe the things I was reading! I wore out the search button, asked a bunch of questions. I quickly broke out my pen and paper, feverishly writing down things as I was learning! I had found a cure for everything that was wrong with my new transport. It was a Godsend, an angel from the SUV heavens!

I sprung into action. I worked day and night, Pugly was right by my side the entire time, helping me in any way she could. I never seen this side of her, and was really amazed at how well she handled the pressure. She gently squeegeed the sweat out off my fore head with her soft wiper blades as I worked away. After an entire weekend of work, I collapsed. I needed some rest, and so did the 95. The sun crested over the hills, and awoke me to a new day. I shuffled my feet to the window facing the driveway, peeled the drapes gently back, and peered out at the 95. WOW!
It had a its color back, and was looking great! Now as the time went on, (and most of my paychecks), and the selling of almost everything I own, for funds to get the 95 to its former glory.

After some time to reflect on this name thing, I strolled up and whispered into Pugly's passenger side mirror, and she giggled with delight.

I climbed up onto the front bumper in my pajamas and robe half opened, with a cup of coffee in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other, I raised my arms with out stretched hands and proclaimed the new name of the 95.

BEHOLD...........THE BLACK HOLE!!!!!!!! (Then the neighbor yelled at me to close my robe)



The End................(or is it just the beginning?)


Actually, only some of this really happened.




View attachment 324381

 

[vroomzoomboom]

ever since i did the 5L swap i have used 4L racks. only reason is the ratio and lock to lock is differnt from a 2 door to a 4 door. i replaced back in 2011 i think, and just had to replace it in spring. trucks with a 4L in them, there is more room on the side that the steering shaft is to the oil pan. 5L have less to you cant rotate it enough. also i have the cast alum pan vs the stamped steel pan in mine. that to might also make a difference. i just know i had to shave a bit off the side of the rack to get it past the cross member. what made things worse was the presser line stripped the threads going into the rack, so i had to do it all over again. i even broke it trying to get it out so i couldnt even get a core for it.
i can feel the veins popping out of my forehead just thinking about it....

 

[gmanpaint]

The tech that installed this 5.0 rack told me, he tapped it past the cross member with the palm of his hand, as it was a tight fit. I joked and asked if he called his hammer the palm of his hand. He laughed, and said no, then showed me his palm.

I have the stamped steel pan, maybe there is more room?

So Tim, your saying that the ratio differs from 2 dr to 4 dr, not years?

Since my engine is a 98, I bought a 98 rack, and a 98 pump. Makes no sense to me, why they wouldn't work with each other, and makes me believe the rack was bad out of the box.

Edit:
I forgot to add... Tech removed the 5.0 oil filter adapter to make more room to turn the rack into position. I will need to do the same.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

hell, now im even confused. normally when i want to see what parts and years are happy with each other i'll look on rockauto. now when i go on there, a rack from 95-97 is the same deal no matter the motor. now when you look at 98, it depends on what motor, and if its a 2 or four door. idk, ive always asked for a 98 2 door rack. i am almost positive the ratio's are different (well, maybe 98 and up) because of the wheelbase.
when i did mine, i took the oil filter off, front sway bar off, both inners off and it was still a *****. a day and a haft. then again i was laying in melting snow with it being barely above freezing when i did it. the first one i had to do i used a buddys lift. it still took 6 hours

 

[gmanpaint]

Well, when I return this 98 4 door rack for a new one, I will open the box, and look into the port to see if it comes with the check valve. Install it, and see what happens. If it works, good. Will be a pita, and only cost me my time and sanity, if the same replacement works. If not, then I will have to spend on a different rack style, and do it again. Ugh

 

[CDW6212R]

I'd also bet that new rack was bad somehow. I hate that but it happens with some parts rarely.

I hope the next one lasts forever for you. I have been fortunate to not have to change one yet. I thought of them about three year ago when Ford was clearancing their stock of those racks. I could have bought the remanufactured units for about $180 then, but they were gone 2-3 months later. Then the sources changed and it was $450+.

 

[gmanpaint]

Ok, almost caught back up with my day job. Crazy how that stuff piles up after being away for a couple weeks. I was able to go over the rig today to access some things that happened during the trip.

First thing that went wrong was the A/C. As in, it has none. Just blows hot air. That was a major bummer going thru MO & KS with 100* temps there, and in KS on the way back. soo far all I can guess is, that it developed a leak, and needs serviced. I have a couple cans of coolant, and bought a blue light/yellow glasses AC inspection kit to find the leak. Will get to that in the next couple of days.

Second was the front washer fluids wouldn't work. Fuse #12 was good, and the wipers came on when pushing the knob in. Hmm... I pushed the knob, and wiggled the fuse at the same time, and the washer sprayed the glass. Tried a couple new fuses, and same thing. For some reason the fuse slots are to wide to make a tight connection to the blades. My fix, was to bend the fuse blades slightly by twisting them with pliers. Snug fit now, and the pump works as it should. Easy fix, thank goodness.

3rd was the no hood light for the engine compartment. Sucks not having the factory light in there anymore.
Solution: Got a 12v retractable light off a mid 90's Chevy pickup from the salvage yard. Cut the wires off that truck to retain both sides of the factory pigtail harness. Trimmed the hard wire side to length, added terminals, and connected them to the battery, via new Aux Battery terminal blocks, bolted to the Aux charge posts on the Dual purpose Northstar. Now if I need the light, I just plug up the factory pigtail connectors. I replaced the stock bulb with a wicked bright LED bulb. The cord on it is 25 ft long, and the light section has an earth magnet on the back of it. All stock. It has a hand crank on it, that winds it back up, light snaps back into the carrier base, then a swing tab locks it all in place nicely. I just stored it in the glove box.

4th, and the real bummer find is the newly worked on leaf packs.
They settled an inch or so with the trailer on, before I left for CO. Upon return and the trailer off, I measured the rigs height and compared to my pre trip measure. They have lost 2" of lift after one trip use with the trailer. They will just get worse over time and after each use. I need to give up on these leafs, and start over with springs made for lift & off road use. I'm thinking of going ahead with Alcon springs. They already shot me a price for a 4" lift set made for the added weight of the gear, and trailer. Really really sucks I am out all that $$ on these current springs. They just aren't made with the right metal for lifted and constant articulation from off road use I guess.

5th was the Atlas shifters. I really need to remove them, heat and bend them so the front shifter doesn't hit the back of my leg. After a long time in the seat, you relax, shift leg position constantly to get comfortable, and that thing hitting my calf just drove me nuts. If I can get them bent, and closer to the console, I can then install the new Corbeau seats. Another bummer having them just sitting in bags in the basement. I posted them up for sale here, but nobody want's them at the price I want, so just going to shorten the base legs about 1.5", and use them.

6th was the constant hot air flowing from the fire wall and console sides, melting my feet/legs, and heating up the interior. It almost feels like the fresh air supply is stuck open, and the engine bay heat is freely blowing in. I'm not entirely sure whats up with this yet. I just don't know enough about it to make a guess. I was thinking maybe the cut out for the atlas shifter and the high trans temps was doing it, but my feet under the dash catch fire first. Dunno if adding the sound deaden mat would help, or if it is just the HVAC blend door or some crap.

7th is I need to change the Atlas fluids. Looking thru the site tube, it is dark now, and not bright pink like new. I need one more quart of Redline juice for it. Might be able to get that local. Last time was on Amazon, time before, AA supplied it with the case.

8th was the trans shifting. when floored to downshift at hwy speeds, it would kick down a couple gears, raise the rpm's to 4500+, barely gain speed, and not upshift at all. Only way to get it to upshift, was to let go of the skinny peddle completely, wait for it to upshift, then get back on it to maintain speed. Most of the time I lost speed after it was all over with. Goofiest thing ever. No idea why, or what to do about that. wonder if the SCT tuner I have can be used for it, but I don't have a clue what to do. lol

This is all on top of the items already mentioned prior to this post. I really want to take this thing and the trailer out a couple more times before the Midwest artic blasts happen, and I have to wait until Next spring to use it again.

I found a brand new Ford OEM rack off of Ford parts Center (oemford.parts) for $318, with a $200 core. It is the one that came with the 95 originally. Ford used this same rack til 2001 on both the Explorers and Mountaineers, 4.0 & 5.0, both sport & 4 door. They list the vehicle fitments for this rack. Notice the Explorer stops in 97 tho. This must be because of the changed ratios in other racks.

Steering Gear - Ford (F57Z-3504-GERM)

2001 Mercury Mountaineer	Base	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
2000 Mercury Mountaineer	Base	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
1999 Mercury Mountaineer	Base	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
1998 Mercury Mountaineer	Base	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
1997 Ford Explorer	Eddie Bauer, Limited, Sport, XL, XLT	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
1997 Mercury Mountaineer	Base	5.0L V8 - Gas
1996 Ford Explorer	Eddie Bauer, Limited, Sport, XL, XLT	4.0L V6 - Gas, 5.0L V8 - Gas
1995 Ford Explorer	Eddie Bauer, Expedition, Limited, Sport, XL, XLT	4.0L V6 - Gas

I am also starting to wonder if a set of TM headers are worth the trouble & costs? That cracked manifold blindsided me, and shut the rig down for the rest of the trip until it could be replaced, and caused me to get home 2 days late. Don't want that to happen again. Never happened with the 4.0 and I did many many water crossings with it, so really surprised me. Live & learn.

Other than all that, the rig is fine! LMAO

 

[gmanpaint]

Inspecting the ac system today. Everything checks out in it that I know what to look at.

Dash switch and blend door works as it should.

Compressor works with dash switch, and temp switch as it should. It's not cycling like it's low on freon.

Accumulator is sweating and dripping condensation fine.

Checked all vac lines, all good.

It's only blowing at 60 degrees through the vents. When I tried to use it on the road last week, and near 100 degrees out, it just felt like hot air coming out.

Could it still be low on freon, but not enough to make it cycle constantly?
Would it hurt to try to add some?

 

[traveler]

I'd say low on freon. I took Little Ed in for a a check before CO. even though it was blowing cool and wasn't cycling. They ended up adding freon and noting that the compressor was "working but showing its age". The AC is blowing cooler now, actually better than the Expedition.

 

[CDW6212R]

How sure are you that the blend door is working? The top hinge/joint of the OEM blend door is a weak point, plastic that breaks easily. I'd removed the actuator on top of that hinge point, and see if you can detect the door can move both ways.

Mine in my Mercury I know is bad, and my last 98 I got does the same thing, hot air with the AC on. I have one of the replacement blend doors to put in, I haven't made the time to cut open the box under the dash.

 

[gmanpaint]

I can hear it for one, and the hot/cold temps work with the dial. It goes from real hot, to cold (ish). Was thinking the blend door might have been messed up with the hot air blowing in my feet when cruising down the road. But today, I realized the switch was still set to ac, with fan off. Lol

So I just tried to add more freon. It took one 12 oz can easily. Upon adding a 2nd can, I could hear a faint hiss. I don't think it actually took any of it. Temps now read 70 degrees. Think it leaked out as I was trying to fill it. I swear, nothing wants to go as it should on this damn rig. Even the smallest easy **** fights me.

The new bronco is looking better and better everyday.

 

[CDW6212R]

That is a good thing I think, I'd rather deal with freon or a leak, than cut into the dash for anything. Find the leak and buy the new part as needed, and then take it to an AC shop. Replace the o-rings in the quick connect fittings, the ones that can move/rotate and have a cheap brace on them.

Let an AC shop pull it down and put new freon and oil into it, plus the o-rings. I used to buy rigid connection braces for my Fords, to hold those connections from moving. That preserves the o-rings for much longer than the feeble OEM sheet metal braces.

 

[Turdle]

If you remove the caps from the fittings does it seem like there is some pressure built up inside them? Sometimes the valves leak tiny amounts but the cap catches most of it.

 

[gmanpaint]

Nope, no pressure on it. I know what you mean tho, had that happen on the 94 a few years ago. Changed the accumulator on it afterwards.

 

[Turdle]

You might also check to see if the metal heat shielding is doing it's job , see if the plastic heater housing has melted where it is near the exhaust manifold.

It happens.When it does Hot air blows in at speed. Also low vacumm condition might open the heater bypass valve. Just throwing things out for thought.

 

[410Fortune]

if you are low on refrigerant the line behind the orifice tube will freeze up and it will start blowing hot

TMH we heard from Robert last week he is still in production he has had a very hard time getting stainless exhaust tube in So Cal, = Covid delays
I am working on an alternative header now, been doing weeks of research, I have ordered some parts to hopefully fabricate some v8 headers that are a little less complex but still flow better then factory.........
the TMH headers are on their way, just way behind schedule, we feel bad for Robert he is trying! HE promised me a set within two weeks, these were ordered in May
Are TMH headers worth it? YES, worth every penny. 24 horsies just for bolting them on, high quality materials and build throughout, there is no question they are worth their asking price, but are they for everyone? Probably not. Would be nice to have a cheapo header alternative
There are also some rumors of another header that will bolt up.......... I am working to confirm all of this and offer up another option to the TMH

I am pretty sure the $300 Advance Adapters 5.0 conversion headers (made for ttb trucks) can be massaged to work on our rigs....stay tuned.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

i also think another one of roberts problems are al's headers. they work at a snails pace if not slower and impossible to contact......unless you want to give them money, then they are very easy to contact

 

[gmanpaint]

6 quarts of Merc V enough for a pan drop, filter change?

 

[Turdle]

If you do it quick yeah.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, that's just about enough. Before you pull the filter bolts, have the new filter ready to go on. More ATF will drain when the filter is dropped, but it's slow and steady. Have the new gasket wet with ATF and in place on the filter, then drop the old filter and immediately install the new one and the bolts.

 

[gmanpaint]

Yeah, I understood what Jon meant by that. It just sounded funny to me.

Like that insurance commercial that says.... Oh, you gotta be quicker than that!