Tony Raine's 01 Sport 2wd

2001 Explorer Sport 2wd
Bono, AR (just north of Jonesboro)
email: tonyraine@gmail.com

Used to be lowered in the front, then I bought some 31" mud tires and lifted it back up, plus a little. K&N filter, Flowmaster 40 series + turndown. Leather, sunroof, (removed)running boards, 20% tint.

Got a buddy at a Hot Rod Shop that is going to weld me up lift shackles after I finish getting moved into my new house (he has my steel and plans, just waiting for the go-ahead). Then I'll TT the front a little more, get an alignment, and see if my old 33's from my bronco will fit. If not, I'll sell them and buy some 32x11.5's

I painted some interior pieces, but it looks like ricer crap to me, so I'm thinking changing to dark blue, black or silver/gray

 

[Tony Raine]

My Offroad Bronco II

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

Nice looking ex...i vote for dark blue or silver for the center consol.

 

[Tony Raine]

thanks! yeah, i'm kinda leaning toward dark blue, but krylon fusion has a "hammertone" sliver that (if it actually looks like the picture) would be sweet.

 

[fischerry]

alright we have waited long enuff for a update.did the 33's work,whats up with the ol' bronco II.

 

[Tony Raine]

well...........

work/bills/school has put the projects on hold for a little while. the "extra" 33's are still in the back of the bronco. (i have 14 rims/tires with a 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern, from 215/75/15 to 33x12.5, seems like i would be swapping stuff around more)

the bronco has moved about 8 feet in the last month (so i can mow under it), and its serving as tool storage and a source to jump start the lawnmower.


oh yeah, i gotta change my oil, just hit 90,000 miles

 

[fischerry]

oh come on man you got everyone excited,get out there and turn a wrench!!!!im playing man,yeah i have work,school,bills,and wife and 8 month old.

 

[tealsport01]

ive got the same truck, what tires are u running? ive got the same stock rims and like the look uve got going. and do you like your flowmaster? any drone when your running at highwayspeeds? thanks alot, - andy

 

[Tony Raine]

i have 31x10.5's, no rubbing whatsoever

heres the right rear fenderwell

i love my flowmaster. its an "original" 40 series, before they made 2 kinds of 40 series. it used to drone a lot at around 2000rpm's, but now i cant hear it over the tires, haha. they are cheap mud terrains so if i dont rotate them every oil change or two, they get a nasty drone at 40 mph. not bad on the highway, though. if i had it to do over, i would have run tailpipe out the back, but this way(turndown), if i ever sell the truck, i just have to bolt my original exhaust back on.

 

[Tony Raine]

hey "tealsport01", i dont know how to reply to pm's on this type of forum, so i'l answer your questions here. the tires are an off-brand of Buckshots called "mudstar". they are blemish tires (minor cosmetic flaws only, still haven't found them yet, though). got them for 100 a piece

 

[Tony Raine]

Well, no more mods for awhile. My house was broken into and my digital camera and some cash (saving to fix the b2) was stolen. I'm now selling both sets of 33" mud tires (link in "for sale" forum to my ad on craigslist). hoping to get enough money to replace the camera and get the b2 running (on stock donuts). the b2 really isn't doing much good with grass growing around it, so i'm hoping to get it fixed well enough so i can park the DD for some much needed TLC.

 

[Tony Raine]

alright, time for an update. I don't think the hot rod shop guy took me seriously, the shackles looked like sh*t. holes were off-center, everything was crooked. but the welds were awesome. (i'm not naming the shop or person, because he does lots of kick-ass work. like magazine features. i don't know what his deal was. he still has my friendship, but i'll take my business elsewhere.)

so i recently bought a set of warrior shackles and cranked on the torsion bars a little

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

nice sport u got there tony come check out my 01 sport

 

[Tony Raine]

April 01, 2008
well, my door issue just got really fun (not). my rear hatch doesn't open. something broke inside the handle. now everything has to go in/out the hatch window. which isn't too bad, except my spare tire is in the back, since the crank underneath doesn't work. driver's door had a spring break inside the latch, so it only unlocks by pulling the inside handle. key fob, outside keypad, inside switch, none of it will unlock the drivers door. i have to unlock the passenger side, get in, pull the drivers handle, get out, walk around, and pull the drivers handle and hope the lock doesn't fall back down (this happens only about 10% of the time, but if it does, repeat the last few steps). this is really fun in the rain, busy parking lots, windy days, or any combo thereof.

transmission slip is starting to get worse. i'm debating between trying to change the filter and see if that helps, or just use that money toward a full rebuild. i plan on driving this thing past when the wheels fall off, so i think in the long term, it would be better to just get it fully rebuilt

but i've been getting a solid 18mpg lately, and it still fires right up every morning. still no regrets buying this thing. sure, theres lots of little problems. but i'm only worried about mechanical problems, cosmetic stuff can wait.


April 18, 2008
well, figured out why the rear hatch doesn't open. the yellow piece you see holds the rod that pulls the latch, is broken. well, not broken yet, but wore out and wont hold the latch rod.

i could replace, but i'll upgrade instead. got a couple ideas in the scrap pile at work. gotta wait until i go back to work on monday, though.

 

[Tony Raine]

couldn't find anything at work, so it looks like i'll have to go to ford for the little yellow piece.

check engine light came on, code P0402 EGR flow excessive. i guess i'll start with the egr valve and probably the O2 sensors

 

[Tony Raine]

check engine light came on, code P0402 EGR flow excessive. replacing the egr valve didn't help. gonna replace some other stuff and see what happens. theres some little module that controls the egr that may be the culprit.

found out how to open the rear hatch with a pair of needle-nose pliers, so thats now 2 out of 3 doors i can open from the outside. not bad at all.

got the transmission rebuilt, and i'm going to pick it up today. total cost: $650. yes, thats TOTAL for a full transmission rebuild, including dropping it out and putting it back in. he said there was not a lot wrong with it, but i feel better knowing its fixed right before something else went wrong at an in-opportune time.

he said he put in a shift kit, better shift pack, and increased line pressure, on top of replacing the worn out stuff. or something like that, automatics confuse the crap out of me.

 

[Turdle]

tony
check the dpfe sensor ( the little module thingy with 2 hoses) -and hoses real well for cracks. Id try a junk yard dpfe sensor first before buying a new one, if you can

 

[Tony Raine]

yeah, thats what its called

damn! drove it home today and its like a whole new rig!. shifts are firm and fast. you can even feel it shift into OD. i really enjoy the "tighter" feel, now it shifts about like i would shift a standard. before it just felt sloppy, living up to the name "slushbox" i hear so many people call automatics.

 

[Tony Raine]

120,000 miles and still running strong.

-down to only one exterior handle (pass side door). driver's side inner handle is about to wear out. found out truck is too tall for "dukes of hazzard"-type entry.
-A/C was messed up about a year ago, unplugged the compressor and haven't really missed it since.
-got a stubborn "EGR flow insufficient" code.

other than that, it fires right up and runs great every day. this truck has been so amazingly reliable, i think i'll be hitting 200,000 miles easy.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

have u done any upgrades to it