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What Did You Do To Your 3rd Gen Today?

installed Jan 2 ----NKG Iridiums plugs and the mileage drops 2mpg?

I cant recall what was in there, they were there for over 100k,

don't get the mileage drop, no idle problems, misfires, shakes, etc., wires are new too, does have good acceleration. Winter gas starts in October or November, right? That can't be it.
 



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installed Jan 2 ----NKG Iridiums plugs and the mileage drops 2mpg?

I cant recall what was in there, they were there for over 100k,

don't get the mileage drop, no idle problems, misfires, shakes, etc., wires are new too, does have good acceleration. Winter gas starts in October or November, right? That can't be it.

Did you verify the gap on the new plugs?
 






the instructions said don't touch them, they are preset, what should they be set to?
 






Well, not today, but last month, I replaced the rear differential in my 03 Explorer. The original 3.73LS diff died a horrible bearing failure at 90,000 miles and the dealer rebuilt it under an extended warranty. Well at 225,000 mile, it sounded like a lear jet at 40 mph and the oil was full of metal. I thought seriously of rebuilding it again, but since it failed twice, I was wondering if it had a warp housing or a mis-shaped bearing seat in the housing, so I picked a used 3.73LS with 139,000miles off of 2004 Mountaineer from LKQ ( with a 6 month warranty ). Changed out the seals on the replacement with new ones. I ran into a hic-up on removing the old one, the left axle would not come out. I hit the thing with a piece of wood and a mallet, nothing. I used a crow bar to pry it out ( I wasn't keeping the old diff anyways. ) could not budge it. I ended up separating the inner CV and leaving part of it in the diff. While I was at it, I found that the right rear wheel bearing was bad, and the left was only slightly better. So, I pressed in new bearings. I picked up a new left axle and put it all back together. A long weekend for me. I spend a little less than $600 for the replacement differential, new bearings, new axle, axle nuts, and fluid. I am sure the local shops around here would have charged me 3 to 4 times that.

It is running smooth and quiet. If I can get a few years out of this differential it will be great!

A note for those who might press their own rear bearings, the 12-Ton Harbor Freight press is barely able to do the job. I had to put the bearings under full pressure, then heat the knuckle with a torch to ~200 degrees and use a hand sledge to tap around the press plate to get the bearing to start moving. Once it started to move the press could handle it, but it wasn't enough to break the bearing free by itself. The 12-Ton press is more than enough for installing the new bearings, but other's have mentioned needing a 20-Ton press for this Job and I can see why.
 












After 9 quarts of Mercon V pumped in by a little electric pump I had (worked sweet), and a brief drain till I saw the first burp in a continuous stream I got to take it out for a drive.
Looks like you used NAPA ATF from the photos link you included. Went online just now and they don't seem to sell a Mercon V NAPA brand ATF. What did you use? Maybe just my local Napa missing the product you used?

Wondering if any of your shifting issues relate to the servo bore problem. I replaced my (overdrive) servo bore with the upgrade one and saw immediate improvement here. Agree that the band adjustment arrangement is weak.
 






What kind/brand of fog lights?

fished off fleebay, so no specific brand as I recall, I can check the box.

Lack of proper wiring circuits was a top issue, then they need to be enclosed in a housing, that was fabricated and cold wet weather durability testing is underway.
 






Someone decided to do my Dora wrong yesterday and a blue Dodge Nitro right near me... I was at mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine in DC when this happened!!! That is on campus parking for The Catholic University of America! They stole my bag with my laptop... Amazingly someone messaged me through Facebook 24 hours after this happened saying they found my bag and another bag in a trash can 2 miles away... 3rd District Police went and picked them both up hassel free for me and everything was in my bag untouched!

I sleeved three 52 gallon contractor bag over my door and used the 14 day 3M painters tape till I get the window replaced.

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Removed the running boards. Turned into a completely different vehicle aesthetically.
Just my hang up
 






Someone decided to do my Dora wrong yesterday and a blue Dodge Nitro right near me... I was at mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine in DC when this happened!!! That is on campus parking for The Catholic University of America! They stole my bag with my laptop... Amazingly someone messaged me through Facebook 24 hours after this happened saying they found my bag and another bag in a trash can 2 miles away... 3rd District Police went and picked them both up hassel free for me and everything was in my bag untouched!

I sleeved three 52 gallon contractor bag over my door and used the 14 day 3M painters tape till I get the window replaced.
Remarkable story, Joe! Thanks for sharing. Maybe your Guardian Angel was taking a nap at the time, but caught up with the thief and persuaded him/her to think the better of it. That, and a little help from a Good Samaritan . . . .
 






inner an' outer tie rods , new front pads , upper an' lower front balljoints , bled t' brakes ,cleaned 'bout 16 years of crap off the back side of the wheels........2 "new" tyres....pulled fuses for the auto 4x4.....so the fkn thing would go 'round a corner without tryin' to fall over itself....the usual...
 






Replaced my rear diff fluid and transfer case fluid.
 






Just replaced (or rather had replaced) the intake manifold, but recently I also replaced my rear view mirror. I don't know if it was because of the sunroof or what, but something seemed to be etching the glass. I don't think it was the silver itself, as the reflection looked fine, but if there was light shining on the mirror from an angle it looked really nasty. $10 and 10 minutes at the local junkyard got me a replacement in perfect condition. And yes, the mirror was perfectly clean and dust-free in this photo

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It’s terrible that your X was broken into like that.

While not all done today, here’s what I’ve done since this spring. I bought the X in October of 2017.

November 2017, I’ve added window visors and pinstripes at this point:



As of August 2018


Here’s a list of what’s been done/added since I bought the truck, I’m sure I missed something (no specific order):

Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil

Blacked out Headlights, Corner lights & grill

Pin-striping

LED Interior Lighting

Gas Door Cover

Lift gate LED Strip

AVS Window Visors

AVS Bugflector II

Weather Tech Floorliners

Bluetooth/CD/DVD system

Backup camera

LED Cab Marker Lights

Cold Air Intake

Billet Grill Set

Projector Headlights w/Demon Eyes

3” Body Lift

Front Bull Bar with LED Bar

2” Strut Spacer Lift

Moog Struts

Moog grease-able Ball Joints

Moog rear hub/bearing assembly

Drilled and Slotted Rotors

Ceramic Brake Pads

265x75x16 Dirt Commanders

16 x 8, -6 offset American Outlaw Buckshots

Roof Rack with Running Lights

Front Roof Off Road Lights

Rear Off Road Lights
 






front brakes replaces and 1 set of rear brakes done. on the fourth set one of the bolts striped out and I was able to remove it with some vise grips. dad gave me a ride to NAPA and I got a new set of bolts and guild pins for about 6 bucks. Ford Store was closed.
 






bleed the brakes and rotated the tires.
 












Sadly... I walked past it and got in the Grand Cherokee.
I'll be taking it down for a drink over the weekend.
 






To the drink?

The Jeep can do better off road

I’m getting a check charging when I get in heavy rain Never saw that before so it’s always fix or repair daily
 



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To the drink? For a drink...fill the gas tank.

The Jeep can do better off road The Jeep can do everything better.

I’m getting a check charging when I get in heavy rain Never saw that before so it’s always fix or repair daily.
The Explorer has been very reliable for 13 years, and still going. I've only had to repair the common issues that are inherent to the Explorer.
 






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