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96 4.0 Explorer XLT 4x4 Getting it back on the road


Josh B

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I'm going to just start a tread on this to maybe keep it together rather than spread all over the place.
I had to find something to get me through because my Ranger was rapidly approaching its demise, at least the motor was. Began looking around for a second vehicle or at least a replacement motor for the Ranger and found the Explorer on a Facebook Marketplace post. I don't know how long it had been there, simply said "over a week". It had "good motor" and "bad transmission". It has electric windows and locks, everything seems to be working except the AC clutch makes a lot of noise so yesterday I put a belt that leaves off the AC. It also has cruise control and tilt wheel, and the guy said he'd recently had the front end rebuilt, but at first glance it looks like they put outer CVs on it due to new rubber, but the inside didn't look that new to me.
It also has an excessive amount of sut under the hood, but none in the tailpipe? (they'd put a new alternator and it looks plum shiny up side the rest of it, really stands out)
I've recently changed the filter in the tranny, and attempted to adjust the linkage(but think it didn't change much far as linkage goes), will likely have to dig deeper into that.
I've found a Ford CD manual and a Chilton's online that should get ordered right away

First thing I'll need here is the OBDII reader, any suggestions? Local or Internet purchase?
 


AFStaiger

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1996
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4WD
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2” Front
Tire Size
33”
My credo
Aim High
Just buy one new online. Paid $40 for mine years ago and it still works fine
 

Josh B

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4WD
Today I got it titled tagged and insured, but still have to take it back to the title office for them to inspect the VIN before releasing the title. No rush, cause tomorrow I'm taking it for a drive, in the other direction ;) .

Got home not long before dark and put the tag on it and the insurance papers in it, ans topped up the tranny fluid. It took yet another qt to get it showing full. Then took it up the road to warm the motor oil enough to drain it. It still just sits there in reverse(N in the viewfinder)until giving it some gas(sounds like maybe that pump RonD was talking about recently) then it goes in kinda growlingly and moves back, but going up the road it shifted smooth into 1st, 2nd, slipped going into 3rd, then pulled on into 4, that was all it did in a quarter mile to the corner where I turned around and came back to change the oil.

The oil was over a qt high and dirty. The filter was likely driven on with an impact at some quikylube, I use a Snap-On filter wrench that makes short work of most changes but this one took some pull to get it broken loose. It almost got my oil change pan too full to carry.

I'm thinking they just drove the thing, stopped in quikylube every 6 months or so for a change and never raised the hood to look at it, hence the dirty engine bay. One of the first things I noticed was that it was cleaner underneath the engine than on top. I suppose a good pressure wash is in store for the engine.
 

Josh B

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I took it for a drive today, about 60 miles, the transmission is my main concern as it's not doing well.

It doesn't do well at all in reverse, takes a lot of gas to get it engaged and that comes with some loud noises/rumbles. I thought to find a place to rap it out in reverse a bit, see if maybe that would open anything up, but didn't find a place to do it yet. I'm certain the filter hadn't been changed the entire 220K miles, because the old one still said made in USA :/ and the pan was plenty filthy, but nothing large enough to feel in the goo.

Going forward it does well enough through 1st and 2nd but going into 3rd it slips and the engine races until I let off, then it goes in and through the remaining gears ok.

I'll need to drive it long as I can, the Ranger needs an engine or a rebuild before driving it much farther, and I don't want to risk throwing a rod or something.
On a positive note, the radio and the cruise control works great :D
 

Josh B

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Just buy one new online. Paid $40 for mine years ago and it still works fine
I ordered one off amazon last night. Did some reading on a couple threads and got an Actron I think it was
 

Josh B

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I took it for a drive today, about 60 miles, the transmission is my main concern as it's not doing well.

It doesn't do well at all in reverse, takes a lot of gas to get it engaged and that comes with some loud noises/rumbles. I thought to find a place to rap it out in reverse a bit, see if maybe that would open anything up, but didn't find a place to do it yet. I'm certain the filter hadn't been changed the entire 220K miles, because the old one still said made in USA :/ and the pan was plenty filthy, but nothing large enough to feel in the goo.

Going forward it does well enough through 1st and 2nd but going into 3rd it slips and the engine races until I let off, then it goes in and through the remaining gears ok.

I'll need to drive it long as I can, the Ranger needs an engine or a rebuild before driving it much farther, and I don't want to risk throwing a rod or something.
On a positive note, the radio and the cruise control works great :D
Any helpful suggestions on the tranny would be much appreciated :)
 

Josh B

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Seems Explorers aren't too popular here, to tell the truth I used to hate SUVs myself, big blobs that would park right beside you in town and when you'd need to back out couldn't see anything either way because of their windows all being tinted black.
And now I'm stuck driving one, but hope to make the best of it I can. At least the windows aren't so tinted in this one and it isn't near the size of an Esplanade or something. It has a lot touchier steering system too, but I sure like the cruise control.

Today I got it's first mileage figure, looks like 16mpg, most of those miles @ 70ish. After the Ranger's engine and tranny began going south
the mileage in it must have been less than 10, down from 21/22.
I'll be checking in to a tune-up for sure
 

Josh B

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Today I took it onto the turnpike and there are mile markers so I got to check the odometer. Going up I was in a rush so didn't get a very accurate reading, but coming back I paid better attention and in 10 miles it lost 2/10 mile and I watched it 5 more miles and it lost another 10th. From that I can know that in a hundred miles it will lose two, which also tells me at 100mph it will read 98, so at 50mph it will read 49 and so on.
Cool eh :)
 

1996xlt

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Can't help you much on the transmission issue but, I had a 96' as well and thought I'd offer my insight on a few things:

-The vacuum disconnect front hubs will quit on you at the most inconvenient time (I got stuck on the beach for a while), if you want a live axle, swap to a front axle from a 98-01
-Front suspension is the same as the 98-11 rangers and is fairly easy to work on, as such they're easy to lift a few inches via torsion bar twist and longer rear shackles
-Like the rangers, the transfer case shift motors like to hang up, normally taking it out and working the shift motor will free it up

In case you haven't seen it this site is a wealth of knowledge on explorers comparable to this one: https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php
 

Josh B

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-The vacuum disconnect front hubs will quit on you at the most inconvenient time (I got stuck on the beach for a while), if you want a live axle, swap to a front axle from a 98-01
-Front suspension is the same as the 98-11 rangers and is fairly easy to work on, as such they're easy to lift a few inches via torsion bar twist and longer rear shackles
Thanks man, I'll be checking into that

I've been trying to get things with it updated a bit, got the plugs changed out, maybe get the wires swapped tomorrow.
Plugged the reader in couple days ago and got a P 0113 Intake Air Temp Sensor Circuit High Input. Today got MAF and Throttle body cleaners but only got the MAF done, maybe get the throttle body off tomorrow too. Went to town and didn't even think about whether the CEL was on or not, so used to ignoring it.

Priced shocks at AZ today and he priced a clearance on Gabriel all around for 14.99 each, said they were lifetime warranty so it it fails I'd get their next brand up. The rear damper shock was KYB @ 47.99+tax, I got him to print out the prices and said I'd look em up and see what the consensus was on them. I didn't think about it again till after dark, but after searching through the forums awhile I duckduckgo'd the shocks, found the KYB at Amazon for $37 total, ordered it.
I also found the Gabriels there @ 33.78+tax each for the front ones and 36.62+tx each for the rears.

After that I shut everything down and took off to AZ and bought their 14.99 Gabriels haha :D
2 in hand and 2 on the way, already paid for
 

Josh B

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Driving down the road was getting to be like riding a ski-boat on ocean swells.
I believe it had original shocks all the way around(23 years and 220,000 miles later), twisted one of the top bolts in two getting it off
I put the two front shocks on just before dark, actually put the tools up in the dark, then took it for a test drive.
It sure smoothed up the 1/4 mile stretch to the corner. Then the one mile to the paved one was like a washboard(literally), the county graded it first time in ten years last week, and first time in 10 years it's been that bad, but those cheap Gabriels even helped that a good bit. Tomorrow the back ones should be in.

The front ones alone were a well spent $30 for sure(for ever how long they last)
 
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1996xlt

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Yeah I never realized how much difference a set of shocks would make until I put them on my last truck (Ranger) but, I know I badly need a set on my 95' F150; like riding in a canoe on a water bed.
 

Josh B

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Today I got the rear shocks in, they weren't difficult to do, but difficult to get to. Had to drop that gas tank emmissions reservoir thing out of the way and prop it on a box to hold the weight off of it, but it stayed almost sideways a couple hours.

I also put the new plug wires in, borrowed the new coil off the Ranger and swapped those out( I hope the coil from a 93 4.0 Ranger is same as a 96 4.0 Explorer)
Also did a motor flush and changed the oil again. And changed the PCV valve.

Getting the plug wires out and back in is bad as changing plugs, with all the shtuff in the way. I disconnected some vacuum lines for better access and think I got them all back connected but when I started it up it was running really rough. It was already after dark but I was wanting to go up to the travel plaza, so I used a flashlight and retraced the plug wires, they checked out good.

I really think it's a vacuum leak, seems I could almost hear it but couldn't figure where it might be, and when I first backed it up a bit to get the oil pan out(it was almost full due to the Qt of flush added) the transmission was also acting up again. I went on over to the plaza but it wouldn't really go well, and I didn't want to force it so just went slow.
Tomorrow(if the rain doesn't take over) I'll locate the modulator valve and check all the vacuum lines to it
 

Josh B

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I went over it with a fine tooth comb today and couldn't find whatever is causing the problem. All the vacuum lines are in place and snug and could find no other wires or lines I disturbed, unless it could be something on downstream from where I was working, that maybe got ruffled.

Basically all I did was install new(duralast) plug wires, the new Motorcraft coil from my Ranger, and a PCV valve

Today I swapped the coils back but no improvement so I wormed the Duralast wires back off of it and got the new Motorcraft set from the Ranger and put those on it, and again used the newer MC coil. It seemed to have improved a bit(but not nearly enough) and drove it to the corner. It wasn't near as bad as last night but still has a problem of some sort.

I had to go over to TX, it maintained highway speeds but in cruise even slighter inclines made it downshift.
I have no idea what's happened here :/
 

Josh B

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The CEL had been off throughout this but came on not long before I got back,
Its a P0401 Exhaust gas recirculation flow insuffieient
 

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