small-list-digest Tuesday, January 19 1999 Volume 03 : Number 014



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Ford Truck Enthusiasts - Ranger, Explorer, Bronco 2 and Aerostar
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In this issue:

FTE Small - Re: bulb woes
FTE Small - Radio Display - that famous lightbulb
FTE Small - Recall: Radio Display - that famous lightbulb
FTE Small - 1st gen Explorer suspension
FTE Small - FTE T-shirts are ready!
FTE Small - Hi Everybody!
FTE Small - New addition to stable
FTE Small - License Plate Lights
FTE Small - Radio Display: That Famous Lightbulb
FTE Small - small rad
FTE Small - auto vs standard
FTE Small - Power
Re: FTE Small - small rad
FTE Small - My Aerostar Stinks! Round Two (Tim, are you there?)
Re: FTE Small - Radio Display: That Famous Lightbulb

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 08:29:00 -0500
From: "Lou Guerriero"
Subject: FTE Small - Re: bulb woes

Well, after gettin the 74 bulb, and the dash removed, and doing it in the
evening light.. (dark).... heheh

I broke the end of the bulb, fitting it into the reciever.

As for the "2 pins" That thing works well, it doesn't. It pretty much just
Kept the faceplate off.

Off to Canadian Tire for a new 74 bulb, mmmm maybe 2 or 3... hehehehee

It did work though, briefly! Looked great! :-)

Lou G

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 08:47:35 -0500
From: "DuPont, Patrick"
Subject: FTE Small - Radio Display - that famous lightbulb

Hello,
I've got this problem with my radio as well. I need to ask a really stupid
question, how do you get to the bulb? Is this a major project or what? I
have an '87 BroncoII and an '88 Taurus that have this problem.
Patrick

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 08:49:01 -0500
From: "DuPont, Patrick"
Subject: FTE Small - Recall: Radio Display - that famous lightbulb

DuPont, Patrick would like to recall the message, "Radio Display - that
famous lightbulb".
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 08:49:29 -0600
From: "John L. Winkler"
Subject: FTE Small - 1st gen Explorer suspension

At the risk of being castigated by the hard-core off-road crowd,
can someone make recommendations for shock absorbers/springs to
take some of the bounce out of my 93 Explorer's ride and make it
(gasp!) more car-like? I got the Explorer to tow, and for its
carrying capacity, and in about 7 weeks, it will become the family
station wagon (when we become a family, and no longer DINKs).

Thanks,

JLW
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 17:28:27 -0500
From: Ken Payne
Subject: FTE Small - FTE T-shirts are ready!

The Ford Truck Enthusiasts t-shirts are ready! They are
available on the web shopping cart, if you don't have a
credit card, are not comfortable using a secure server,
or cannot use a secure server (some older versions of
AOL) you can print the order form and send it with a check
to the address listed on the form.

http://www.motorhaven.com/

We've tried to keep the price as reasonable as possible
given the small quantity of shirts we ordered from the
print shop. There are a couple of truck related sites
charging about $20 for a t-shirt, we're keeping it to
$12.50 (XX and XXX are slightly more).

As is FTE's usual practice, we'll increase services offered
with increased revenue.

Regards,
Ken Payne
Admin

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 16:58:44 -0600
From: Chris Rutledge
Subject: FTE Small - Hi Everybody!

Hello Everyone! I am new to the list but I have been watching it for a few
days to get a feel for it. (a good practice in my opinion).. I just
purchased a 91 Explorer and I love it very much, is there anything I should
be on the lookout for or can maybe take some preventative measures for? It
has 81K miles on it. The shocks and brakes and tires are new. It is the
4X4, which I am very proud of! : ) I would not voluntarily drive anything
but Ford equipment and I like this one a lot. Just wanted to say a general
'Hi!' and get my first question on the discussion.

OH and by the way, the paint on the hood and roof is faded (if you can call
if that, it looks more like a rash!) I assume this is due to 9 Texas
summers. If anyone else has an idea as to what causes Fords to do this ( I
have noticed it on many Ford vehicles) please let me know. If this topic
has already been addressed then my apologies.. Have a safe commute!

Chris Rutledge
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 16:19:50 -0800
From: "Craig Rubin"
Subject: FTE Small - New addition to stable

Hi all,

I've been lurking around the list since joining. We have added a 1997
Explorer v8 awd to the 1963 Ranchero and 1985 F250 and hope to become more
active on the list.

Craig Rubin
crubin foxinternet.net
Redmond, WA

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 17:10:50 PST
From: "Joe Mitchell"
Subject: FTE Small - License Plate Lights

On the subject of lights, does anyone know where I could find a
replacement bulb for one of the two license plate lights. My Service
Manual has a number for it, but I'm not too sure where to look to get
it. Since I am boycotting my local Ford dealer, I was just gonna check
and see if any other stores might carry it. Thanx in advance.
Joe

______________________________________________________
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 10:41:49 -0800
From: Richard
Subject: FTE Small - Radio Display: That Famous Lightbulb

My bands must've been slipping while I read a couple of pretty
straightforward posts about the #74 illumination bulb for the radio's
digital display. The bulb is a standard modern _automotive_ dash-light
bulb (push-in base).

I logically assumed that a car stereo would use a standard
electronics-type bulb for this, not an automotive bulb. Sure enough,
the #47 bulb is not in my Radio Shack catalog. Learned something.

One trick that we used to do in the stereo repair shop was to substitute
long-life bulbs whenever we replaced dead ones. After that, the bulbs
would effectively last forever. I doubt that we've got this option in
the automotive realm.

Richard

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 21:57:18 -0500 (EST)
From: Sean MacLennan
Subject: FTE Small - small rad

I have a '98 Ford Ranger XL with the 3.0 V6, 5 speed standard, and the
optional suspension package. It has a second very small rad under the
main rad. Does anyone know what it is for? I would guess it is for the
transmission fluid but I didn't think you needed that with a standard
transmission.

Thanks,
Sean
- --
Sean MacLennanJust crank that volume to the point of pain.
Ottawa, CanadaWhy waste good music on a brain?
http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.storm.ca/~seanm(Spinal Tap)
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 21:59:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Sean MacLennan
Subject: FTE Small - auto vs standard

Hi all,

I always thought that a standard transmission was stronger than an
automatic due to the simplier design. Yet when I look at the specs for
the Ranger, I notice that the auto has a much higher GCWR (7,500 vs
6,000). Is the auto that much better?

Thanks,
Sean
- --
Sean MacLennanJust crank that volume to the point of pain.
Ottawa, CanadaWhy waste good music on a brain?
http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.storm.ca/~seanm(Spinal Tap)
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 22:43:30 -0500
From: "Eric Davis"
Subject: FTE Small - Power

Does anyone know what is a good way to get more power out of a 4.0L. I
already have an exhaust system and a K&N. But what else can you do that does
not cost over a $500. Thanks

Eric Davis
98 4x4 Ranger,
Edlebrock muffler, K&N.


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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 23:16:54 EST
From: Bakend AOL.COM
Subject: Re: FTE Small - small rad

In a message dated 1/18/99 8:00:47 PM Mountain Standard Time, seanm storm.ca
writes:

> It has a second very small rad under the
> main rad. Does anyone know what it is for?
I would guess that is the AC condenser.
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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 20:59:42 -0800
From: Richard
Subject: FTE Small - My Aerostar Stinks! Round Two (Tim, are you there?)

Recap:

The best I can describe the
> odor is having the heady aroma of a burning mixture of sulfur and
> sewage.

Tim Turner suggested--------------------------------------------

An old girlfriend of mine described it as 'Elephant farts' as I recall
:-) Usually it's caused by an overly rich mixture.

Me--------------------------------------------------------------

"Hmmmm," I said to myself. "A rich mixture, huh? I wonder if my air
filter is clogged (that'd enrich the mixture, all right). Now, when was
the last time that M. Mouse air filter was changed?" I couldn't
remember if the big AAA shop that did my valve job had changed it or
not.

When it stopped raining, I went out with a new air filter, opened the
hood, and removed the left of the two filter housing screws. The
housing is plastic. At the front edge, it is held by tabs, just like a
house that you cut out of a cereal box. When I turned the right screw,
it revolved freely. Uh-oh: I know that feeling! Sure enough, the screw
was set into something that was loose. (The remainder of this narrative
is guesswork, as I've not yet been able to remove the screw). It
appears that a protruding plastic flange section (hopefully holding a
metal threaded sleeve) had broken off. A resourceful mechanic had
conjured up a fix by jamming a round plastic foot from a TV onto the
lower end of the screw, where it would go no further. It holds the
housing cover loosely in place.

The TV foot is surrounded by obstructions and recessed on the down side
of the flange (this is an Aerostar, with obstructions inspired by
Sony). Being round, a wrench is useless. I went out to Pep Boys, and
picked up a long, 90 degree pliers for the next attempt.

Here's the interesting part. I clipped the housing shut with a paper
clamp and drove off to Pep Boys, and ran the heater during the entire
3-mile trip. I could swear that the odor is gone. Am I imagining
this? Does the PCV recirculate into the air filter housing, and is that
what I was breathing? This sort of makes sense. The air filter housing
is very close to the heater blower and a flange between the blower and
what looks like a plenum. It is also close to the fresh air intake, and
there's the crack at the top of the hood between them.

I have to go a few miles on the freeway tomorrow (Tues), a 40 mile rt
Wednesday, and 110 miles on Thursday. I'll report soon. Meanwhile, I'd
sure like some feedback. I also need to find a mechanic who I can
trust, and will do a little maintenance myself in self-defense. Really
appreciate the input from you guys.

Richard

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Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 22:03:30 -0800
From: Tim Bowman
Subject: Re: FTE Small - Radio Display: That Famous Lightbulb

Richard:

The lamp in my radio was considerably smaller than a standard
dashboard light. As I suggested in my very first post on this topic,
I recommend taking the unit apart and removing the bulb and taking
that to an auto parts store.

If there were a long life bulb for this job, I would definately take
that option. The job is rather a nuisance at a minimum and time....

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