Originally Posted by Pablo-UA

Howdy to all....

I drive aero '89 3.0 5st tranny and Ranger '01 4.0 SOHC auto and my aero is really old (over then 600k in odo).

Well... I'm looking a truck for long trips.... Well....
Why do I love aero?
1. It is a lot of space inside.
2. I can use it as pass. moover and as cargo van, removing seats.
3. I have Webasto auxialy heater inside and I can put seats to bed to stop tonight in truck camping...
4. I swaped tranny to manual one and I have good MPG, better then Ranger.

But... aero is old.... I fix it every 2-3 mounth, the body needs repainting, interrior requires full rebuild, engine leaks more oil then burns, rack and pinion leaks, starter dies every year after the winter.

So I wanna purchaise '96-'99 explorer, but know nothing about it.
As I understand '96 explorer is OBD-2. And Explorer has 2 engines only 4.0V6 and 4.6V8.
Well. Some quations.

Commrade, please see answers below in bold face type.

1. What is MPG of 4.0 explorer with 5st tranny?
12-18 miles per gallon depending on how you drive
2. How many seats in explorer and can I put them into bed?
This has been answered by someone else but they only came with front seats and rear fold-down seats. Yes you could, I suppose sleep back there. I am 6'2" and 250 lbs so it would be tight for me.
3. What type of engine is used SOHC, DOHC, OHV? Is the 4.0 Cologne?
Again answered by another poster. I have a 96 Explorer with the 4.0 and have had excellent service from it. It has 170,000 miles and still runs great.
4. How t-case work?
Not sure how to answer this question. I assume you mean the transfer case on a 4WD. It bolts to the transmision. Mine is a 4WD with the automatic hubs. I have never had a problem with the 4WD.
5. Is the body built tought? Has Explorer good frame like ranger?
Yes, and yes.
6/ What trobles are most frequent? How expencive to maintane Explorer.
I think the vehicle is really inexpensive to maintain. Keep the oil changed and fix the little stuff when it breaks and you should be fine.

Standard things to go wrong on a 96 at this time - 2007:

1 - Rear Spring sag on the Explorer Sports (the 2-door version which is what I have). This is easily corrected by replacing the stock mono-leaf rear springs with a set of multi-leaf springs from a 4-door Explorer, They bolt right in.
2 - Radio display light will go dark. This is a problem with the circuit board in the radio and is fixable. If you encounter this problem, post here and someone will help you find the fix.

3 - Door ajar light stays on or the courtesy lights won't go out. This is a problem with the door light switch. I really believe this is a more frequent problem for smokers who will drive with the window opened a bit (not sealed) in wet weather and the door switch gets corroded. The problem is usually corrected very easily by spraying the swith through the door handle holes wiht WD-40 or some other lubricant. The door switch is about USD$15.00 to USD$20.00. It's a little bit of a pain to replace but not too bad. Requires removing the door panel. Again, spraying lubricant usually cures the problem though it may take more than one application at first.

4 - Broken Blend Door on the heater. There is a quick cheap fix that takes less than 30 minutes but if that won't work, you have to reomve the entire dash to replace the heater plenum. This is about a 6-8 hour job if the set of instructions that can be found on this of the Ranger forum are used. It's not a real simple job but it's not as bad as it may seem either.

5 - 5-speed transmissions will leak fluid through the rubber plugs in the shifter housing. this continues unnoticed until one day the tranny breaks, Replace these plugs soon after purchasing the vehicles. Some folks replace these rubber plugs with metal freeze plugs. Pretty easy job really.

6 -Idle Air control valve gets dirty from carbon build up, at least here in the US. Can sometimes be cleaned, otherwise it has to be replaced. Makes a loud whistling sound at idle like a loud clothes dryer. Easy but not always cheap fix.

7 - Torsion bars slips and one side of the vehicle will lean. This usually makes people crazy trying to figure it out since not that many vehicles use a torsion bar set-up. The problem is easily corrected by a good competent front end alignment shop.

8 - Air Conditioners die at about 8 years here in the southern United States. May not be an issue where you are. The Ukraine just sounds cold to someone like me living in Houston, TX

9 - Odometer will die on 96's. I've not seen this problem on any other year Explorer nor have I come across the problem on Rangers. Only 96 Explorers

10 - Dash background lights will go bad. A little involved getting the instrument cluster out but not bad. Easy to fix once the instrument panel is out.

11 - The background light for the light switch often dies. Most folks never even notice this but the bulb can be replaed contrary to what Ford folks will tell you. A cheap and inexpensive repair.

12 - The hydraulic clutch is a real pain in the A$$ to bleed if you ever have to. There is a method posted on this forum with guidance on how to get some if not all of the trapped air out of the system but this will take you the whole morning to do if you are careful and methodical like I tend to be. Ask me how I know this.

I am sure that I am forgetting some other the common items but these are the most common ones I can think of. I've owned my 96 Exlorer Sport 2-Door 4WD 4.0 ltr. engine since March 1997 when it had 20,000 miles. I would buy it all over again.

Carl G. - Pearland, TX


Thanks!