So here's the story. My son who's 15 worked last summer and saved up some money to buy some vehicles to flip. This is one of those vehicles. He wants to buy (or trade for) a Ninja 250 or a CBR 250 motorcycle.
This 91 Explorer, 4x4, 4 door probably has over 200k miles on it. It has a 5 digit odometer so we really don't know. We bought it from a neighbor and did all the work to make it run and drive. I actually drove it to work for a couple of months and that's 90 miles round trip, every day. It drives great and averages about 21-22 MPG highway.
The AC compressor works, but we never got into the system. I don't know what's wrong, or if its been converted to 134a. I'd assume it's R12 still.
The tires have plenty of treak but are old and cracked. I still drive on them with no issues, but you may want to change them.
The transmission never leaks if you can maintain some speed on the highway. It's totally linked to the trans temp. Trans stays cool=no leak. Trans gets warm=Exxon Valdez. It's a common problem with the A4LD. The front shaft wobbles when it's bushing wears. This makes the seal leak. The seal will hold under normal temps forever, basically, but increased temp causes the ATF to expand and it starts to puke from the input seal. The fix is to get a Tranny shop to put in a new bushing and seal making sure they have it centered. The real fix is doing a 5 speed swap with the cheap and plentiful M50D. Like I said, I drove it 90 miles a day all highway and it never leaked. I would drive this cross country as long as I had a gallon of Walmart ATF with me.
This particular truck has 3.55 gears. The axles are open diffs. The transfer case works fine and even goes into 4 low with no problem.
The fuel tank vent bung popped out after we replaced the fuel pump. That's why it leaks if you fill it up. It needs a new grommet and to drop the tank and replace the rubber bits. It's not that hard to do as long as the tank is mostly empty. I just don't fill it up. Problem solved! ;-p
If you aren't aware, these little trucks are pretty amazing off road. The twin torque beam front axle is great in the dirt but still rides and handles well on the pavement. The diffs are Ford 8.8 and you can't get any better than that for parts and service. They make everything for these diffs.
The motor is the venerable 4.0 OHV. This is not the 4.0 that will blow head gaskets and shred timing chains. This is the old school cam-in-block motor that will last basically forever. It has very good torque. It's a lot like driving a Jeep 4.0. Not a ton of HP but plenty of torque where it counts. EEC-IV fuel injection works fine. It's pretty easy to fix too.
This truck has been wheeled and has a couple of contact spots on the rockers, but nothing major. The body is in pretty good shape and the interior is very decent too. Comes with 4 Pioneer speakers but no head unit. One cool feature is the "aircraft visors". This truck has dual sun visors so you can put one against the side window and still have one for the windsheild. The second visor slides left-right on a little rail.
If I wasn't covered up in vehicles right now I'd keep this plucky little truck. I like it a lot. But, first, it's not mine it's my Son's, and second, I have too many cars! My boy wants to sell it and get the motorcycle he's dreaming of!
This would make an excellent base for a small and nimble expedition build. This thing is like the Tardis. Small on the outside, but plenty of space on the inside! They don't make them like this anymore. Its a Jeep footprint with a Suburban's luggage capacity.
Looking for 1200 or a trade.
Craigslist Ad: https://collegestation.craigslist.org/cto/d/1991-ford-explorer-4x4/6271762243.html
This 91 Explorer, 4x4, 4 door probably has over 200k miles on it. It has a 5 digit odometer so we really don't know. We bought it from a neighbor and did all the work to make it run and drive. I actually drove it to work for a couple of months and that's 90 miles round trip, every day. It drives great and averages about 21-22 MPG highway.
The AC compressor works, but we never got into the system. I don't know what's wrong, or if its been converted to 134a. I'd assume it's R12 still.
The tires have plenty of treak but are old and cracked. I still drive on them with no issues, but you may want to change them.
The transmission never leaks if you can maintain some speed on the highway. It's totally linked to the trans temp. Trans stays cool=no leak. Trans gets warm=Exxon Valdez. It's a common problem with the A4LD. The front shaft wobbles when it's bushing wears. This makes the seal leak. The seal will hold under normal temps forever, basically, but increased temp causes the ATF to expand and it starts to puke from the input seal. The fix is to get a Tranny shop to put in a new bushing and seal making sure they have it centered. The real fix is doing a 5 speed swap with the cheap and plentiful M50D. Like I said, I drove it 90 miles a day all highway and it never leaked. I would drive this cross country as long as I had a gallon of Walmart ATF with me.
This particular truck has 3.55 gears. The axles are open diffs. The transfer case works fine and even goes into 4 low with no problem.
The fuel tank vent bung popped out after we replaced the fuel pump. That's why it leaks if you fill it up. It needs a new grommet and to drop the tank and replace the rubber bits. It's not that hard to do as long as the tank is mostly empty. I just don't fill it up. Problem solved! ;-p
If you aren't aware, these little trucks are pretty amazing off road. The twin torque beam front axle is great in the dirt but still rides and handles well on the pavement. The diffs are Ford 8.8 and you can't get any better than that for parts and service. They make everything for these diffs.
The motor is the venerable 4.0 OHV. This is not the 4.0 that will blow head gaskets and shred timing chains. This is the old school cam-in-block motor that will last basically forever. It has very good torque. It's a lot like driving a Jeep 4.0. Not a ton of HP but plenty of torque where it counts. EEC-IV fuel injection works fine. It's pretty easy to fix too.
This truck has been wheeled and has a couple of contact spots on the rockers, but nothing major. The body is in pretty good shape and the interior is very decent too. Comes with 4 Pioneer speakers but no head unit. One cool feature is the "aircraft visors". This truck has dual sun visors so you can put one against the side window and still have one for the windsheild. The second visor slides left-right on a little rail.
If I wasn't covered up in vehicles right now I'd keep this plucky little truck. I like it a lot. But, first, it's not mine it's my Son's, and second, I have too many cars! My boy wants to sell it and get the motorcycle he's dreaming of!
This would make an excellent base for a small and nimble expedition build. This thing is like the Tardis. Small on the outside, but plenty of space on the inside! They don't make them like this anymore. Its a Jeep footprint with a Suburban's luggage capacity.
Looking for 1200 or a trade.
Craigslist Ad: https://collegestation.craigslist.org/cto/d/1991-ford-explorer-4x4/6271762243.html