My 2000 5.4l Eddie Bauer 4x4

[ExplorerTom]

Replaced the radiator and rubber mounts. The old rubber mounts looked and felt like the new rubber mounts- so not really expecting to see anything different there.

The Spectra radiator looks like a quality unit. But..........

Going to take the Mishimoto radiator to a radiator repair shop and see what they say. Maybe they can shed some light on why I've been seeing failures.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I've been getting some odd noises from the rear lately. When I back out of my driveway and the rear goes off the curb, I'll hear a knock. Or sometimes in traffic I'll get a noise when getting back on the gas. I checked u-joints and those appear to be fine. Next up was lubing the slip yoke of the driveshaft.



I used some Motorcraft PTFE.

The post reassembly test drive seemed nice and quiet.

 

[Plati]

A little lube is all thats needed sometimes. I was having problem with my rear wiper and all it needed was a couple drops of oil! Ready for winter now.

 

[Joseph Tator]

A little lube is all thats needed sometimes. I was having problem with my rear wiper and all it needed was a couple drops of oil! Ready for winter now.
View attachment 27298

What was your issue with wiper? I had my rear wiper motor replaced but only worked a few times then stopped. Occasionally it will magically work but most often times it doesn’t

 

[bmrisko]

Tom, could you please get me a measurement from the axle centerline to the bottom edge of fender on the front and rear? I'm trying to see how your key crank and spacers compares to my OEM '98 suspension. Mine has always looked pretty high to me and my almost worn out 285/70/17s fit with what looks like plenty of room to spare. I'm trying to see how big I can go for my next tires while leaving the suspension stock vs adding spacers and cranking the keys a bit. Thanks in advance!

 

[Plati]

What was your issue with wiper? I had my rear wiper motor replaced but only worked a few times then stopped. Occasionally it will magically work but most often times it doesn’t

Oh I just noticed this. The problem I had "that day" was that the spring that holds the wiper firm against the glass wasn't doing that. The wiper would ride just over the glass at times, not making full contact. This was because that pivot point I oiled was corroded and not moving freely. A few drops of oil and it loosened up and all was good.

Another (different) problem is that the mechanism (bushing?, not sure of word) that is driven by the motor ... goes through the liftgate glass ... and drives the wiper up and down ... can also get buggered up with corrosion and the wiper will not move freely. Its possible thats your problem but I doubt it. If you first pop the liftgate glass open then can grab the wiper and move it through its wiper cycle without noticeable binding ... then thats not your problem either. It should move freely

 

[ExplorerTom]

Tom, could you please get me a measurement from the axle centerline to the bottom edge of fender on the front and rear? I'm trying to see how your key crank and spacers compares to my OEM '98 suspension. Mine has always looked pretty high to me and my almost worn out 285/70/17s fit with what looks like plenty of room to spare. I'm trying to see how big I can go for my next tires while leaving the suspension stock vs adding spacers and cranking the keys a bit. Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the super late reply. I initially got this while on business travel and haven't been back into my thread since.

Front: 23.75"
Rear: 23"

I guess the front is a little higher. I thought it was all about the same height when I did the torsion twist.

 

[ExplorerTom]

For the last several mounts I've been getting a "clunk" when I hit the gas from a stop- but only occasionally. I checked the motor mounts by videoing the engine bay as I held the brakes while giving it throttle while in D and R. I'm no expert, but I wasn't concerned with the movement I saw. I didn't know how to check the transmission mount, so I jacked up the transmission slightly and convinced myself that the play I saw was excessive.

I ordered a new Motorcraft mount and finally got around to replacing it today. Replacing it wasn't too bad- 10 bolts to free the transmission cross-member and 2 bolts in the mount itself. I did it in about an hour.




With the old mount out, it wasn't really any different to the new except a slight height difference. I was hoping the old mount would come out in 2 pieces. No such luck.

Installation was pretty easy. To compensate for that additional height, I needed to jack up the crossmember. I was hoping the old mount had "collapsed" and was the source of the noise. But the follow up test drive revealed that it is still there. But the truck does feel a little more "solid" now.

I suspect the noise could be coming from the rear end. I need to jack up the rear axle and see if I can replicate the noise by hand.

 

[1955moose]

Tom, what about the rear trailing arms? Are the bushings tight? Any movement in the arms and tightness?

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[ExplorerTom]

That's on my list to check as well.