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.

 

[hammerg26]

U Joint??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ExplorerTom]

U Joint??

Checked using every method I know how: pry bar between the ears, shaking, pulling...... No movement.

I wish it was. U-joints are inexpensive.

 

[1955moose]

Too bad you don't have a spare driveshaft to try. Most of the times they klink, but they do sometimes clunk. Sounds like you've eliminated movement. Why not rack it somewhere to be safe and put it through it's rear paces. Safer than jack stands.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[highlandre]

Have you checked the clutch packs in the rear differential? I had an issue with them and ended replacing with a LSD from Eaton.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bmrisko]

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.

No worries, thanks for the reply!

I cranked my stock keys all the way this afternoon to see where that would get me. 23.5"

My stock rear is currently sitting at 21". I have 1" or 2.5" spacers I can put in, along with new coils and isolators. I figure after 20+ years my coils are sagging a tad, so I'll probably start with the 1" spacers and coils and see where that gets me. I worry that the 2.5" + new coils would give me too much of a rake with stock keys maxed out. I'm only putting on 305/70R17s, so I don't need to go super high.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I've had my eyes on this steering stabilizer kit from Rancho for a long time. I finally decided to pull the trigger on it. And I'm glad I did. Hitting a bump now, nothing is transferred to the steering wheel.

Install was pretty easy.

However, I went I for a alignment today and I was told that because my lower left ball joint was so bad, the alignment wouldn't stick. I picked up the truck and ordered 2 new ball joints from Mevotech. Supposed to be bigger, badder, beefier. Heard good things about it.
http://www.mevotech.com/mevotech-moment-ttx-terrain-tough-ball-joint-txk8695t/

Stay tuned.

 

[Dadmobile]

I installed the same kit with the upgraded stabilizer a couple of months ago and I love it. Helps keep the 35s in check.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Well I got my money's worth out of the EBC Orangestuff brake pads in the front. Ah, maybe their time was cut a little short due to goobed up pad sliders. The inside driver side pad was metal on metal. Oops.



The new pads that I selected, as you can maybe guess, are EBC Yellowstuff. The Orangestuff were great, but they were classified as a track pad. I thought that was surprising because of how could the cold bite was. And by good, I really mean GREAT. Usually track pads require a little bit of heat to get them work. The Orangestuff were grippy from the get-go. After comparing the different pad compounds on EBC's website, I decided to give the Yellowstuff a try. I've also used Greenstuff on multiple other vehicles, but the Expedition is a little heavy, in my opinion, for the Greenstuff.

I also decided to pair them with EBC USR Sport Slotted rotor. Mostly because they look cool.



So far so good. Only installed them today and only have about 25 miles on them. Seem to grip as good as the Orangestuff- but maybe it's the break-in compound.

Also installed some Mevotech TTX lower ball joints. I tried to get an alignment a week or so ago and they said it wouldn't take because of a bad lower ball joint.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I've been having an issue with my grease zerks lately. When I go a pump some grease in, the grease goes anywhere but through the zerk. If I remove the zerk, I find it caked full of dried up....... looks more like dirt than grease. Heating up the zerk with a torch clears it out, but the grease inside the ball joint or tie rod or whatever, can't be in very good shape either.

I picked up some stuff called Green Grease at Advance Auto. I checked out reviews on Amazon and it seems to score well.
https://www.amazon.com/Green-Grease-101-Waterproof-Temperature/dp/B004Y06YT8

First impressions: this stuff is not like the old grease I was using. Green Grease (which is about the color of baby poop if the baby was on a steady diet of peas) is much tackier. I got it all over the outside of my grease gun. And it pretty much laughed at the Gojo Hand Cleaner I used to wash my hands- I had to wash twice. Time will tell how it holds up.

 

[1955moose]

Hey Tom, why not screw in a regular small bolt after you grease the items, especially the lower ball joints. It's probably a common size bolt like 5 or 6mmx10mm length.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk