Reply With QuoteWorked with a bloke who was part of the second generation Explorer/Firestone class action. He lost his wife in a vehicle roll over.
@Keeper : you don't always have to spend big $$ to get results. It sounds like you've been pretty sensible! Did the throttle body change make much difference?
Worked with a bloke who was part of the second generation Explorer/Firestone class action. He lost his wife in a vehicle roll over.
It helped the throttle response quite a bit.The stock throttle body is something like 64mm. It's not a huge improvement as far as diameter, but the 70mm is designed for the Mustang, so it has much smoother air flow. As far as horse power, my Seat-o-the-pants meter says it was negligible. I belong to an off-road site focusing on the Explorer and gained quite a bit of inspiration from the guys over there along with being able to find what works, and where to find deals.Originally Posted by wagon
There is a couple of throttle-body sizing utilities around on the web. I put the numbers regarding my vehicle into one of them and there was no gain to be had from a bigger throttle-body unless I revved the old dear harder, which I won't do because it would be a bit like a grenade with a random fuse time. Maybe the lower restriction got the better low-end grunt in your case... it would be interesting to do a before&after dyno run.
You can check it out here. The gentleman who owned that Explorer was a retired research scientist and was serious about his numbers.
It seems to me there wasn't a lot in it (I've been reading the link). But it's a low-cost mod for a modest improvement.
I believe some where near page five he states he lost a few HP put picked up a few torque. Next on my list of to do's is put on my Solid Axle diff cover. Good protection for the rear diff compared to the stock one.
Trouble is, if the dyno run is done on different dynos or on different days the numbers don't mean a lot.
Are you going to make the diff cover?
That's a good point.
No I picked up this diff cover.
I didn't think a diff cover would do much, but if they're a bit weak when bush-bashing I reckon every bit you can do would help. I like the idea of extra oil, too.
I modified the pan on the transmission on my Falcon on Sunday ; it was painful to service with my basic gear- you'd get splashed with oil as you undid the pan. We drilled an 8mm hole in the RH side and silver-soldered a nut inside the pan. Now I've got an 8mm bolt like a mini sump plug! Now I can drain most of the oil and then drop the pan off (to change the filter, etc.) without spilling oil all over the floor. We had to think carefully about where we put the plug since the pan is showing signs of being dented up from gutters, dirt roads, etc. The engine sump has a great big sump guard (factory option). All this is very handy on a lowered car.
The stock diff cover isn't horrible. But being thin aluminum it's not gonna hold up well to a bashing. Plus this new on increases the capacity a bit, and I've got a more accessible filling location compared to stock.
I've been looking into doing something similar to the transmission pan on mine, while adding the gadgets for a Trans temp gauge as the stock gauges are woefully inadequate.
Just make sure if you add something to the trans it's well out of the way of anything internal or external. Takes a bit of thought 'will it get smashed off' etc.
Thanks for the words of caution. I don't intend to just jab a whole in it. I try to plan out the mods before had making the best of what I've got.
We got the 3.45:1 diff in the wagon today.. we had to change the tailshaft because the back uni-joint was too different to easily reuse. There is a banging noise with hard acceleration, it's probably the big anti-vibration 'donut' on the yoke out of the transmission. It might have to get the big hammer treatment and fall off. Even the handbrake works well now! (was super-duper-crap before)
I managed to appropriate an electric power steering pump off a TS Astra (Holden/Opel). It looks to be a pretty easy fit with the high-pressure line having the same fitting as the existing belt-driven pump. I'll be fitting it to the old Falcon: it will be interesting to see what fuel consumption improvement is gained.
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