1996BLKBauer

Nice ride for sure, I personally feel that you have the right amount of chrome to black on the truck right now. My Explorer is pretty much the same way, with chrome bumpers, and chrome side accents. Keep the fluids changed, and that thing will easily go to 300,000+ miles. What a great vehicle for a teenager, just make sure he knows how big that thing is, lol.

OUCH! But at least he is being taken care of now. It's sort of sad to see shops do that, it means the people working there take no pride in their work. Can't wait to see the finished project, keep the good work up.

Maybe this won't happen.....

I'm not sure that thing can handle Minecraft.

Can't wait to see this. please post show listings when you know, and what channel. Discovery have about 3 different channels now, so I never know what is going to be on which one.

Whatever you do be sure to keep the sweet grey, and black interior.

When I was running wire in my engine bay I just used some spit loom, and wrapped some good quality electrical tape. I ran 4 gauge wire, which I wrapped in 3/8 in split loom, which fit perfect, and then wrapped in in 3M tape. I was also very picky about where I ran my wire, kept it away from anything with excessive heat.

Didn't some of those newer Lincolns or Cadillac have dimples on the bottom panels for aerodynamics? So that they get better fuel economy. From what I remember about golf balls, is that the dimples are there to help the ball cut through the air for more distance. I am unsure if it would help, but if you can easily do it, try it, or make it interchangeable so you can see if it even makes a difference. EDIT* after reading the link above, I believe that dimples may not help that much, unless you need to move something through the area, such as a golf ball. Also if you are making turbulations that mess up air flow wouldn't you need to make your port bigger to allow the same amount of air to move through, but easier. To be honest it sound like a lot of work and thinking for something that probably not make that much of a difference.

it doesnt matter. ITs immediately after the fuse. my guess is that there is corrosion out the ass on the end of the wire and it is failing to conduct any electricity. none of my questions were answered though so I can just speculate That would make sense. although corrosion would be pretty easy to spot, I would be surprised if OP missed that.

The factory wires in most cases have fuseable links added in at the factory. I am not certain if this is used anymore on newer cars, but older cars from 90's, and early 2000's had them I know.

That is some weird shit. usually if you have a break in a wire you loose all of the voltage, and have no continuity. I just want to know where the 11.9 Volts is going. If I where you I would just replace the wire, because since you already replaced the fuses, and fuse holders, you have pretty much ruled that out. is there any cuts abrasions, or burns in the wire that would allow it to short out, or possibly melt? Because if the wire somehow got smaller due to it burning away, or being cut, then that might be your problem. although you should still get voltage through it, just not as many amps.

I would be pissed if a shop hacked up my car to gain access to a battery. There has to be another way, instead of cutting holes like that. I am not trying to be mean, I would just be pissed if I where you. But everything else seems legit to me. I really like the bass knob.

All I am going to say is that Burr Brown are one of , if not the best Digital to Analog Converters out there. I can tell the difference, but if you are just building a system to be loud, and for bass, I really don't see a point in quality. Because sound quality sort of drops off with volume and bass, and it is very hard to keep a perfect balance. It is honestly up to you if you want to spend the extra money for Burr brown. But to be honest you most likely will not even notice without a nicely balanced setup, and more importantly good quality speakers. I am not saying by any means that your system is bad, I am just saying that you need the right stuff to sound good, and hear the difference.

Burr Brown DAC are the best in the world, many Stereophiles swear by them. I cannot tell you why they sound soo much better, but my buddies $1200 Cd player has them, and it makes CDs sound amazing. Most CD players that are released today have a varying 1-bit DAC, which sounds OK, but you can pick up why they are bad on highs, because they get muddy. My buddies Pioneer CD player has two 16 bit Burr brown DACs, one for each channel. And we did a side by side comparison with his, and a much cheaper Kenwood CD player, and the difference was significant. I a little bit of a Stereophile myself,and I WANT HIS CD PLAYER, but I am stuck with my H/K Cd player for now. So is short, yes what you got may not sound as good, and yes it is because it does not have BB DACs.

Nice build, I had to help a buddy with his Cavalier, and I will never do such a thing ever again. It is BS that you have to take the whole dash a part to get to the HU. you must have patience, and know your car very well to deal with that more then one time.

Damn you almost doubled the mileage, any problems since the updated chain/tensioner system? Are you a member on the Explorer Forum? Over there they are gods on everything about the Explorer. But the subject about car audio is small so I got to come over here, and speak to the gods of car audio.

98 XLT, 4.0 SOHC 2wd with only 126,XXX. Yeah I got the puny version lol. I love it though, it's been through hell and sat a lot but it goes and goes and goes lol. I don't think I'll ever find a SUV with the visibility and comfort that the Ex has. Every other truck I've driven seems like they designed it for you not to be able to see anything out of. The SOHC is a BITCH to work on though. If it ever goes out I'm finding a 4.6 for the cheap. I have heard bad things about the SOHC, but I also heard they make good power, and some go forever. Have you had any problems with the timing chain cassette rattle? I hear it's pretty common thing. I do agree with the visibility, I have been in many other SUV's, and trucks, and the blind spots are horrible.

Wellllll I don't have a step bit/unibit so I tried with the hole saw first and failed miserably. Then I did like suggested above and started smaller and just got a little bigger each time. Basically...don't just grab the 1" drill bit and try to go to town. Unless you find a way to get a drill press in your Ex, a bigger bit will just slide around and make you angry. ok, that make sense, thanks for the tip. I hate those hole saws anyway, my dad had a very bad experience with one once. I am glad I asked here, instead of somewhere else, or my local shop, I for sure would not of gotten this good advice. Hole saws are AWESOME for wood. I have a big ol one that is adjustable and makes perfect circles. But...they suck ass for cutting through metal. Just take your time. Oh and NP. I like to help people with the same car as me. They're very sound system-friendly lol. I get the death grip on the saw whenever I use one. Still hate them, but I do agree they work well. For sure thanks. I was at a loss. It is also good to hear. because I got a lot to put it, just want to do everything at once, so I get the full effect instead of half. The wait is killing me. What are the specs on you Explorer? Mine is a 1996 Eddie Bauer, 4 door AWD, with the 5.0L V8, got 160,XXX miles. I love mine.

Wellllll I don't have a step bit/unibit so I tried with the hole saw first and failed miserably. Then I did like suggested above and started smaller and just got a little bigger each time. Basically...don't just grab the 1" drill bit and try to go to town. Unless you find a way to get a drill press in your Ex, a bigger bit will just slide around and make you angry. ok, that make sense, thanks for the tip. I hate those hole saws anyway, my dad had a very bad experience with one once. I am glad I asked here, instead of somewhere else, or my local shop, I for sure would not of gotten this good advice.

Does the grommet not tell you what size bit to use, or does not using such a large drill bit right away help with not eating up the bits?

I was already thinking about those spots on the truck, but I want to go directly to the actual frame on the truck. I want to have a solid ground that won't be in the way. Ah ok. I don't know of any spot that even 4 gauge would fit through. I have used both of the above grounds with success though. You could always drill a hole and use a grommet like http://www.sonicelec...ac=1&zmap=46313 that. I didn't know a grommet like that existed. It seems simple, but to be honest drilling a hole in my floor always freaks me out, it just leaves a spot for water, and other stuff to go it, that is why it is pretty much my last option. I appreciate the ideas, I checked out Sonic and they even have a 4 gauge one. I might do that but still searching for something with less hole drilling. Bring some extra drill bits and lots of patience. It will take time. Sounds like you know this from experience, It really can't be that hard to drill though the steel of a car. I mean maybe the firewall, but the floor?

I was already thinking about those spots on the truck, but I want to go directly to the actual frame on the truck. I want to have a solid ground that won't be in the way. Ah ok. I don't know of any spot that even 4 gauge would fit through. I have used both of the above grounds with success though. You could always drill a hole and use a grommet like http://www.sonicelec...ac=1&zmap=46313 that. I didn't know a grommet like that existed. It seems simple, but to be honest drilling a hole in my floor always freaks me out, it just leaves a spot for water, and other stuff to go it, that is why it is pretty much my last option. I appreciate the ideas, I checked out Sonic and they even have a 4 gauge one. I might do that but still searching for something with less hole drilling.

I was already thinking about those spots on the truck, but I want to go directly to the actual frame on the truck. I want to have a solid ground that won't be in the way.

I am trying to figure out if there is a access hatch on a 2nd generation Ford Explorer so that I can run my 4 Gauge ground through it and connect it to the frame. Something by the rear behind the 2nd row seating would be best, I really don't want to run a power and a ground from the battery, I also don't just want to ground to the body, and I really don't want to cut or drill a hole to run the wire through. So has anybody with a 2nd gen Explorer know if there is some access hatch or anything I can run this one wire to?

Something wrong with a ford? No way. Never happens. Glad you got it fixed OP. el oh el... it's definitely a ford. At lease I somewhat have the knowledge to troubleshoot whats going on and fixing it myself as opposed to taking it to a shop and saying "fix it" What seems to work the best are those little rubber bumps you see on cabinets to stop the wood from hitting the wood when you close the door. they seem to be the right diameter, and the right depth in most cases. Plus they already have glue on the back, so you just stick it on and your good.