chefduane

Lots of people think that cold can kill a battery, and it can. But heat can be as damaging, or worse. Most folks get about 3-4 years on a battery here in DFW.

Really cold nights in winter (well, relatively cold - 19 F tonight and high of 30 F tomorrow) and can get up to 105 F during the summer. In 2011 we had 70 straight days over 100 F. Batteries dying all over the place. Best to get a Category or two above the OEM spec.

...and trust me brother, gear lube STINKS!

Greg Lake died on Wednesday last week (Pearl Harbor Day) and so pulled out my "Trilogy" album - vinyl, of course. Put it on and smoked one of my favorite Connecticut Churchill's. Oooh, what a lucky man I was.

I did that to my previous Explorer 4x XLT. Put in a new sub, stuffed the enclosure with polyfill, and lined the inside of the rear quarter panel with DynaMat. Really does make a difference. If I ever swap out the sub on the Edge, I'll do the same thing.

Weathertech or Husky Liner seem to be the most popular choice. I've had both and both are great quality and fit perfectly.

That does seem like a lot of miles - about 22k a year. Did the previous owner keep good maintenance records? Any major damage or accidents? And major problems in the past 3 years? I think you would want to know those things upfront before making a decision. If there has been continuing/ongoing maintenance issues every few months, you might be looking at a vehicle that you can't keep up with maintenance wise. I put 213k on my '98 SOHC 4x4 Explorer and kept it meticulously maintained, but it got to the point that every few months something else was going wrong and I'd be out a few hundred $$$. So now I'm in an '11 Edge Limited and couldn't be happier. And although mine is a AWD, I probably would not look at an AWD with those kinds of miles. To risky IMHO. I plan to regularly change the PTU lube but can you be sure it was regularly changed in the one you're looking at (if it is an AWD)?

Also, buying from a close friend can be a good thing or a bad thing. If the deal or vehicle goes south, is it worth jeopardizing a friendship over? Of course, this is your decision but I thought I'd just mention it. I'll butt out now.

Enigma, thanks for the links. I read them both. It seems like the K&N filter (and >any< electrostatic filter, by the link info) SHOULD be cleaned and treated with the 'tackifier' and recharge fluid. So today I found myself in an AutoZone and bought the recharge kit. It wasn't the $$ so much as was it REALLY needed. And from the article its clear that, yeah, you do need to clean it and especially recharge it. It appears as though the static recharge spray is what is more important than the cleaning fluid to make sure that the airflow builds up the charge on the filter material for the most effective filtration. And after spending $40 on a cabin filter, why skimp on the cleaning fluids eh? Thanks again for the links.

...hmmm. I believe that the Simple Green will kill any mold that accumulates, and a good rinse should also clear away any mold remnants. And wouldn't the simple airflow over the filter medium build up an electrostatic charge regardless? (I could very well be wrong on that, anyone who knows better please chime it.) I guess I just don't want to feel suckered into buying an unnecessary recharge kit. However, I can be persuaded to buy one if I am incorrect in my assumptions.

I just ordered a cleanable/re-usable K&N Cabin Air Filter from Amazon. Will receive it on Friday. I resisted the urge to buy their "Recharging Kit" for $11. I looked at the ingredients and its the same thing as Simple Green or any of the other green cleaners. Spray it on, let it set, and rinse it off with water. I just like the idea of a re-usable and cleanable filter. Also have an AEM Dryflow in the airbox.

Those are actually pretty cool looking. But for $595.00 and coming from China, I'll pass. I'm sure they are fine Chinese products, but I have seen some Chinese auto parts that are extremely low quality with manufacturing processes really inadequate. Too much money to chance.

..quick update.. I opted not to spray it down to clean it. I pulled off the foam covers and it was relatively clean from my perspective. I just blew it down really good with the needle attachment on my compressor. Blew a lot of dirt, dust, and leaves out. Glad I decided not to spray it - prolly for the best anyways.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm either going to blow it out really good with compressed air and leave it at that, or then spray it down. I may decide not to chance it.

Again, thanks for the responses.

Thanks the kind of feedback I was looking for, ie, whether it was a good idea or not.

I'll put one down for "not a good idea."

Well I don't really need to, I just want to. We all do a lot of things to our cars that aren't really needed. I just like to keep things nice and clean. It probably has something to do with my profession and the desire to keep things clean.

Any input on actually doing what I am suggesting?

All, I am wondering about cleaning my engine bay with the foam insulating cover off. I am talking about the black foam cover that is installed over the intake manifold. Would there be any issues (other than making sure no water gets into any electrical connectors) that might preclude me from doing this? I am thinking about a gently water spray, then spraying the engine down with Simple Green, then carefully brushing off any especially dirty areas, then rinsing it down again. I have done an engine bay cleaning, but am interested in actually cleaning the engine.

Anyone think that this is a really bad idea? Any feedback that you might have about doing this?

Thanks!

I just took a look again and mine does not say Soundscreen anywhere. Very odd. Also, I thought I had the rain sensing option but apparently I don't. NBD, never had a car that had it so I prolly won't miss it. As soon as it rains here in DFW I'll find out. (63 here today - brrrrr!!!)

What does the Soundscreen trademark look like? I have the FoMoCo and Carlite logos, and another marking that is an oval with 'CCC' in it. Nothing that mentions Soundscreen.

About 2 mos ago I bought pretty much the exact same car - '11 Limited AWD w/ about 65k miles. I have not noticed any haze or film on the windshield. I know there are some folks that wax the windshield when they wax the car (we used to do that as teens) so maybe that was it. Also, I Rain-X my car windshields once a year but that never leaves a haze.

The p/n printed on my windshield is AA13-7803100-A. Don't know the significance of the first position being an 'A' rather than a 'B'. My Edge had the 301a package so it has pretty much every bell and whistle available - would there be a difference in the windshield?

Whoo Hoo! Thanksgiving day and The Chef is not doing the turkey. Mom-in-law is in town and she is cooking!

Got up early and swapped out the wiper nozzles. Driver side was all messed up and spraying all over. Decided to do both of them. You guys were right, both of them were brittle and cracked. The passenger side tip broke off in the tube of the 'T' connector so I had to carefully remove the broken up remnants. After that both went on fine and got the hood liner up also. I strongly suggest getting a set of nylon interior panel pullers from Harbor Freight for pulling the keepers off the liner. Makes things a lot easier and doesn't mess up the liner.

While I was at it I also installed an AEM Filter Minder #30-5111. I am a big fan of AEM Dry Flow Filters and the little filter minder is a little gadget that tells you when the filter is clogged. I usually clean the filter every other oil change, but I saw Mact's vid on in and decided to get it. Easy install.

Now it's Couch Time and watching the continuing miracle of the Cowboys! Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Ah. I see. Sorry about that.

..make mention of the fact that he was one the first to implement the assembly line/production line manufacturing techniques that revolutionized many industries. (There is some debate whether he or Ransom Olds was the actual inventor and first to use it in production.) There were certainly automobiles before Ford introduced the Model A then the T model, but Ford was the first to actually make it affordable to the common working man. He kept manufacturing costs low, for instance, by insisting that some suppliers ship parts in plywood boxes of his own dimensions. He then disassembled the boxes and used them as floorboards and framework for his seats. Pretty ingenious. However, mention the good with the bad... It was also commonly known that Ford was an anti-Semite. Much more common in those times than now, thankfully.

Actually, that would be good knowledge to have. What exactly DOES a battery disconn reset? I would assume all radio presets and settings (fade, balance...) and also any destinations/routes saved in Navigation, also probably climate settings? Anything else?

..gonna' have to trade up to a Limited if you want that power lift gate!

Ok, so how about oil bath air cleaners and drop in cartridge oil filters? Or kingpins? Those were the days when you could pop the hood, look in the engine compartment and see the ground.

..not to mention the.. uh.. plastic.. uh..well.. ballsack.. hanging from your trailer hitch. All the chicks dig that!!

I do remember curb feelers. (Crap, I'm old. )