Beatup96

When my '96 had similar symptoms it was found to have a crack in the MAF sensor housing .

I have the Power Stop kit from Rockauto on my '96 with 32" STT's , slotted rotors and pads come with the kit . I also had new calipers installed at the same time but only because the stock ones were going on 16 years old . There is a large difference over stock braking power and 15" wheels fit fine .

I seem to remember someone here fitting 35"s with a 2" AC lift , there was lots of cutting involved IIRC .

I like it . Look's like my '96 and my '02 had a baby.....

Check the strut towers for rust , especially if you're in a state that uses salt or brine in winter . When you drive it , get it on a road where you can get it over 50 , if the rear end feels odd over bumps or other changes in the road surface , "twitchy" kinda describes it , it may need rear control arms (bushings really) . 3.3's , not sure what year's but definitely 96's , had issues with the exhaust manifolds cracking . If you see "smoke" it may be cracked or have been improperly replaced at some time . If all else is good the only deal breaker out of these for me would be rusty strut towers .

Truck look nice ! Where's all the fish and ducks ?

AC 2" coils + AC 1" front spacer , Bilstein 5100 shocks , KYB GR2 struts , 32x11.5x15 Cooper STT's on Pro Comp 15x8 steel wheels with 3.75" backspacing . Upper and lower rear control arm bushings were shot and replaced with poly bushings , didn't do anything for ride height but did wonders for the handling .

There isn't any option to use other than stock length struts as far as I know , shocks can be had that will offer more travel . I like the Bilstein 5100's in my '96 but don't know the actual part number . Someone did post it here not long ago though . Follow Steve's instructions and use the proper hardware and you should be a happy customer .

Not too long ago you forced Steve's hand and he had to post pics of how you used his spacers improperly . You took a simple application and monkeyed it up so bad that even a non mechanic such as myself could see a total lack of aptitude . You my friend , have been relegated to troll status , not to be trusted or believed .

There are several options for a lift , depends what you want for ride quality and pricing , Most can be "mix and match" , and will gain anywhere from 1" to 6" usually in 1" increments (as a general guide , every truck is a little different) . The higher you go the more expensive pretty much , Fleury's spacers are the best budget option that I see for up to 2" . There are about 3 choices in ride quality , stock , medium stiff , and STIFF (AC coils) . A friends kid had 20's on a '98 , I'm not sure of the width but I know he had to use wheel spacers and still had some rub . He had no lift and the wheel wells were filled up , I doubt there was much room for any flex off road . I can probably find out what sized tires it had but not until next week sometime . What sized tire you can fit on yours will depend on the offset of the wheels or size of spacers if used , and how much lift you do .

Thanks guys !

So I'm driving the "new" 2002 SE now , and one thing is a bit of a PITA . The drivers side front window has the "auto" thing where it will go all the way down or up on it's own depending on how you actuate the switch , as does my '96 . Problem is that the 2002 most often will go all the way up , but then opens itself again about 4" . This is a very sparsely optioned SE and doesn't appear to have any memory options as I can tell . Is it something replacing the regulator might fix ? Don't want to buy the part if it may be something else . My '96 never did this .

A Hardbody at heart with a V8 and a Eclipse body . https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/zombie-problems-craigslist-mitsubishi-4-4-answer-203037404.html Someone has quite the imagination !

Yeah , I leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark this time of year . For the short term I think I'll look for a cheapo stick on light . Made it through DMV in 2 hours , a record ! Took a better look at the tires and got the heebie jeebies seeing how dry rotted they were , went and had 4 new 255/70/16 Fuzion SUV's put on . They're "cheap" but they may not be on long , they seem decent for the money and get pretty good reviews . Tire guy says the front wheel bearings are a little loose and the shocks are leaking , good to know and they were things I was going to have gone through anyway . My target was to find a 3.5 in decent shape for $5000.00 , I'm into this one for $3200.00 with the tires so it's looking pretty good .

I'm not really sure yet what I'm going to do . I can't even utter the words yet to say what made me do it , when I get the 2002 registered and on the road I'll take a pic of the '96 . I'm a bit superstitious and I still need it to get me to and from the DMV . I may swap a lot of parts and there wouldn't be much left other than a decent motor and tranny , it would need a trailer to take it away . Most of the suspension , aftermarket brakes , tire carrier and latches , plate holder/light , full set of tray style mats , wheels/tires , etc..., would be kept . I'm also considering keeping the 2002 pretty stock and making the '96 a deer hauler on a friends farm .The CT state record buck was taken on an adjoining property , we goose hunt it , and it'll be long gone before his twins are old enough to get their paws on it... I need to get an opinion and a quote on the '96 before I decide , but it will definitely never be a daily driver again , and if I handed over the title to someone I could not in good conscience mark it as anything but junk/salvage . I can only think of one person I've ever met in 54 years who I'd hand over the keys and say "Drives great ! Go do 80 on I-84 !"...

After owning and loving my '96 for 16 years the time finally came , bought a 2002 today . Don't know if I'm sad or happy... I chased this one for about 3 weeks , it "got sold" at least once to people who never "came back tomorrow with cash" . I could tell this guy was getting fed up when he posted it on CL again a couple days ago by the latest wording of the ad... https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5321658745.html I got it for $2700.00 , went with cash , a maniac mechanic who could make a living doing comedy in Las Vegas , and a dealer plate to drive it home on the spot should a deal be made . The good... Runs great , quiet , good power . Virtually zero rust . No open recalls . Looks pretty good , it's no prom queen like he said , but overall not bad . Tranny shifts are a bit "sharper" than my '96 but no slipping . Heat/AC both seem good . No CEL . The bad... Tires are shot , not a big deal . Exhaust needs cat back replaced . Valve cover gaskets are a bit leaky , pretty normal for the age . Tranny pan gasket appears to have a slight leak . Plastic splash guard "skid plate" is kinda buggered up . Dash lights are "intermittent" , temp gauge is lit up , tach and speedo lights were out , tach light came on about 1/2 way back home ( a 25 mile trip ) , and the speedo lit up when I pulled into the driveway . Tach and speedo work , just aren't illuminated . My maniac mechanic friend thinks I did OK . In the morning I go to the hell hole we call "CT DMV" . Wish me luck...

I may be taking a look at a 2002 SE with 138,000 miles , price is right and the truck appears in great shape in pics . And it's BLACK ! My '96 has 160,000+ and it runs great , but cancer has gotten the best of her . Are the 3.5's as long lasting as the 3.3's ?

Is all this happening on paved surfaces ? Have you tried it on soft ground or gravel ? Have you checked the differential fluids ? Do you hear any clicking in 4wd with the wheel turned tightly and moving forward ?

Right down the road , but I don't want a 5 speed... http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5275899160.html In the 17 years I've had my '96 , I think I've seen maybe 5-6 others with a carrier . All were '96-'98's . Pretty rare around here it seems .

I'm not blind , but I must be getting old . I found it , sometimes just asking a question is magical...

I'm thinking it won't be long before I'll have to replace the old '96 and I'm actively searching for the right 2001-2004 R50 . What I can't seem to find is the "how to" that Hawairish posted on retrofitting my rear tire carrier to the newer model . Am I blind or does it seem that all forums only go back 3 pages now ?

Wider wheels would be better yes , but I put about 50,000 miles on a set of 31x10.5 Dunlops mounted to those exact style wheels .

They'll fit but you'll have some rubbing , mostly in reverse .

If there were lift springs installed in the rear before 97Pathfindeman bought the truck , and 2" spacers were added to those after buying it , wouldn't there have been panhard issues after doing so ?

I had a friend with a full shop install my coils , he said the fronts are tough . They're going to completely change your ride and handling , stiff and little if any body roll . I like it .