Intro - And A Few Questions

[WABronc]

Howdy!

I recently purchased a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco (rather impulsively) as a gift to myself. I've been eyeing them for a while and I pulled the trigger when this one came on the market. It has 141,000 miles, the majority of which were probably driven in California based on the Carfax. Visually it's in really good shape besides some peeling clear coat on the hood and roof which I plan to either "temporary fix" myself at home by sanding / spraying new clear coat or going whole hog and having a shop repaint the hood, roof, and air intake.

Mechanically it seems to be in pretty good shape but I'm no expert. I have already taken it in to the local Ford dealer to get all open recalls fixed. The only things I've noticed is it needs a brake job and sometimes it seems to "jump" a bit when shifting. It's an automatic and I'm not totally sure what that is indicative of. It's not every time but it happens a bit driving in the city, it seems to happen most up-shifting between the lower gears. Should that be ringing alarm bells?

I'd really like for this truck to be my daily driver but I don't want to tear it up and while I don't do a lot of driving, most of the driving I do is <5 mile trips in the city. Does that seem like a bad idea? At the end of the day since I don't do much driving I also don't desperately need a super reliable car either. I could reasonably afford a (cheap) daily driver, but again I'd prefer to just have the bronco.

 

[Skitter302]

Welcome to Bronco ownership!

Most previous owners don't keep up on the maintenance. And alot of it you can do your self with simple tools, time, and a bit of "know how".

A good place to start is to replace all the fluids. Coolant, Oil, Transmission, Transfer-case, Front diff, rear diff. For the Brake and Powersteering fluid most the time you can empty and fill the reservoir to freshen up the fluid with out doing a full flush. IF you going to do a brake job you can do the full flush when you bleed the lines. Fresh fluid will also help with the shifting.

Checking ignition parts is important too. Cap, Rotor, coil, and wires. Most this corrode with age more then miles.

By the time you do that you've done all the maintenance you've brought the reliability back to the vehicle. Short trips are ok on the vehicle aslong as you allow the engine to come up to temp during your travels. MY trips around town are short so I take the long way to go pick up milk.

 

[miesk5]

Yo WABronc,
Welcome!
As Skitter302 advised on maintenance; try a long shot and register to see most Ford dealer maintenance/repairs done @ any dealership nation-wide @ Welcome to Ford Owner | Official Ford Owner Site .

ASAP, find out if speed control recall work, if equipped was completed @ Recalls Look-up by VIN (Vehicle Identification Number); or @ Welcome to Ford Owner | Official Ford Owner Site; or ... have VIN ready. While there, see most Ford dealer maintenance/repairs done @ any dealership nation-wide.
"Summary: ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE."
To confirm current status, use this guide by jowens1126 @ 93 & 94-96 Cruise Control Recalls Repair
Note that the 93 recall is different than the 94-96 recall.


See 1994 Bronco Dealer Brochure by Ford via Dezo's Garage @ https://www.xr793.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1994-Ford-Bronco.pdf

1994 Bronco Brochure, Partial; Cover & Page 3; plus pics of EDDIE BAUER model accessories.
by Ford via BigRob at 1994 Ford Bronco Bronco Accessories pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net
Al

 

[johnnyreb]

Howdy!

I recently purchased a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco (rather impulsively) as a gift to myself. I've been eyeing them for a while and I pulled the trigger when this one came on the market. It has 141,000 miles, the majority of which were probably driven in California based on the Carfax. Visually it's in really good shape besides some peeling clear coat on the hood and roof which I plan to either "temporary fix" myself at home by sanding / spraying new clear coat or going whole hog and having a shop repaint the hood, roof, and air intake.

Mechanically it seems to be in pretty good shape but I'm no expert. I have already taken it in to the local Ford dealer to get all open recalls fixed. The only things I've noticed is it needs a brake job and sometimes it seems to "jump" a bit when shifting. It's an automatic and I'm not totally sure what that is indicative of. It's not every time but it happens a bit driving in the city, it seems to happen most up-shifting between the lower gears. Should that be ringing alarm bells?

I'd really like for this truck to be my daily driver but I don't want to tear it up and while I don't do a lot of driving, most of the driving I do is <5 mile trips in the city. Does that seem like a bad idea? At the end of the day since I don't do much driving I also don't desperately need a super reliable car either. I could reasonably afford a (cheap) daily driver, but again I'd prefer to just have the bronco.

View attachment 21784

Welcome to the club. Good looking bronco you have.

 

[ablediver]

Howdy!

I recently purchased a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco (rather impulsively) as a gift to myself. I've been eyeing them for a while and I pulled the trigger when this one came on the market. It has 141,000 miles, the majority of which were probably driven in California based on the Carfax. Visually it's in really good shape besides some peeling clear coat on the hood and roof which I plan to either "temporary fix" myself at home by sanding / spraying new clear coat or going whole hog and having a shop repaint the hood, roof, and air intake.

Mechanically it seems to be in pretty good shape but I'm no expert. I have already taken it in to the local Ford dealer to get all open recalls fixed. The only things I've noticed is it needs a brake job and sometimes it seems to "jump" a bit when shifting. It's an automatic and I'm not totally sure what that is indicative of. It's not every time but it happens a bit driving in the city, it seems to happen most up-shifting between the lower gears. Should that be ringing alarm bells?

I'd really like for this truck to be my daily driver but I don't want to tear it up and while I don't do a lot of driving, most of the driving I do is <5 mile trips in the city. Does that seem like a bad idea? At the end of the day since I don't do much driving I also don't desperately need a super reliable car either. I could reasonably afford a (cheap) daily driver, but again I'd prefer to just have the bronco.

View attachment 21784

Please bring your 92-96 EB to North Florida for the winter. I'll cover your air ticket back to wherever. I promise to take good care of it, and will drive the vehicle to your suggested mileage limits. I currently have two (2) Broncos, a 90' survivor, and a '96 daily driver. I also promise that Bubba, Bobby Ray, and Cletus will not be allowed to drive it. Your humble Southern brother.
Ablediver

 

[Popoagie6]

Howdy!

I recently purchased a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco (rather impulsively) as a gift to myself. I've been eyeing them for a while and I pulled the trigger when this one came on the market. It has 141,000 miles, the majority of which were probably driven in California based on the Carfax. Visually it's in really good shape besides some peeling clear coat on the hood and roof which I plan to either "temporary fix" myself at home by sanding / spraying new clear coat or going whole hog and having a shop repaint the hood, roof, and air intake.

Mechanically it seems to be in pretty good shape but I'm no expert. I have already taken it in to the local Ford dealer to get all open recalls fixed. The only things I've noticed is it needs a brake job and sometimes it seems to "jump" a bit when shifting. It's an automatic and I'm not totally sure what that is indicative of. It's not every time but it happens a bit driving in the city, it seems to happen most up-shifting between the lower gears. Should that be ringing alarm bells?

I'd really like for this truck to be my daily driver but I don't want to tear it up and while I don't do a lot of driving, most of the driving I do is <5 mile trips in the city. Does that seem like a bad idea? At the end of the day since I don't do much driving I also don't desperately need a super reliable car either. I could reasonably afford a (cheap) daily driver, but again I'd prefer to just have the bronco.

View attachment 21784

My response is as a non-mechanic but as an owner ('95) for nearly 20 years. I bought it because I needed a truck for weather conditions for my short work commute where I lived for 18 months, and then I only used it for short commutes in mostly dry, flat town driving and a little bit of highway use from moving mostly. At this time, my vehicle runs very well. Most of the time I've owned it, that has been the case. I work at home and my son buys the groceries due to COVID and him wanting to protect his dear old mom. So, I've had plenty of in-town driving, but I have not done that much in city stop-and-start environments. A little, yes, but not much, mostly because I have worked remotely so much of my life. It has about 200K on it now. Most of that was in Central Texas and Southern California. 75K was in the Tetons in Wyoming where there was I think no salt used but there is a little rust underneath. Nothing nasty in terms of causing actual problems, though. I do think you need to drive the car regularly to make sure the seals don't dry out and possibly for other reasons. Again, I'm not a mechanic. Because I work at home, I go out every once in a while and run my Bronco. I take it to doctor appointments. I might run it down the highway every once in a while.

BUT....this is the most important thing. Some may disagree, but if it makes you happy to run around town in your Bronco, then just do it. It's just a thing. When it's visible, even at the grocery store, people will approach you to talk about it, including Bronco admirers and hobbyists. You might make some new friends that way and get some good advice or even help to tinker on it. If I wanted to meet people who liked Broncos, I'd park it at a gun shop and hang around. I've never done that, but I know hunters love them because they can take the back off and hunt out of the vehicle, or so I've been told a few times. Also, take it to vintage car shows and you'll likely get slips of paper with people's names and numbers on them trying to buy it from you. They might already own more than one Bronco and might want it for parts or to fix up. But, you can make connections that way. So, whether you drive it daily as your main car or whether you take it out when you have time to chat, it does need to be driven a little. If you're worried about wearing it out on a daily commute, just take it out when it needs to be driven or when you have time to chat and others probably do too--on weekends to events and the grocery store in mid-morning when men are picking up things from lists that have been handed to them and they'd rather be talking about Broncos, at the gun shop, outdoor store (REI, Cabellos, etc.), fishing bait shop, mechanics shop where they help restore older vehicles, etc. If you drive it selectively that way instead of taking it on twelve-lane city highway commutes, you're less likely to be in a wreck too. Broncos protect themselves but you can get pretty bad whiplash all up and down your spine from an old Ford truck like the Bronco, even as the Bronco shows barely a nudge and the other car is totaled.

 

[ablediver]

Popoagie6 is right . My '96 EB is my current daily driver. I get 3-4 times a week people asking, "Hey , what year is that ?" or double -gawk like it's a starlet in Saran-Wrap.
Man, like, work it hard, keep it clean, and drive it proud !!

 

[johnnyreb]

Popoagie6 is right . My '96 EB is my current daily driver. I get 3-4 times a week people asking, "Hey , what year is that ?" or double -gawk like it's a starlet in Saran-Wrap.
Man, like, work it hard, keep it clean, and drive it proud !!

I was out in my 78 last year and a a couple of young teenagers stopped and said they liked my truck.Gave me the thumbs up and I thanked them.

 

[Popoagie6]

I was out in my 78 last year and a a couple of young teenagers stopped and said they liked my truck.Gave me the thumbs up and I thanked them.

Yep, that's what they do, haha! It's nice to have young people approve of older people as being cool, or at least having cool stuff! I'm not that old, but they probably think I am.

 

[johnnyreb]

Yep, that's what they do, haha! It's nice to have young people approve of older people as being cool, or at least having cool stuff! I'm not that old, but they probably think I am.

Well I turned 70 in July,but alot of people say I don,t act like it and if I shaved I,d look alot younger.

 

[johnnyreb]

Well I turned 70 in July,but alot of people say I don,t act like it and if I shaved I,d look alot younger.

Oh I,d say about 47

 

[johnnyreb]

Yep, that's what they do, haha! It's nice to have young people approve of older people as being cool, or at least having cool stuff! I'm not that old, but they probably think I am.

It seems to me like I am trying to catch up with my age. I don,t feel or seem over 18.Since I went to Nam.

 

[ablediver]

Johnnyreb,

Back in the day, the girls at the drive -through used to ask "Hey, how's it goin' cowboy? " Now, they ask me , "How was it back then sir?
LOL

 

[Popoagie6]

Johnnyreb,

Back in the day, the girls at the drive -through used to ask "Hey, how's it goin' cowboy? " Now, they ask me , "How was it back then sir?
LOL

I love that!