If it's a vacuum-operated flap, just find out whether applying or removing vacuum puts it in the position you want. If applying does it, run a hose to the actuator from a vacuum source on the engine someplace. If removing does it, just disconnect the actuator. Remember to plug or cap any unused vacuum connections to the engine so you don't create a vacuum leak situation.

With any luck, the actuator will flip to hot air when vacuum is applied. If you then connect it to manifold vacuum, it should flip back to cold when there is little to no vacuum... aka wide open throttle. That way you get cold air for maximum power when you need it, and warm air all other times.

I had a 93 Ford Explorer 4.0 V6 and after I took off the big wheels my father loves to put on his SUV's I got 26 mpg out of it. Look on the door for the correct size, I had to order it from General tire, they were cheap, narrow and got great MPG.

I didn't know about Gassavers back then in 06, so I just drove it without any idea how to drive for economy.

One thing that my mechanic recommended I do was to only engage overdrive above 50, if you have noticed, Ford put a giant overdrive gear in the trans, I think 70 was like 1600 RPM. So city cruising is easy, without having to bog and stomp with the trans always being in overdrive in the city.

Maybe it's just mine, but my RPM's are always above 2k when I go above ~65.
So, I usually only drive it under 55-60mph, and the tach stays around 1.5k

88 horses? Is that a term I don't understand?
I know the explorer has ~160hp

I think ford man was referring to his escorts.

you do lose power but if you don't really need that much power then it doesn't matter. my car is rated 120hp and it is well above what I need driving back and forth to work with just me in the vehicle.

my IAT temp runs 140ish right now. during the summer, it will see close to 180 degrees. during the winter will still see over 100.

...

160hp from a 4 liter engine? Torque shmork, that's pitiful! I'm sorry, but Honda was getting that from a production line 1.6 liter i4 back in 1990.

My 1987 Cadillac had a 4.1l V8 that only had 120hp. It had gobs of torque and the car was plenty fast. It was basically like a diesel engine.

New emissions regulations and the new computer-controlled TBI that they put on it resulted in a low 4000 maximum RPM. It accelerated well but top speed was limited because it didn't have enough gears to use all that torque.

Before and after that particular era, Ford and GM were getting more HP per liter, but right at that time the numbers didn't look so great. That was also a time when they really fell behind with quality. Luckily they cleaned up their act during the early to mid 1990s.

Unfortunately, the 4.1 was a trouble-prone engine. After I was in my first accident in my Regal, I had considered getting another car and replacing it. The insurance company did give me a lot of cash. I looked at my local Cadillac dealer, and they had a 1984 Fleetwood Brogham with EVERYTHING on it. Even the factory installed CB radio. Local trade, ran well, only had 90k miles on it. Unfortunately it had a 4.1 in it. If it had a 305 or a 350 I probably would have bought it.

The main problem with the 4.1 was that the head gaskets were made of some sort of special material that required an additive (only available at Cadillac dealers) to be added to the cooling system when the coolant was replaced. Backyard mechanics rarely read the manual to know this. Pretty much, the only way the cooling system was properly maintained is if the car was serviced at the dealer. The second problem was that they were putting the 4.1 in the Fleetwood. Too little engine for a vehicle weighing in at over 2 tons. because of these 2 factors, the 4.1's often had to be rebuilt or replaced between 100,000 and 120,000 miles.

My 4.1 may have had the head gasket problem. I think it ended up lasting past 200,000 miles anyway. It did have some overheating. Its biggest problems were electronic gremlins that I would probably fix quite easily now, but when I was 17 I had neither the patience nor the ability.