With a 2022 Explorer you're dealing with Ford's Torx obsession, a mixed SAE/metric fastener layout, and a 4,600 lb SUV that needs respect on jack stands. At beginner level on a grand, I've stacked you with everything needed for safe lifting, basic maintenance, and first-tier diagnostics while keeping $73 in your pocket. The 2.3L EcoBoost is chain-driven so there's no timing belt emergency, but get this list sorted before you touch anything under the hood.
Ford's Torx fastener addiction is real — T27, T30, T40, and T55 appear on underbody shields, brake hardware, driveshaft, and interior panels. Mixed SAE/metric throughout: body and frame hardware leans SAE, but engine and drivetrain are increasingly metric post-2010. You need both full fastener systems covered.
Brand: Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight) | Category: Lifting | Store: Harbor Freight | Priority: CRITICAL
The Explorer sits at 8.2" stock ride height so there is zero need for a low-profile jack — any standard 3-ton slips under the side sill pinch weld without a ramp. The Pittsburgh 3-ton is heavy at 68 lbs but it works, and Harbor Freight's no-questions lifetime replacement policy means a bad unit gets swapped on the spot. Use the included foam saddle on the pinch weld or buy a rubber pad ($8) to protect it. This is your starter jack — the Arcan upgrade lives in future upgrades when budget allows.
Alternative: Arcan ALJ3T 3-ton aluminum jack (~$200) — lighter, faster two-pump lift, better long-term buy. Listed in future upgrades.
Brand: ICON (Harbor Freight) | Category: Safety | Store: Harbor Freight | Priority: CRITICAL
Never work under a vehicle supported only by a floor jack. The floor jack is for lifting — stands are for supporting. ICON's 6-ton rating gives you a massive safety margin on a 4,600 lb Explorer, the ratchet-and-pawl locking mechanism is positive and confidence-inspiring, and the wide base resists tipping on uneven garage floors. Get the 6-ton pair — do not cut corners to 3-ton stands on a full-size SUV. Always verify the locks are fully engaged before sliding under.
Brand: Camco | Category: Safety | Store: Amazon | Priority: CRITICAL
Chocks go against the rear tires any time the fronts are in the air — they are the last mechanical stop between a rolling Explorer and your legs. The Camco 44492 rubber units are sized correctly for truck and SUV tires, grip concrete without sliding, and nest together for storage. Two per vehicle, placed front and rear of the opposite axle. This is a $14 decision with life-safety consequences.
Brand: 3M | Category: Safety | Store: Amazon | Priority: CRITICAL
Brake dust, rust flakes, and penetrating oil mist do not care how careful you are — they go airborne and they go in your eyes. The 3M Virtua CCS has side shields that block debris coming from angles, anti-fog coating that actually works, and polycarbonate lenses rated for impact. Keep them on from the moment you lift the car until the moment it is back on the ground. At $12, skipping this is indefensible.
Brand: First Alert | Category: Safety | Store: Amazon / Home Depot | Priority: CRITICAL
Fuel lines, brake fluid, battery hydrogen, and oil mist are all potential ignition sources in a working garage. The ABC rating handles flammable liquids and electrical fires — both of which are realistic garage scenarios. Mount this on the wall next to the door you exit from, not buried in a corner. If you have to dig for it, it is useless. At $35 this buys you the ability to handle a small fire before it becomes a large fire.
Brand: Tekton | Category: Sockets | Store: Tekton Direct / Amazon | Priority: HIGH
The Explorer demands all three drive sizes: 1/4" for tight dash fasteners and sensor bolts, 3/8" as your everyday workhorse covering 80% of jobs, and 1/2" for suspension, lug nuts, and torque-critical work. This set covers both SAE and metric in one purchase with a lifetime warranty. Tekton is the best value-per-dollar socket brand in the industry — not Snap-on, but not junk either. The 6-point socket design grips rounded fasteners better than 12-point. Do not let anyone talk you into a cheap generic set from a big-box store for the same price.
Alternative: Husky 100-piece socket set at Home Depot (~$80) — adequate for beginners, lifetime warranty at HD
Brand: Tekton | Category: Sockets | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
Lug nuts on the Explorer are factory-torqued to 150 ft-lbs, and the last person who rotated your tires with an uncalibrated air gun may have gone to 200. Your ratchet will not break these loose — this will. The 18" handle gives you the mechanical advantage to crack seized fasteners without using your body weight and risking injury. Also the correct first tool to reach for on any stuck bolt before you grab heat. Buy this before you need it.
Brand: Tekton | Category: Torque | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
Lug nuts are 150 ft-lbs. Front brake caliper bracket bolts are 111 ft-lbs. Rear caliper bracket is 85 ft-lbs. Guessing torque is how you warp rotors, strip aluminum threads, and crack alloy wheels. The Tekton 24335 delivers ±4% accuracy with a micrometer-style adjustment ring and a crisp, audible click that you cannot miss. Critical rule: always reset to minimum torque setting after use to keep the internal spring calibrated. This wrench pays for itself the first time it prevents a stripped drain plug.
Alternative: Pittsburgh 1/2" click torque wrench from HF (~$30) — accurate out of the box, loses calibration faster with heavy use
Brand: Wera | Category: Screwdrivers | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
Interior trim panels, battery terminals, hose clamps, air filter housing, cabin air filter cover — all screwdriver jobs that come up immediately for any new vehicle owner. Wera's Kraftform handles use an ergonomic multi-zone grip that transmits more torque with less hand fatigue than any round-barrel screwdriver. The laser-tip engraving actually grips screw heads and cuts cam-out on corroded fasteners. Once you use these, every Craftsman set you own becomes a junk drawer tool.
Alternative: Wiha 26190 7-piece set (~$38) — similar German quality, slightly firmer feel, excellent for small fasteners
Brand: Tekton | Category: Ford Specialty | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
This is non-negotiable on any Ford product. The Explorer uses Torx fasteners on underbody aero shields (T27), brake caliper guide pins (T40), driveshaft bolts (T55), interior trim (T20), and dozens of other points throughout the vehicle. Without these bit sockets, you literally cannot access basic components. T30 and T40 will be your most-reached-for sizes. Buy this before you attempt anything beyond an oil change — it is as essential as the socket set itself on this vehicle.
Alternative: ARES 70105 18-Piece Master Torx Bit Socket Set T6–T70 (~$30) — covers every Torx size if you want future-proofing across all vehicles
Brand: Knipex | Category: Pliers | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
The Cobra 7" is the greatest automotive plier ever made. One-hand push-button adjustment through 15 positions, and it does not slip off rounded fittings the way every Channellock you have ever owned does. The needle nose covers hose clamps, wiring harness connectors, snap rings, and any pinch-access situation in an engine bay. These are German tools made to German tolerances and they will outlast the vehicle you are working on. I have had mine for 12 years. After one job with these, your existing pliers become drawer filler.
Alternative: Buy Knipex individually if the combo is unavailable: Cobra 87 01 180 (~$35) + needle nose 26 11 160 (~$22)
Brand: Launch | Category: Diagnostic | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
The Explorer has a full suite of electronic systems and all four will throw codes at some point in the vehicle's life. A $15 Amazon dongle only reads engine codes, leaving you completely blind on ABS faults, airbag faults, and transmission codes. The CRP123X reads and clears all four systems with a proper display, not a phone app. At $65 this is the minimum viable diagnostic investment for a 2022 vehicle — it will save you the $150 diagnostic fee the first time a warning light comes on and you want to know if it is serious before driving to the dealer.
Alternative: BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro (~$100) — phone-based, excellent Ford coverage, but requires your phone in the engine bay
Brand: Tekton | Category: Shop Supplies | Store: Amazon | Priority: HIGH
Bolts, clips, springs, and small fasteners disappear into concrete the moment you set them down without a tray. The three-size set nests for storage — the 3" sits on the fender, the 5" sits next to the brake caliper, and the 7" catches everything from a suspension teardown. Strong magnets hold hardware even when bumped. After your first brake job, you will not understand how you worked without these.
Brand: PB Blaster | Category: Shop Supplies | Store: Amazon / AutoZone | Priority: HIGH
The Explorer is a 2022 so most fasteners will cooperate, but brake bleeder screws, exhaust heat shield bolts, and caliper hardware can corrode and seize even on newer vehicles. Spray overnight on anything that feels tight before applying force — broken bolts on a 2022 are expensive, embarrassing, and entirely avoidable. Two cans because you will use more than you expect once you start wrenching regularly.
Brand: Permatex | Category: Shop Supplies | Store: Amazon / AutoZone | Priority: HIGH
Apply a light coating to lug nut threads and spark plug threads before reinstallation. The EcoBoost aluminum head and steel spark plug are dissimilar metals — they will gall together over thousands of heat cycles without anti-seize, and a seized plug in an aluminum head is a very bad day. Apply thin — excessive anti-seize on lug nut threads will reduce friction and cause you to overtorque past spec. This 8 oz jar will last years of weekend wrenching.
Brand: Scott | Category: Shop Supplies | Store: Amazon / Costco | Priority: MEDIUM
Lint-free, solvent-resistant, strong enough for brake cleaner and oil cleanup. More importantly: clean your hands before touching new brake pads or rotors — skin oils and grease contaminate brake surfaces and cause noise or fade from the first stop. Keep a roll in the garage, not paper towels from the kitchen. Not glamorous but not optional.
Brand: GearWrench | Category: Wrenches | Store: Amazon | Priority: MEDIUM
Ratcheting wrenches transform engine bay work — you get the bite of an open-end with the speed of a ratchet, and GearWrench's 120XP mechanism gives you a 3-degree swing arc that fits in spaces a socket and ratchet cannot reach. This 20-piece set covers both SAE and metric and handles 90% of fastener situations where you cannot get a socket on a bolt head. On the Explorer you will live in 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, and 18mm. Buy this after the Tier 1 list is handled — it will immediately feel like a capability upgrade.
Alternative: Tekton 30-piece combination wrench set (~$65) — no ratcheting action but excellent value and lifetime warranty
Brand: Ryobi | Category: Power Tools | Store: Home Depot | Priority: MEDIUM
Since you have no battery platform yet, the Ryobi ONE+ HP brushless kit is the smartest buy at this budget — you get a capable impact wrench, a 4.0Ah battery, and a charger in one box for $149. The HP brushless line delivers genuine torque (300+ ft-lbs) that handles lug nuts and brake caliper bolts without drama. You are not a professional installer so you do not need Milwaukee M18 FUEL performance at double the price. More importantly, the ONE+ platform locks you into a 300-plus tool ecosystem — if you later add a drill, circular saw, or blower, all your batteries are compatible. That has real dollar value.
Alternative: Milwaukee M18 FUEL 2962-20 (tool only, ~$180) — noticeably better torque and fit-and-finish, but add ~$100 for a starter battery pack, bringing total to $280+
Brand: AstroAI | Category: Diagnostic | Store: Amazon | Priority: MEDIUM
Battery voltage, alternator output, fuse testing, sensor ground checks — your Explorer has dozens of electrical circuits you will eventually need to verify. The AM33D is auto-ranging so you do not have to know what you are measuring before you measure it, has CAT III safety rating for automotive electrical work, and costs $22. If you ever get a charging system warning light, 30 seconds with this tells you whether it is the battery, the alternator, or a loose cable. At $22 there is genuinely no reason not to own one.
Brand: Nebo | Category: Lighting | Store: Amazon | Priority: MEDIUM
The Explorer's engine bay is deep and dark, and you cannot correctly identify the right fastener to remove if you cannot see it. The Nebo Slim+ is thin enough to fit into tight underhood spaces, the magnetic base sticks to the fender or firewall without a hook or clamp, and it charges via USB-C so there is no proprietary battery or cord to manage. 500 lumens is more than adequate for under-hood and under-car work. Do not try to work off your phone flashlight — it will end up in a puddle of oil.
Brand: Lisle | Category: Ford Specialty | Store: Amazon | Priority: LOW
The 2.3L EcoBoost uses coil-on-plug ignition with limited clearance around each plug bore — a standard 5/8" spark plug socket will bind against the coil housing and either damage the coil or refuse to seat on the plug. The Lisle thin-wall design clears the coil, and the rubber insert holds the plug during extraction so it does not drop into the engine bay. Plugs are due at 60K miles on the EcoBoost. Buy this when it is time. At $12, do not improvise.