Learn me: Ford rangers

As the searching for a truck continues, things have been narrowed down too late 90s/2000s rangers and s10s. I'm familiar with the s10s and leaning towards a ranger because of my Chevy experience, but I don't know much about them. I am also open to older generations but almost every one pre 95 I've seen needs a motor or body.

I'm looking specifically at extended cabs, and I think I'd prefer the V6/automatic combo, but I'm open to change. Its main job will be getting lumber, metal, scrap, other building materials, and towing less than 2000lbs; but if I'm allowed at the venue it would run rallycross events.

So what are some troubles? Bolt pattern? Towing/hauling? How do the frames hold up? How hard are they to lower 2 inches?

I feel overly confident I can do body repairs if necessary, and really surprisingly they don't look nearly as rusty as their full size counterparts around here, so unless they're hiding frame rot that's a plus.

I'm seeing a lot with blown motors between 120-150k, and a few that had transmissions replaced under 100k.is this going to be a concern or just a lack of maintenance?

Bolt pattern same as your vic

It's a cheap truck that gets neglected/abused by most of it's owners. All the people I know that have had them that weren't at least as young and dumb as me didn't have many issues out of them.

I think they were pretty good trucks. One of my co-workers has one with about a zillion miles on it and it's still holding up well (it is showing some rust, but for its age in Minnesota it's not bad at all.) Remember that Mazda sold the same truck; they both came off the same assembly line and about the only difference was the grille and the nameplate.

I have a 2005 with the 2.3l Inline 4 Duratec, and a manual transmission. Super basic truck - it has AC but that's the only option, rubber floors etc.

I bought it during college as my first vehicle with AC - I got an internship in Tucson, AZ and needed something with AC. Picked it up with 109k miles and bad 2nd gear snycros for pretty cheap; it now has 203k miles on it. Besides fluid changes/filters/tires, I've done the following: transmission (bad 2nd gear syncros from the kid who learned to drive manual on it), fuel pump, clutch/slave cylinder/pilot bearing, added aftermarket cruise control, front wheel bearings, rear diff input seal/bearing, and plugs/wires.

I've averaged 27.5 MPG, it towed a 1500 lb trailer for a couple thousand miles, and total cost per mile (except for insurance/registration) for the last 94k miles has been $0.21/mile.

I should really sell it because I've got a "real" truck now, but I think I'm emotionally attached at this point. If you can, I recommend the manual - I've driven a few auto rangers in 4 cyl and 6 cyl, and the manual is way more fun!

All I know is that the moment you buy a Ranger, you will suddenly feel compelled to drive 5mph under the posted speed limit, if not 10mph under. More than Buicks and Oldsmobiles, the one vehicle that I know if I come up behind will be going dog slow is a Ford Ranger.

We had more than one extended cab Ranger to tow with. Fine truck. Having the clamshell rear doors really helped the usage of that back area.

The truck is rated at 5500lb, so we easily pulled our ~3200lb package.

The only issue we ever had was when it was a 3.0 and we were in the hills of WV. Other than that, no issues.

I own 2 of them. One for a daily driver and one as a toy. I'll just rattle off some bullet points:

Bolt pattern is the same as Mustang/Jeep/Panther cars/Nissan 350Z, etc.

Lowering a 2WD truck 2 inches can be cheap and easy (like the cost of a few nuts/bolts and cutoff wheels).

The frames are 2 pieces and are generally pretty reliable. Look closely at the rear leaf spring hangers as they tend to rust out (if they need to be replaced, it's a perfect opportunity to do the 2 inch lowering by flipping the rear shackle when reinstalling).

There were 3 V6s used during that time frame. The 4.0L OHV was used until 2001. It's a sturdy and torquey engine with minimal chronic issues. The 4.0L SOHC was used beginning in 2001 and is a complicated evolution of the OHV engine, but does offer more power and torque than the 4.0 OHV. Early ones had issues with timing chain guides and replacing them involves removing the engine completely, so listen for any rattling from the engine. The final v6 is the 3.0L OHV which was used from the early 90s through 06. It's down on power compared to the two 4.0L engines, but gets similar fuel economy. It's nearly indestructible, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your feelings toward it. It does have a flex fuel variant if that matters to you.

I'm not a fan of the automatic transmissions in these trucks. They're basically an evolution of the old A4LD and aren't especially strong or efficient. Higher mileage trucks have probably either had the trans rebuilt, or will need a trans rebuild soon. The manuals aren't anything special, but they have much better reliability, will return better fuel economy, and make the trucks more fun to drive.

You'll probably get 16-20 mpg with whatever V6 drivetrain combo you end up with. Maybe a bit higher with the right rear gears and lots of highway driving.

They're generally pretty tough to kill and parts are cheap/easy to find and replace.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

alfadriver wrote: We had more than one extended cab Ranger to tow with. Fine truck. Having the clamshell rear doors really helped the usage of that back area. The truck is rated at 5500lb, so we easily pulled our ~3200lb package. The only issue we ever had was when it was a 3.0 and we were in the hills of WV. Other than that, no issues.

Forgot something- every truck blew out the rear shocks. The stock ones were terrible.

So I finally replaced them with load leveling shocks- which helped a TON. When we loaded the truck and trailer, I could make sure the truck stayed level, and the replacement shocks lasted through two trucks.

Totally worth it.

alfadriver wrote:

alfadriver wrote: We had more than one extended cab Ranger to tow with. Fine truck. Having the clamshell rear doors really helped the usage of that back area. The truck is rated at 5500lb, so we easily pulled our ~3200lb package. The only issue we ever had was when it was a 3.0 and we were in the hills of WV. Other than that, no issues.

Forgot something- every truck blew out the rear shocks. The stock ones were terrible. So I finally replaced them with load leveling shocks- which helped a TON. When we loaded the truck and trailer, I could make sure the truck stayed level, and the replacement shocks lasted through two trucks. Totally worth it.

What brand did you use?

Klayfish wrote: All I know is that the moment you buy a Ranger, you will suddenly feel compelled to drive 5mph under the posted speed limit, if not 10mph under. More than Buicks and Oldsmobiles, the one vehicle that I know if I come up behind will be going dog slow is a Ford Ranger.

I remember you, or somebody else saying the exact same thing last time rangers came up lol. Now I think about that whenever my speed dips...

I have an '02 Edge 4X4 now (3.0/auto), but have had a few others. My previous one, an '85, had the 2.0 and manual tranny and was also 4X4 (Ohio winters). I would have kept that one, but rust killed it. The one I have now is almost rust free -it was a farm truck and that might explain the lack of rust. Lots of parts, a widely used bolt pattern and plenty of them parting out lets you to keep replacing the odd piece if necessary. My son-in-law has a '99 he bought new, has about 240,000 miles and he plans on keeping it forever.

oh and edit: I drive it between 75-80 and the freeway...

joey48442 wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

alfadriver wrote: We had more than one extended cab Ranger to tow with. Fine truck. Having the clamshell rear doors really helped the usage of that back area. The truck is rated at 5500lb, so we easily pulled our ~3200lb package. The only issue we ever had was when it was a 3.0 and we were in the hills of WV. Other than that, no issues.

Forgot something- every truck blew out the rear shocks. The stock ones were terrible. So I finally replaced them with load leveling shocks- which helped a TON. When we loaded the truck and trailer, I could make sure the truck stayed level, and the replacement shocks lasted through two trucks. Totally worth it.

What brand did you use?

Some cheap brand from NAPA.

I still have them if you want them. You know what town I live in....

For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to keep them after a lease ended. Even though it's highly unlikely we get another Ranger that can use them.

alfadriver wrote:

joey48442 wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

alfadriver wrote: We had more than one extended cab Ranger to tow with. Fine truck. Having the clamshell rear doors really helped the usage of that back area. The truck is rated at 5500lb, so we easily pulled our ~3200lb package. The only issue we ever had was when it was a 3.0 and we were in the hills of WV. Other than that, no issues.

Forgot something- every truck blew out the rear shocks. The stock ones were terrible. So I finally replaced them with load leveling shocks- which helped a TON. When we loaded the truck and trailer, I could make sure the truck stayed level, and the replacement shocks lasted through two trucks. Totally worth it.

What brand did you use?

Some cheap brand from NAPA. I still have them if you want them. You know what town I live in.... For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to keep them after a lease ended. Even though it's highly unlikely we get another Ranger that can use them.

Hmm, yes I think I would be interested. Do they adjust by air pressure?

Good, I'll be able to keep the wheels and snows from the Vic then. Shocks are fairly cheap and easy to do too.

I guess my big takeaway is take my time finding the right one. And if the hills of WV made the 3.0 feel like a dog, I guess I'm looking for the 4.0 SOHC because that is where I'll be traveling the most.

It's kind of annoying, I don't have the cash right now but I've seen some good looking one owner rangers coming up for sale lately, hopefully they keep popping up.

Our winters haven't been bad enough lately to need 4wd, but it would be nice to not have to worry about getting stuck in wet grass or light mud.

In some googling I've seen some pretty nasty 4wd repair cases, is there a year that the system maybe worked a little better or was a bit more robust? It looks like a lot of the issues were 97-01 though. Just looking out for repairs that could cost more than the truck.

In reply to joey48442:

Yea- there's a schrader valve that gets mounted someplace, and tiny air lines that go from there to each shock. In theory, you could use a hand pump, but I was close to the garage when fully loaded- so I could use shop air.

OR be a cool kid on the block, and do like Wheeler Dealer did with their old Luv, put a 12V pump someplace, a switch, and a way to dump the air inside the cab.

It took me 3 shock failures before catching on- the stock shocks have pressure in them, so it's a pretty tiny failure before the truck looks like a dog taking a piss- one corner fails.... And they suck.

This thread is relevant to my interests.

In 1998, they switched the front suspension from the Twin Traction Beam to a more conventional SLA setup. The '98s and newer handle better and can be lowered more easily than with the old TTB setup.

I once owned a 1991 2wd single cab long bed with the ancient 2.3l and 5 speed manual. It was a great, if slow, truck and it never let me down even though I beat it like it owed me money every day.

93-97 gas tanks are plastic, prone to cracking near the fuel pump assembly, NLA from Ford, and no aftermarket ones are available.

I have a '96 std cab/long bed w/ the 2.3/auto (4R44E) combo. I would've held out for a 5 speed but I found this one a mile from home w/ a broken t.b. for basically scrap money, took a gamble. It's got over 189k on it and I've been commuting with it daily mostly on the hwy and getting 24mpg. They are as easy at it gets to wrench on, as long as you soak every nut and bolt you plan on removing with copious amounts of PBB or the like. My HF elec impact has been my friend w/ this project truck. Mine appeared to have very minimal maintenance done in the last 21 years of service and I bought it off the 2nd owner who just used it around town. I will tell you that the motor runs like a watch and the driveway remains spotless underneath.

I've replaced timing belt/tensioner, battery, alternator, fuel pump, coil packs, plugs/wires, entire front brake system incl. lines, hoses, calipers/rotors/pads, cat conv pipe, catback, shocks, front links, tires and all of the fluids.

It rides well (for what it is) although I did go with cheap Gabriel pro guard shocks which are valved a bit on the stiff side.

Common rust areas - frame (depending on region), leaf spring hangers (replaceable), radiator support (check behind front bumper and can inspect mounts from above in engine compartment) - this can also be replaced and also floor plans.

stanger_missle wrote: In 1998, they switched the front suspension from the Twin Traction Beam to a more conventional SLA setup. The '98s and newer handle better and can be lowered more easily than with the old TTB setup. I once owned a 1991 2wd single cab long bed with the ancient 2.3l and 5 speed manual. It was a great, if slow, truck and it never let me down even though I beat it like it owed me money every day.

To provide a correction or two and probably a huge bunch of opinion, TTB is the 4WD version of the twin I-beams. I don't know about "handle better" between the I-beams and a-arm versions. I've had both. Biggest thing is add a rear sway bar, if you really want better handling.

Lowering either is a PITA. You either have to try to remove a double nutted 5/8"x 9" bolt for the I-beams or live with ill-designed and crap control arms for the other, since there isn't a lowering spindle available and never will be.

The Lima 2.3/5spd is about as bulletproof as cockroaches. Slow and reliable.

JeffHarbert wrote: 93-97 gas tanks are plastic, prone to cracking near the fuel pump assembly, NLA from Ford, and no aftermarket ones are available.

Well that sounds like a potentially big deal...

I will ad this on the subject of the twin I beams, remember the '92-95 Lightning utilized it, albeit with a nice drop and they handled very well. I've driven a '94 quite a bit and was amazed how that thing stuck to the road w/ all that mass. I think road tests at the time had them pull close to .90G on the skid pad.

In reply to Ranger50:

Huh, I was under the impression that to lower an I beam truck, the only option was to buy "Dream beams" or lowering I beams or heat and bend the stock I beams. Thanks for the info.

I totally agree on the cockroach aspect of the 2.3L/5 speed. You just won't get anywhere in a hurry haha.

In reply to stanger_missle:

Well, you're right in the I-beams, but the bolt to remove the beam from the radius arm is a bitch to remove. If it hasn't ever been removed, good luck. It will take a lot of penetrating oil and probably a torch to remove it. Ford left it out in the open to rust up. https://instagram.com/p/BYRzbHvHGTn/