Learn me please ... 4 cylinder Rangers

We have an 04 and 06 as work trucks. 04 was bought new, stripper model, 06 was a repo, someone took it 4wheeling and got stuck or something, trans was full of mud and water, and the tras mount was pushed up enough to have the drive line hit the underside with any weight in the bed.

Both have 200k+ on them, one is at 240 IIRC, They are construction work trucks, IE overloaded and abused. Only needed basic maintenance and repairs on them. Both are 4cyl sticks. Could use new springs, but otherwise they are good trucks.

Watch for the fuel cut off switch if you have tall passengers in a reg cab, its right where their feet will hit it and cut your fuel off

There's like millions of 'em out there quietly doing their jobs without complaining.

Just don't Google "Ford Ranger prerunner".

They're fun to rallycross. My '93 is currently undergoing a 302 swap :)

Reply to Lof8:

Is there a build thread for your 302 swap that you'd like to share?!?

Starts on page 2 of this thread:

Ranger build

Lof8 wrote: Starts on page 2 of this thread: Ranger build

VERY cool .... thanks for the link!

Damn, late to the party (like normal), but everything has been covered. They are cockroaches, they'll run after the apocalypse. Rear leaf shackles and hangers are prone to disappearing because of rust. 83-97 are I-beam in 2wd, which can be completely swapped for all years- I HIGHLY recommend just finding 89-up beams and 95-97 spindles, 04 sport trac rotors, and a custom caliper bracket , and A-arm from 98-12. 4wd's are TTB and a-arm/torsion bar for the same model years. Edge and some of the later Sport models are 4wd suspension with torsion bars, but 2wd and look like a 4wd with the fender flares. 2.3/2.5 they all run like slow molasses uphill in a January snowstorm. Turboing them has mixed results, but they are still fun. The 3.0 V6 is better but is still a turd, IMO. But then again, for the research I have done, you could bolt on the SHO upper end and have something unique. 4.0 OHV only have 160hp, but are almost bulletproof. The 4.0 SOHC sucks ass with the mirror port cylinder heads, stay far far far away. 8.8's are available and bolt in from rangers and exploders. Explorers are a 4" drop, with some added shock mounts. There was also the availability of 10" drums which are a bit better than the 9"-ers. Quick check is 10" are on all 8.8's and 9" on 7.5's. Look for finned or non-finned drums, finned are 9", 10" are smooth. Last 2 model years offered rear disc.

There's plenty more, but I have to keep some secrets.

Thanks folks ... going to look at the first potential victim this weekend.

One of my closest friends runs his HVAC business out of a stripped down 2002 Ranger 5-speed. Paid $1800 for it 5 years ago and as only put oil, brakes and a clutch in it. The only modification he's done is to put Explorer rear leaf springs on it to get rid of the rear squat because he runs a service cap and hauls tons of equipment to each call. It now has just over 220k on it and the transmission is starting to act funny but it's been used hard. They're sturdy in the right places and light in others. It squeaks and rattles but never quits.

Buy one.

One thing that I forgot to mention that may make a difference is the fact that regular cab Rangers gained a couple of inches in cab length beginning in 98. I'm 6'1", and can fit in the older, shorter cabs but adding a couple of inches in length makes the 98+ trucks a much nicer place to spend time.

Extended cabs are all the same from '93-'12.

Unless it's practically free, I can't think of a good reason to buy one of these over an S10. I've owned both, and my son drives a 09 Ranger (it was cheap with no mileage from a family member), and the best thing he has to say about it is that it's good on gas. All were 4 cyl/5spd trucks. There is little to no aftermarket, compared to a huge one for the S trucks.

In reply to Zomby Woof:

I think that perceived lack of aftermarket depends on your intended use. Rangers own the prerunner market but S10s own the street market. I always wondered why that was, at least for the a-arm models. I know the I-Beams are garbage if lowered. Maybe 96 was just too late for the minitruck scene?

Opens new Charlotte Craigslist tab...

Just browsing rock auto parts list for ~ 2000ish Rangers. Wow .... parts are cheap for these rigs! And I thought Miata consumables were low cost ....

Used to nab these for parts delivery vehicles. If you know anything about dealer vehicles, they never need maintenance until they're either on fire, or stuck on the side of the road. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, qualify for Indy and haul the entire contents of your house. These things were nearly impossible to kill, even with open mouth breathers driving them.

ebonyandivory wrote: There's like millions of 'em out there quietly doing their jobs without complaining. Just don't Google "Ford Ranger prerunner".

He's right, I should have listened. Now I can't unsee this: (and neither can you!)

Edit: hotlink Seems to not work. Guess you CAN avoid seeing it. If you really want to..

Link to article with sweet jump pics

Ranger50 wrote: I HIGHLY recommend just finding 89-up beams and 95-97 spindles,

Ranger, can you please elaborate on these 2 points? The '88 and earlier beams are forged and can be manipulated with welding etc, while the later beams are cast and can't be. I'm planning to extend some of these older beam for my wannabe prerunner build. What's the advantage of the 95-97 spindles? Thanks!

Lof8 wrote:

Ranger50 wrote: I HIGHLY recommend just finding 89-up beams and 95-97 spindles,

Ranger, can you please elaborate on these 2 points? The '88 and earlier beams are forged and can be manipulated with welding etc, while the later beams are cast and can't be. I'm planning to extend some of these older beam for my wannabe prerunner build. What's the advantage of the 95-97 spindles? Thanks!

Changes the ball joints from the beams to the spindles and the spindles accept "regular" brakes, i.e.- without having the hammer in slide.

I had a '99 2wd extended cab XLT with the 2.5 and. 5 speed. I bought it in 2000 with 48k miles on it and traded it in 2003 with over 150k miles on it.

If I ignore the damage that occurred when it slid off a garage lift, it required almost no repairs. I ended up replacing a speed sensor in the rear diff and an oil pressure sending unit. Otherwise it was just routing maintenance, oil changes, filters, brakes and tires.

I thought it looked better, drove better, towed better, and was a much more solid vehicle that the 1996 S10 4wd I had a few years later.

But that's just my opinion...

How good/bad and/or capable are the later 4X4 Rangers?

Appleseed wrote: How good/bad and/or capable are the later 4X4 Rangers?

For normal 4X4 stuff/daily driving, they're totally competent. The torsion bar suspension will allow a little adjustment of ride height (up or down) by just cranking the bars.

For pre-running desert stuff, most guys want the older I-beam trucks for improved travel.

For Hardcore offroading, rock climbing, or mudding, most guys swap in a sturdy solid front axle.

4cyl 4X4s are uncommon, and were only available on the older, i-beam trucks. All other newer 4X4s came with one of 3 v6s:

The 3.0 OHV was used from the mid 80s until 06 or 07 and has a reputation for lasting forever. It's not an inspiring engine in stock form, so the fact that it lasts forever can be good or bad depending on your bias. Many were flex fuel.

The 4.0 OHV was used through 2000, and is based on the previous 2.8 and 2.9L. It's a sturdy and torquey engine, but won't blow anybody away.

The 4.0 SOHC was used from 01-12 and is essentially a 4.0 OHV that Ford tried to modernize. It's an odd engine design, with 2 timing chains (one in front and one rear). Early examples were known to have timing chain tensioner issues that required engine removal to fix if they didn't wreck the engine entirely first. They supposedly fixed the timing chain issues after 03 or so. It's got the most hp and tq of the v6s, but the tq curve is a bit different than the older pushrod engines, and it's more complex. YMMV and all that.

The early torsion bar trucks had vacuum controlled front hubs which don't last a long time. I think Ford eliminated them in 01 or so. Normal, mechanical hubs are available in the aftermarket as well. Mechanically, the 4X4 Rangers are pretty much Explorers with a bed. If you've driven a 97-01ish Explorer, you'll feel right at home.