01rangerxl
Thread starter
I went and test drove it at lunch...I need to sleep on it at least a couple days, but I am still interested.
The good:
- 4.0L OHV engine...and a very smooth one at that. The engine in this truck is super quiet...quieter than the 4.0 OHV in my old Explorer despite more miles. Amazingly, it has the OE muffler so no obnoxious exhaust notes or anything. I was absolutely shocked it ran as well as it did. One of the valve covers had the factory sticker and the date code was '94 (truck is confirmed a '94 by the 6 digit odo, '93 was 5 digits). Valve covers might have been swapped if the engine was replaced at some point, but it appears original. No CEL, and no leaks. It's bone dry around the valve covers, timing cover, water neck, etc. It definitely has not been detailed.
- 4WD works, t-case shifts perfectly.
- Drives incredibly straight for a TTB truck. Might be the straightest driving TTB front axle truck I have ever driven. Steering is smooth and amazingly quiet for an early 1990s Ford.
- No rust at all. Totally rust free truck front to back.
- No bad noises from the driveline, even with the mud tires it's a surprisingly quiet truck.
- Clutch and brakes felt good...good hydraulics, no noises, parking brake is able to hold the truck on a slight incline.
- Power lumbar and side bolsters on driver's seat still working. Power mirrors work (has crank windows and manual locks).
- Arm rest on console not broken.
The bad:
- Needs a transmission mount. I could feel the transmission move a little on some shifts, and could see that the rubber was a little dry looking. It did not look completely split though. Not a big deal, $10 + shipping from Rock Auto, surely less than $20 locally.
- Needs shifter bushings. I was able to find the gears well enough, but it had the sloppiest bushings of any M5OD I have driven, and I have driven some with twice the miles of this truck (it has 170K miles). Whoever owned it before must have been real ham fisted or was constantly pushing on the shifter.
- Headliner needs to be recovered, driver's seat has a couple holes that need to be fixed.
- Passenger side seat belt missing entirely.
- A/C compressor not coming on. This truck has a "push for A/C" type control panel, and the light is not coming on nor is the compressor engaging. A/C components are intact, so hopefully this is just a relay or fuse. May take a relay and fuse along with me the next time I look at it. Non functional A/C is not a total deal breaker for me, but I'd rather not have to end up completely redoing the A/C to get it working. If I throw a relay in, and it engages and starts blowing cold, I'll feel much better about that aspect.
- The truck has definitely, without a doubt, been off road a few times in its life. There is mud all over the place underneath.
- VHT Niteshade, etc. I mentioned in the OP.
It's definitely not perfect, and it definitely has some issues I'd expect on a 21 year old truck, but a lot of the really important things like the front suspension and basic condition of the engine and drivetrain check out. I was really amazed at how quiet it was and how well behaved the TTB front end was, even with old shocks. The A/C is kind of a big issue, but I don't plan to put a ton of miles on this truck, and even if it needs major A/C components replaced, it shouldn't cost a fortune.
The truck was a great driver overall...plenty of smooth power with the 4.0/manual combo and a well maintained, solid TTB front end. I like it overall and so far the problems seem to be ones that can be tackled without too much hassle. Going to think on it some more...
The good:
- 4.0L OHV engine...and a very smooth one at that. The engine in this truck is super quiet...quieter than the 4.0 OHV in my old Explorer despite more miles. Amazingly, it has the OE muffler so no obnoxious exhaust notes or anything. I was absolutely shocked it ran as well as it did. One of the valve covers had the factory sticker and the date code was '94 (truck is confirmed a '94 by the 6 digit odo, '93 was 5 digits). Valve covers might have been swapped if the engine was replaced at some point, but it appears original. No CEL, and no leaks. It's bone dry around the valve covers, timing cover, water neck, etc. It definitely has not been detailed.
- 4WD works, t-case shifts perfectly.
- Drives incredibly straight for a TTB truck. Might be the straightest driving TTB front axle truck I have ever driven. Steering is smooth and amazingly quiet for an early 1990s Ford.
- No rust at all. Totally rust free truck front to back.
- No bad noises from the driveline, even with the mud tires it's a surprisingly quiet truck.
- Clutch and brakes felt good...good hydraulics, no noises, parking brake is able to hold the truck on a slight incline.
- Power lumbar and side bolsters on driver's seat still working. Power mirrors work (has crank windows and manual locks).
- Arm rest on console not broken.
The bad:
- Needs a transmission mount. I could feel the transmission move a little on some shifts, and could see that the rubber was a little dry looking. It did not look completely split though. Not a big deal, $10 + shipping from Rock Auto, surely less than $20 locally.
- Needs shifter bushings. I was able to find the gears well enough, but it had the sloppiest bushings of any M5OD I have driven, and I have driven some with twice the miles of this truck (it has 170K miles). Whoever owned it before must have been real ham fisted or was constantly pushing on the shifter.
- Headliner needs to be recovered, driver's seat has a couple holes that need to be fixed.
- Passenger side seat belt missing entirely.
- A/C compressor not coming on. This truck has a "push for A/C" type control panel, and the light is not coming on nor is the compressor engaging. A/C components are intact, so hopefully this is just a relay or fuse. May take a relay and fuse along with me the next time I look at it. Non functional A/C is not a total deal breaker for me, but I'd rather not have to end up completely redoing the A/C to get it working. If I throw a relay in, and it engages and starts blowing cold, I'll feel much better about that aspect.
- The truck has definitely, without a doubt, been off road a few times in its life. There is mud all over the place underneath.
- VHT Niteshade, etc. I mentioned in the OP.
It's definitely not perfect, and it definitely has some issues I'd expect on a 21 year old truck, but a lot of the really important things like the front suspension and basic condition of the engine and drivetrain check out. I was really amazed at how quiet it was and how well behaved the TTB front end was, even with old shocks. The A/C is kind of a big issue, but I don't plan to put a ton of miles on this truck, and even if it needs major A/C components replaced, it shouldn't cost a fortune.
The truck was a great driver overall...plenty of smooth power with the 4.0/manual combo and a well maintained, solid TTB front end. I like it overall and so far the problems seem to be ones that can be tackled without too much hassle. Going to think on it some more...