Looking for a 4-cylinder automatic pickup

[MinivanMauler]

"I did not see you mention price range."

I was hoping to keep in under $5k. I might go a little higher for something particularly sweet.

I know my nephew can't afford comprehensive insurance. Anything more valuable than $5k would be a foolish gamble.

 

[njcruiser]

4 cyl, auto, and towing anything shouldnt be mentioned in the same thought.

 

[The_Jeff]

At least in the early 90s dakota 4 cyls were stick shift, regular cab, short bed only. One can match theoretical powertrain combos at fueleconomy.gov.

My brother in law had a full size dodge work truck with 3.9 V6 but special ordered steep rear end gearing... maybe 4.11. If you get a small motor you may get lucky with a good rear end ratio that makes it buzzy on the highway but great for neighborhood cruising and towing. Fords have a alphanumeric code on the door sticker; figure them out and have them with you when you shop dealers.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Fords have a alphanumeric code on the door sticker; figure them out and have them with you when you shop dealers.


Ranger axle codes Scroll down and there's a chart that deciphers the door jamb codes.

 

[MinivanMauler]

Thank you for the axle codes. Much appreciated.

 

[addyguy]

I know you don't want to hear this, but if this truck is going to be used to haul and tow varying amounts of equipment, then get the 'right tool for the job' and at least get a V-6 truck of some kind. Trying to save money, by over-loading a 4-cylinder truck is pointless b/c the drivetrain will give out sooner rather than later from the abuse. You don't want your nephew stuck on thwe side of the raod w/ a truck full of equipment b/c he was trying to save gas money. Trucks are work tools - use the right one for the job!

 

[addyguy]

Any updates on this situation?

Any luck finding what you were looking for?

 

[MinivanMauler]

SUCCESS!

Finally, after fruitlessly scouring newspaper ads and autotrader, I just started driving around to the local used car lots. Just when I was about to give up, I found a 99 Ranger with the 2.5L and an auto transmission. I paid $3500 off the lot, which was towards the high side of what I thought it was worth, but honestly, the search was costing me and my nephew time and money, so I heeded my father's sage advice: "Don't step over dollars to pick up pennies."

I spent an entire day changing all of the fluids and filters (in typical BITOG style, I jumped for joy when I found it had a Wix oil filter on it). After my nephew picked it up and drove it home, we discovered that it has a parasitic battery drain, which is apparently not rare on Ford vehicles. Tomorrow, I'll go help him pinpoint and fix the problem. For now, he can either jump it off or disconnect the battery at night.

Otherwise, my nephew loves the truck. He's happy to be mobile. I'm happy to be done with the search.

Thanks again for everyone's comments/suggestions.

 

[01rangerxl]

Sounds good. I figured you would find one considering the relative abundance of Rangers in Alabama. I was in Birmingham for a couple weeks visiting family and it seemed like they were everywhere.

 

[The_Jeff]

This may be a random shot in the dark but I had a ford contour that used a relay in the underhood fusebox to switch most of the ignition switched stuff. This took a load off the key switch. I went by it, parked, and heard a faint buzzing-- it was the ignition module "thinking" or doing whatever they do. The relay had arced itself closed/shorted.

I switched it with the horn relay (eek) and all was well. Probably shaking it when I removed it did the trick.

As you chase wiring in this thing you probably won't find diagrams in the fuseboxes, you'll need an owners manual. If you don't have one you can get a pdf at fleet.ford.com

Congrats, those rangers are real nice vehicles; you can tell it's where Ford spent a lot of R&D on the details.

 

[exranger06]

Sounds like a good truck. Those 2.5Ls are almost indestructible and should last you a really long time. You have to change the timing belt about every 100k, but it's a non-interference engine so don't worry if it snaps. Good luck.