New (old) Ranger w/ {PICS} + oil change......

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So my brother had this truck handed to him yesterday, this will be his first ride. I washed and cleaned the interior, just used Dawn dish soap to was since it had some nasty build up from being outside for years and not being washed enough. Its basic transportation, it has the 2.3 twin spark plug 4 cylinder and a 5 speed (Mazda) manual, crank windows etc. We also changed out the oil and filter today since it had been about 3,800 miles since the last change. I chose a Fram Ultra and some Mobil Super 5000 10w30, the Fram will be used for 3 OCI's. The 10w30 is approved as an acceptable oil if temps are above 0 degrees, I chose this due to the fact that my brother is still "fine tuning" his manual transmission driving abilities and I figured the bearings would be a little happier with the slightly thicker weight with the stalls they have/might continue enduring. Here are the pics...
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Originally Posted By: cb_13
Good looking on old truck! My first vehicle was a Ranger also.


Yep, I love how simplistic it is. It also gets 20-23 ish MPG so that will help him out for sure vs. some gas guzzler.
 
According to Ford, it wasn't worth building a Ranger for the U.S. market because the F-150 gets the same mileage and is bigger anyway.
the Ranger would be to large to be considered compact of midsize.
 
Originally Posted By: double vanos
Alright, I'll ask the question; why the h*ll is Ford not in this segment? Colorados are selling like hot cakes and Ford offers us zero....


Not enough money to be made apparently.

But who cares, the old ones just keep going and going anyway. Nothing quite like it will ever be built again. Even if they came out with a new one, I probably wouldn't like it that much.

Looks good OP. '89-'92 trucks had great styling and Ford really knew what they were doing with the Ranger at that point. They were really well designed and built vehicles for what they were. That's why it has over 300K and is still daily driven after 23 years.

I can't tell from the pics, but if it has an idle air control valve, it will be a cylinder (the solenoid) with a mounting flange that has two bolts near the throttle body. I would definitely clean that along with the throttle body if it has it. You can use throttle body cleaner on both. Also clean the MAF with CRC MAF cleaner and try to find a replacement for the taped up section of air duct.
 
2000+ Rangers were EPA rated 29MPG with 5sp MT; I got 31 on a trip to VA. Seeing with a factory rebate my B2300 was less expensive in 2006 than my echo was in 2003, I figure 'not much money to be made' there and it perhaps undercut their small car market.

I see the guys at the auto parts place drove Vibes, now Sonics for parts delivery. Thanks Ford!

Not ever buying a full size PU for dump runs, basement cleanouts and occasional wood hauling. My PU does more duty as a second vehicle than a PU.

Vehicle looks good btw!
 
Really does look fantastic. My dad had one that he didn't take the best care if it and it ran 20 yes. The clutch on that truck is one if the hardest I ever used. Had to be careful not to stall out. But once I got used to that peculiarity I did really good with it. Funny it had a Mazda motor in it. So did my Ford Probe. Much easier stick to drive in that car.
But again, this truck looks really good. Good find indeed
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Yep, for its age/mileage its in good shape for sure! This is off topic, but will frequent stalling harm it significantly? This is my younger brothers truck, and while he know how a manual works, and how to drive it the execution thereof is still a bit rough and jerky. He is getting the hang of it but he's given it a fair amount of hard stalls, anything to worry about?
 
It's probably fine with stalling. Get him on a hill (I know, hard to find in Florida) and have him keep practicing taking off. Once he keeps on practicing and driving he'll get a better idea of where the clutch bites. That's what helped me.
 
Also one thing my dad never thought to teach me with a stick shift is that you can partially release the clutch and work with the gas pedal to help on inclines, I thought you had to always release the clutch all the way right away, took me a few tries to realize that.
 
I really don't think there will be an issue... My dads was fine even with me a relative new stick shift learner at the time wasn't able to jack it up at all
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Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Also one thing my dad never thought to teach me with a stick shift is that you can partially release the clutch and work with the gas pedal to help on inclines, I thought you had to always release the clutch all the way right away, took me a few tries to realize that.


Yes, this is what I am trying to show him. On take off he want to keep letting off on the clutch when the engine is about to cut out. Ok, good to know it shouldn't hurt it. Its just that it makes AWE FULL knocking noises when its about to stall / when stalling.
 
What Nick said is spot on. Tell ya the gospel truth... There was a spot on a very steep hill with a railroad track right behind you on this road. You HAD to hold it on the hill with the clutch and the gas so then you could pull out into the other road that was perpendicular to the little road with the railroad RIGHT behind you. With no gate, nothing to stop you from rolling out into the train tracks. It was intense. The test was doing the clutch gas balance there.. If you passed that.. You could do it anywhere. It worked. I remember when I first time I did it. It was pretty cool. But intense
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A 10w-30 is the same viscosity at operating temp as a 5w-30,so your thicker oil idea makes absolutely no sense. It's thicker at start up though which in no way supports your idea.

As far as the 2.3 goes they are great engines.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
A 10w-30 is the same viscosity at operating temp as a 5w-30,so your thicker oil idea makes absolutely no sense. It's thicker at start up though which in no way supports your idea.

As far as the 2.3 goes they are great engines.


He is in the practicing stage still, where he is starting it up a lot because of all the stalling out on take off. So its certainly not getting up to operating temp, so yes, it does make since as the oil will be thicker.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
It's probably fine with stalling. Get him on a hill (I know, hard to find in Florida) and have him keep practicing taking off. Once he keeps on practicing and driving he'll get a better idea of where the clutch bites. That's what helped me.


I second this. I learned to drive stick well before getting my permit by backing our Renault LeCar (Gag!) out of our inclined driveway and parking it on the street so my parents could get at their other cars. Not only did I have to work the gentle slope out onto the street, but hold and then restart at the lip if there was traffic. Once I learned where the clutch point was rowing through the forward gears was a breeze.

Nice job on the truck. You seem like a good brother, watching out for the younger. Have you changed out the MTF? What is the specific year and mileage?
 
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