1987 Ranger Diesel

[Mini-Stroke...]

One good thing is that the clutch and slave cylinder is the same for the diesel as the 2.3L gas engine, hope this helps
Jesse

 

[stubbyranger]

Diesel Ranger

Wow, that little truck is in excellent shape for the year.....This brings back memories for me, as I had an '86 turbo diesel model. It was ok at first, but the engine was getting soft and was hard to start in the wintertime (Canada,eh)... I lucked out and found another truck ( an '85 ) with 160 Km ( 100 K ), and it ran nice. Swapped out engine and tranny, replaced the 2 timing belts and had valves adjusted and the little bugger ran A1. The only thing that wasn't hooked up again was the red dummy oil light, as the sender was different. One cold evening in Feb, I was coming home and one of the oil cooler lines let go and the damage was fairly instant I've had rigs blow up before, but I never felt as bad as this one.... have fun with the little truck...they are a great conversation piece

 

[TwoWhels]

Change the timing belt and check the injecton pump timing as soon as possible.

 

[4D55 Performance Inc]

The problem with the clutch is the master cylinder. It is very common for a master cylinder to fail if a vehicle sits for a while. If you need a master cylinder, I have a brand new OEM master I can sell you. As for the motor, it's a great little motor. It is still in production to this day and parts are easy to locate, but you might have to wait a week to get the parts. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[gwaii]

One cold evening in Feb, I was coming home and one of the oil cooler lines let go and the damage was fairly instant I've had rigs blow up before, but I never felt as bad as this one.... have fun with the little truck...they are a great conversation piece

you too,huh.
had the exact same thing happen to mine.just love those quick release fittings for the oil lines.
they just need to quick release at the right time,such as when you are not driving down the highway.

 

[TheTopher]

you too,huh.
had the exact same thing happen to mine.just love those quick release fittings for the oil lines.
they just need to quick release at the right time,such as when you are not driving down the highway.

You have all kinds of james bond-like toys, but I didn't think you'd install an oil slick machine into your truck too!

 

[gwaii]

You have all kinds of james bond-like toys, but I didn't think you'd install an oil slick machine into your truck too!

neither did i.....turns out you never really know the features you've got.

 

[Mike Tonon]

Those diesels are neat. I like the sound of them, sounds like an antique car.

 

[tempforce]

x2 on changing the timing belt.
when you change the cam belt, be sure to use lock tight on the retaining bolt threads. if anything happens to the cam timing, it will ruin the head.

 

[David85]

Wow, he just GAVE it to you??? Good score!

One more call for new timing belts. Might also want to replace the water pump while you're at it. I can get belts locally, but the water pump had to be ordered from rock auto.

A few other things to check are:

The fuel aneroid vacuum/boost lines where they connect to a small canister on the plastic inner fender on the driver's side. The rubber quick connect at that device can rot out and prevent the injector pump from getting the correct boost signal when the turbo spools. It won't hurt the engine, but it will kill the power big time. The rated horsepower may not be much on paper by today's standards, but they should be able to peel rubber into second gear depending on the axle ratio.

Also look at the air intake duct where the crank case vent hose is connected to it. They have a tendency to rot out or even collapse over time preventing adequate crank case ventilation. If you hear a "Pssssst!" when removing the oil filler cap while the engine is running, this could be the problem and will make it more prone to oil leaks (if it's bad enough it will blow the dip stick tube out while driving).

 

[jeffminsc]

That's one nice ranger you got there much less work than I have to do on mine. TwoWhels said to check timming if you know how let me know would you I don't know how. I'm shure it takes some tool I don't have......Well best of luck to you I've been looking for parts on internet with out much luck. if you find good place to get some let me know.

 

[shayes]

Well, I changed the master cylinder and when bleeding the slave I noticed the fluid running out of the bottom of the bell housing. I'm going to replace the slave now and while I'm in there I will go ahead and put a full clutch kit in. I hope that's all it needs, I can't wait to take it off for a ride.

Thanks to everyone for the pointers, I will change the timing belt and use lock tight.

Thanks again.

Scott

 

[David85]

Double check the slack of the belt after you change it. You should be able to roll the by hand engine in both directions without any risk if dangerous slack appearing. This is an interference engine, so if that belt snaps, the valves WILL hit the pistons before you have a chance to stop the engine.

 

[shayes]

Update, I now have my diesel Ranger fully working and street legal (Tags, Inspection) the following is what I ended up fixing on the truck:

1. New Timing Belt
2. Injection pump had a small leak so I had it rebuilt
3. Had a bad belt tensioner for the balance shaft which caused the belt to come off. New belt and Tensioner
4. New Master cylinder clutch kit and slave cylinder
5. New Vacuum pump and brake buster
6. Installed cone style air filter
7. Two new batteries and cable connectors

These little trucks are a blast to drive and have good power. I'm going to have fun driving it this summer. Thanks to everyone for input that helped me recondition this great little truck, it would have been a pity to part it out or just scrap it.

Scott

 

[V8 BroncoII]

I had an 83 Ranger regular cab long bed 2 wheel drive diesel 4speed. It was the slowest vehicle I have ever driven. I did get over 40 miles a gallon and ran good, but it had a top speed of around 60 mph so I could not take it on the highway. I sold it in 2000 cause fuel was cheap and I wanted more power. Now I sure wish I had it back.