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Terry
Member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2008
- Messages
- 613
- Reaction score
- 19
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Gardnerville, Nevada
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Size
- 2.9
- Transmission
- Manual
I searched around here and came up with some posts with some of the same issues I am having. I have a 87 2.9 4 x 4 manual trans ranger. I bought this truck and used my 2 x 4 auto trans truck to combine them into a drive able truck. One of the issues was the motor had not been treated well and had a blown head gasket. Well, long story short I put my cleaned up parts from my old truck on the 4 x 4 and the starter was one of them. It lasted about 2 years then started making grinding noise. Last week it finished killing itself. The starter still cranked and the bendix spring was still working but it stopped engaging the flywheel. I pulled the starter dreading that I was going to see the teeth on the flywheel and starter wasted. The flywheel has some of the edge ground off of as well as the starter. I put in another starter I had laying around. The replacement starter lasted about a week and no longer engages with the ring gear as well. I don't know it the rangers have the same issue the the full size trucks have in that the position of the ring gears are not in the same place between the auto and manual trans trucks. The engagement area between the ring gear and the starter seem to be small and not engage the full width of the gears. I am thinking about putting in a new drive gear in my starter. A rebuilt starter is over 50 dollars and the drive gear is 10 dollars. I am trying to get thru the winter before I replace the flywheel, clutch, slave cylinder and reseal all the leaks on the transmission and transfer case. I'm not as young as I used to be and working in 25 degree temps on the driveway kick me in my ass.
