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Howdy from Alberta, Canada!


Drachenblut

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Howdy folks!

Firstly, I am glad to have found a site that has such a wealth of Ranger info!

I recently bought my first Ranger. It's nothing too special or pretty, it's a light blue 1995 XLT 4X4 5 speed Manual, with Warn manual front hubs, 4X4 "on the fly", 4.0L V6, solid front axle and a small leveling kit. This is pretty new to me as my first truck was a 79 Chev C-10.... but I like small trucks and stick shift is a must so I got this one.

All front end tie rods and bushings redone, new intake manifold, new clutch... however the jack-butt who did the work himself forgot to put oil back into the transfer case.... and kablooie on my drive home. Currently in the middle of a 2300 dollar repair job for a re-manufactured transfer case. Ugh. Yes, we get HOSED on vehicles in Canucktustan.

This is my first real 4X4 truck, and my first Ranger, so I am new to it. I am still figuring out everything with the truck and have a lot of questions. Hope you guys can help! :icon_confused:

Firstly, the 4X4... do I need to stop completely to shift into 4 High? At what max speed can I do this with this truck? What minimum speed?

Secondly, can I lock my front hubs and still drive in 2WD mode? (manual hubs kind of defeat the purpose of 4X4 on the fly... why would the previous owner do this?)
What is the purpose of locking the hubs? Can I drive in 4X4 without locking them?

Engine: I have higher miles on my engine (166K miles, 268K kilometers), and was wondering if crate engines are available... if so, can I get new or rebuilt 2.3L Turbo engines? Will it mate up to my tranny bolt on or are mods needed? What about crate 4.0L V6's? If not, how much will a rebuild run me, roughly.

Not meaning to be a pain, but as I said, I am new and want to keep this truck for many years!

I bought this truck primarily as a winter driver/back roads truck, as our winters are snowy and very harsh where I live and the roads are pretty poor. Pretty much everyone has a truck with 4X4... or a Subaru... but I like doing oil changes and working on vehicles without jacking them up at the time of work!:icon_rofl:

Answers to my queries, or a "here, read THIS, it explains it all" would be very welcome!

Thanks and I hope to be a great contributing member to this forum for many years!

Cheers,
Drach
 


Stratguy1986

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The auto hubs are known to be unreliable. Honestly, the manual hubs aren't bad. You have to think ahead a before using the 4x4. You can lock the hubs and drive in 2wd, but not all the time as it will wear on the front drivetrain components. As a planning ahead move in a situation where you believe you will probably need the 4x4, it's a good idea.

As for stopping to shift into 4x4. You can shift on the go into 4 high. To use low range, you have to stop.

The old 4.0 engines are great. It should (as long as she's been cared for well) last you awhile. It's worth a rebuild if it does go. I've always thought the 2.3 turbo was one of the coolest engines ever, but I'd save that conversion for a 2wd to go have some fast fun in.

That's my opinion. Hope that it helps.
 

SenorNoob

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Howdy and welcome to TRS!

$2300! If I lived anywhere near the border I'd have smuggled a good used one in for you cheaper than that.

I want to say I heard something like 45mph max for shift on the fly. But, I wouldn't want to try it at that speed. No minimum speed. It's just not "on the fly" anymore if you're sitting still.

You can drive the truck with the hubs locked but not in 4wd. Just don't try to take any high-speed corners like this. The front differential pushes back somewhat and it seems to me like you could break something if you're moving fast enough around a sharp turn (like pulling into a parking space).

The hubs lock the wheels (actually at the lug-studs) to the axleshaft from the front differential.

I suppose you could shift into 4x4 with the hubs unlocked but it defeats the purpose, 'cause the front wheels won't pull. What manual hubs do make possible is 2wd Low Range. Not particularly useful except when you want to SLOWLY move something without slipping the clutch. (Think backing a trailer in.)

166K miles? High? Are you kidding? I bought the 4.0 for my swap with 174K. I've since put on about 15-20k and it still runs like a new truck (most of the time).

It's pretty nice to do an oil change without a jack. But, it's even better to be able to crawl under the truck on one side and exit on the other. Only impeded by the axles.:D (And I'm a fat guy.)
 

bmerr98

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My credo
Leave it better than you found it.
Howdy and welcome to TRS!
166K miles? High? Are you kidding?
No doubt! I've got over 240K miles on my 4.0 and expect to easily roll over 300K before even thinking about a rebuild. My old '91 3.0 had just shy of 320K with no rebuilds when I drowned it (long, sad story).

At 166K you're just getting it broke in good!
 

Drachenblut

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Howdy ianyboy! Escape Kaybec ASAP! :p

Thanks for the information. Now, just to be totally clear: I can run my front hubs locked in 2WD and shift to 4WD inside the cab on the fly under 80kph (45mph)? I am thinking for winter, where the street in town is cleaned, but the road just outside of town might be snow covered for a few kilometers, with a bit of ice. Good usage for this?

Understood that 4WD without the hubs locked will not actually be 4WD, but instead only 2WD (front wheels will not pull)

Thank you for the info!

Cheers, and Salute!
 

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