Gonna buy and fix an old Ranger V-6

define what the life span of this 4.0 sohc engine is?

3 chains are for the valve event timing...and one is for the balance shaft in the 4x4's. thats just retarded to my tiny little mind to do such a thing for minor emissions gains and 200 hp.

so what is the expected lifespan of a cammer?

70,000?
150,000?
200,000?


what is expected maintenance? ie-by the book, verse what really is going on?

fortunately, these things are usually awesome the first 150k....like most engines. bad maintenance separates em out pretty quick though. if these ohc made an easy factory 275 hp, i would agree the complications were worth the effort for the miserable fuel economy they return for the average user....but....ughhh. no....not an easy 275 hp.


most oil is from base one stock these days, so a good synthetic goes a long ways towards increasing the life of these overly complicated, extra bullshit for no reason, fuel gobbling, rube goldberg contraptions that are the defining moment for a sorry excuse of a truck engine ford turned out for a great platform that is the ranger.

at least compared to what they give the rest of the world fpr engines...(awesome diesels)...i have a hard time liking ford with the horrific decisions they have consistently made towards their enthusiasts.. you have to have deeeeep pocket to be a fanboy the last 20 years. the trainwreck of the current anti-theft systems these days was the final straw....

the 3.0 is certainly an acceptable engine for what your intending. the mazda 4 cyl motor has some serious potential over the 3.0 though..

the good news....if a guy runs a good synthetic type oil with the correct specs with 4-5 k change intervals, and changes the chain tensioners at 50-70 k they can go 250 plus before their grandsons explode the rear guides out of them in the woods sending the engine out in a blaze of wot glory....well, this has been my experience through one of the trucks i have maintained.

the guides last a long long time with good oil and good tensioner maintenance....if you never let them get to the point of cold start slack, they dont fail very quickly..if you clatter em around then shit gets broke....and i hate them so much now, i only work on one if it is someone close to me.


if you gave me one with a bad engine....i would body lift it and put a gm l/s 5.3 or 6.0 with a 4l80 and 208 or 241 t case in it. same or better economy...and a shit ton of power over stock.

but that is me.

Gonna buy and fix an old Ranger V-6

Click to expand...

theres quite a bit to consider here though.


one other alternative would be to build up the 4cyl longbed with a turbo...or swap a turbo engine from a fusion or something in it...they go 800-1800 around here, convert the trans to 4x4 and buy a t case and install a jeep axle under the front and have a seriously awesome little truck.


you can convert the later trucks to long bed as the frames are modularized. so you can potentially build your own ext cab long bed without any major engineering feats.


so there are options.


though your intentions lead me another way...
what you want to do out in the sticks screams old school 3/4 or 1 ton dodge with a manual trans and cummins to me for a single vehicle.

I haven't mentioned budget yet, and I probably should since I'm getting some serious replies here. My total budget – cash – is $17,500. That's for everything I will need to start a homestead. That's for:

1. A truck to get me and my meager amount of personal stuff to the land. A pop up camper behind the truck.
2. The land itself, which I have no idea what it will cost me, nor how much I need. I'm thinking 10-20 acres, remote, undeveloped, but with running water on it. Or some kind of usable water...

My initial spreadsheet has truck, $1,600, pop up camper $800, land $15,000. I have SS income of almost $1,700/month. If the land is paid for outright, then I'll have the monthly income for building my homestead. I'm thinking that one of my purchases will be an old functional sawmill ($1,500????). I'm not homesteader, not close, so I have no idea how to get the log onto the sawmill. A tractor backhoe would be nice, but that's a huge expense, and I don't think I can do that.

I hope I can get land cheaper than $15,000, so I can buy tools. An electric generator, gas-powered, a chain saw, a utility trailer. Maybe I ought to buy a welder and a torch, I know how to use both.

I already have basic carpentry tools: circular saw, a good table saw, sawsall, and a bunch of hand tools. I have the skills to build a house. I know my way around mechanics as well, but not the real heavy stuff. I”ve swapped motors but not axles. I've put in a timing belt (in the B2300 I had).

I originally had thought $4-5 thousand for the truck. There are Rangers around for the price range in 4wd, but either auto trans, or pre-2005 4.0 SOHC (and auto tran). There are some 2005+ 4.0's around but all with auto tran. Is the auto tran stout?

It seems like it ought to be possible to find a truck that works, that looks like shit, and is affordable, ie, is within my budget of $4-5 thousand, or less.

I like your idea of doing something with the 4 cyl long body, but that seems mechanically beyond me. I have no mechanic tools anymore. It's a long story not worthy of your time.

Yeah, the 3.0 sounds like it might work. Not much power, but it might be enough. Maybe a 2005+?

I actually found a '95 4 cyl 4wd 5-spd manual on CL today, $2,500 I think. Maybe I ought to look into that, put a turbo on it? I have no idea how to do that or if it would work. But maybe you're right, dropping another engine into it would save me from doing all that other work you mentioned doing to a 4 cyl, to make it 4wd. Hmmm...... I'd have a spare engine for something....

Well, I'm 7-8 months from being ready to buy, so I'll keep pondering, scheming, dreaming...

I did look at Dodge ¾ ton 4wd manual with Cummins – man, a ten year old one can take all of my $18,000!!! Found out that Ram is not even Dodge??? I'm out of touch.

PS Here's the link for that 4 cyl Ranger 4wd, '95: http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/5349696238.html

bobbywalter said:

one other alternative would be to build up the 4cyl longbed with a turbo...or swap a turbo engine from a fusion or something in it...they go 800-1800 around here, convert the trans to 4x4 and buy a t case and install a jeep axle under the front and have a seriously awesome little truck.

though your intentions lead me another way...
what you want to do out in the sticks screams old school 3/4 or 1 ton dodge with a manual trans and cummins to me for a single vehicle.

Click to expand...

I found two dodge cummins 4 wd manual trucks, one is 25 years old for $9,950, the other is 21 years old for $10,000. I might have to buy a 4 cyl 4wd Ranger and put a turbo on it. I found one of those for $2,500. As long as it will climb a mountain, we can move the earth in small pieces.

that truck in the cl link is a steal.


10 k for a solid 4x4 1st gen cummins is up there...but if it is solid and minty with under 150k miles, it is a fair deal.

that is a whole lot of truck that is reasonable to operate. of course diesels have their own issues in the cold and snowy seasons. so not so nice to deal with if ya get some crappy fuel or something.


i cant see land going less then 40k for 10 acres or more that has walkable areas and easily settled with good water available readily out east there...


you should consider a subcompact tractor with a loader bucket and 4x4 first...maybe a big quad with a fore/aft ginpole setup and good winch and snow/grater blades at the very least.

your not gonna get any better at working land manually...but a good machine will keep your chores done for a long long time.

i am hobbling along till i cant do nothing physically anymore.....but i have some chores and stuff i am getting behind on due to physical limitations...so i been looking at tractors etc... just moving around engines and dana 60's etc is killing me these days...shit i took for granted just a few years ago....we only have about an acre and a half here, but working in the woods with the kids on the trails for the dirtbikes etc is not what it used to be. if we get a shit ton of snow i will be SCREWED.

cant wait till i have a tractor or big quad.

Here's that 21 year old Dodge for ten grand: http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/5358943297.html
It does seem to be in mint condition, well-maintained.

Well now I'm all bummed out. I might be deluding myself about this homesteading project, how much land I need, how much truck I need... What if the world keeps chugging along for the next 25 years and my SS keeps coming until I"m 95? Would I be better off in one of those subsidized apartments in a city?

Maybe I can adjust mid-stream, try to find a much smaller parcel of land, be happy with a puny 4wd pick-up rather than the beast of beasts. Surely a 4cyl Ranger 4 wd can still drive down a logging road with fifteen hundred pounds behind it??? Since I have income, I don't need 15 acres of woods to supply wood for my house and my stove. I can buy that stuff. Maybe 2-5 acres is all i need. Maybe 2 acres is all I need. I hate not knowing what I need. ARGH!

It feels like my dream just ran face first into a reality check.

Here's a 3.0L 2002 Ranger 4wd w/5 sp manual, $3,995, w/Edge package. 102,000 miles.

http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/5352832574.html

That one would work.

This one's even better:

http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/5369188014.html

bobbywalter said:

i cant see land going less then 40k for 10 acres or more that has walkable areas and easily settled with good water available readily out east there...


you should consider a subcompact tractor with a loader bucket and 4x4 first...maybe a big quad with a fore/aft ginpole setup and good winch and snow/grater blades at the very least.

Click to expand...

I'm finding tons of land on Zillow for under $20,000 for 15-25 acres or so. Some parcels are well under $20K.

I don't know what you're talking about with this subcompact tractor, etc. Do you mean the tractor is 4x4? And I have no idea what a fore/aft ginpole setup is. Then there's the winch and snow/grader blades... are these attachments?

I had thought of buying a tractor with a snow blade, a bucket loader, and a backhoe, but everything I looked at was $20-30K. My whole budget is $17,500 for truck ($7K), camper ($1.5K), downpayment on land note ($5K), and the rest for equipment/tools. I had thought maybe an old sawmill (2K) , a good $300 chainsaw (Echo), a used trailer ($500). I don't know how to get logs onto the sawmill. I'm 69, about 180 lbs, not strong in the back any more, like i used to be. I thought a little tractor would help. I'll watch some youtube videos to see how guys do the homestead sawmill thing. Making the sawmill is over my head - I'll have to buy one that is ugly but works.

Something I noticed this evening, is that a 4.0 4wd with auto trans can tow twice as much as the same truck with a manual. I thought that's weird. 5660 lbs vs 3220 lbs, regular cab 7' box. That's from Ford's 2005 towing guide pdf guide. That must be a stout transmission, the 5R55E. I had been thinking to avoid the auto tran because I thought the man tran would be stronger, trouble-free. That's a big difference in towing capacity.

More for me to think about.

I'm feeling strongly about proceeding with my homestead plan - have made arrangements with my credit union already to do a series of loans over the next year to help with my credit and qualify me for the land loan.

RonD said:

Yes, Rangers with 4cyl lost 4WD option in late 1990s

But..............also think about whats best long term in what you will need it for.

If there will be longer trips then 2WD 4cyl would be better, also less mechanical issues with a 2WD than a 4WD.
A 2WD with good tires and some weight in the back can get you up or down most roads, add chains and you are "almost" unstoppable, almost .

Click to expand...

Ron, I've been looking at trucks way past the point of my head spinning loose from my shoulders. It may fall on the floor at any time. It turns out money is a huge factor and time is another one. Instead of spending $7,000, or $5,000, or $4,000, or $3,000 for a truck, I may just spend less than $1,000 for a 95 Mazda B2300 4wd, 5-spd manual, regular cab, that needs brake work. Manual locking hubs, floor shifter for the 4x4, rust issues in the bed and passenger floor, both of them repaired though. Apparently everything works except the brakes need to be bled, and it needs tires. Clean title. I've sent email to him, and I'll call him tomorrow.

I will have to drive all over Maine to find some land, and I don't know at this point what i will need to tow, if anything. Maybe a pop-up camper. I did have a 95 Mazda B2300 2wd 5-spd for five years, sold it in 2012. I had an 800 pound home-built camper on the back of it, and when I moved cross country, I had it loaded down with over a thousand pounds of tools and junk. I had to add a heavy duty leaf spring in back to keep it level. I drove it 80mph across the country, 3,000 miles, with almost a ton in the back. So that little four banger can work. For looking at parcels of land all over Maine, I think a 4wd version of the truck might be just fine. If I need to buy a lot of lumber, I can always pay the $35 delivery fee instead of needing to buy an expensive full-size truck now and paying all the extra fuel cost until I finally need it for a big load. On the homestead, I can pull a light-weight trailer for extra capacity when collecting firewood or sacrete or 2x4 studs or plywood. A little 4x8 trailer will work just fine. Or even a 5x10 or 12' lightweight trailer will be okay. Low gear in that transmission is pretty low.

I'm familiar with this year, make and model truck, except that it's 4wd instead of 2wd, so it might just work out for me. It will definitely work in my budget. I replaced the motor in the one I owned, replaced everything in the brake system except the lines, replaced the fuel pump and filter inside the tank (removed the bed), so yeah, I know my way around the thing.

What do you think? Oh, it has 214,000 miles on it, which I don't think anything of... as long as it's not smoking when it's running, or knocking, or missing, or lacking power. Of course I'll look it over, drive it.

Reads good to me, all manual(trans and 4wd) really helps in that you can usually fix any issues with a little common sense...............and duct tape and bailing wire

The 4cyl Lima engines had lots of interchangeable parts, very few, if any, "year specific" parts were used, so should be easy to maintain.

Have seller send you a picture of the drivers door sticker, seen here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_codes.shtml

That gives you the AXLE code to see what gearing it has, also other info including the VIN

VIN decoder here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/VIN_Codes.html

He won't send me a pic of the door sticker. The rust repair he said was done is not done. I'm passing on this truck. Found another one that was supposedly sold, but the buyer is still trying to get the money together. It's a 98 3.0 4x4, 5-spd manual, about the same mileage as the other one, but no rust, has sticker, only 85,000 on a new engine, $2,000, with a cap. I'm next in line in case the buyer doesn't come up with the money.

RonD said:

Reads good to me, all manual(trans and 4wd) really helps in that you can usually fix any issues with a little common sense...............and duct tape and bailing wire

The 4cyl Lima engines had lots of interchangeable parts, very few, if any, "year specific" parts were used, so should be easy to maintain.

Have seller send you a picture of the drivers door sticker, seen here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_codes.shtml

That gives you the AXLE code to see what gearing it has, also other info including the VIN

VIN decoder here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/VIN_Codes.html

Click to expand...

I'm having a problem finding a towing chart for all years of the Ranger, with all engine/trans configurations. Is there such a chart??? I've found charts for various specific year Ford trucks, and I found a pdf owner's manual for the 98 year Ranger, but not one chart for all of them.

The 98 owner's manual shows that the 4x4 regular cab 3.0 4x4 w/man trans and 3.73 axle can tow 2380 lbs, but the auto trans can tow 3840, which is 1500 lbs more. If it has 4.11 axle it can tow 4340 lbs, which is almost 2000 lbs more. Knowing this information leads me to think that the auto transmission would be better, but I don't know if the 98 auto transmission is a good one or not. So I need a chart telling me which transmissions are featured in each year. See how this is complicated?

The 98 that interests me is a manual transmission, with the 3.0, but there's already a buyer who's trying to get the cash together. I'm wondering if that's a ploy to influence the seller to be willing to let it go for less than $2,000. The seller told me to call him Tuesday. If he didn't sell it by then, he'd let me have a shot at it.

Although it's a nice looking truck and seems well-maintained, if I wait, which I can do, I can probably find a Ranger in the same year range with an automatic transmission, which will be able to tow some fairly serious loads of firewood or construction lumber. After all, I will be living off-grid in a homestead that I build with my own two hands. I plan to heat with wood, and I plan to build my buildings myself. I also plan to grow my own food, and I may have chickens and goats, since I love goat yogurt and cheese. So I'll need to haul some stuff with weight to it.

I have gone back to your 2-3 posts at the beginning of this thread probably 50 times already to see where different trucks fit in to the "watch out for this and that" scheme that you outlined. I did read something similar concerning transmissions, but don't recall where that post is. I've had two strokes over a 12 year period and my memory can be likened to chicken wire - pretty much everything but the larger animals slip on through.

I still entertain thoughts of an older, late 90's 4.0 4x4, but I think I'd be fine with the 3.0, too, since it seems indestructible, gets reasonable mileage, and can tow good with the auto trans. I hate the auto trans, but I had them in work trucks, and I've torn up a couple of them, but I really worked them hard, pulling loaded down vans while towing loaded down trailers, probably without a tow package.

PS The 4.0 with auto trans and 3.73 axle can tow 5800, almost 1500 more than the 3.0! Now that's impressive. I might have to wait for one of those late 90's 4.0's to come available. I'm hoping to cap my budget for the truck at $2500 so I have to go older, hope to find one in good shape.

JUst did some more research on the 3.0 and 4.0 transmissions and engines. The 4.0 in the late 90's has only 15 hp more than the 3.0, but it has 40-50 ft.lbs more torque. PLUS the 4.0 gets the heavy duty brother of the 3.0's transmission, which is the lighter duty version. The 4.0, however, commonly needs valve rockers and pushrods replaced in a high mileage engine, when it starts to clatter. There's an oil flow problem that wasn't corrected. If I recall, replacing valve rocker assemblies and pushrods can be done without removing the heads, so it's a trade-off that could be acceptable to me.

The 4.0 drivetrain overall is beefier, torquier, and stronger, by a small yet significant margin.

bummer on the 4 whizzer.


did you find suitable land?

the 4cyl are hard to find, the 3.0 is fine...usually better unladen mpg then a 4.0. at 3-4 dollars a gallon the 4 cyl truck will be a massive difference in operating costs over a 4.0 truck. today not so much. but this will change.


a 4.0 with a manual trans is a beast though. especially a reg cab w 6 foot bed...put some good 31's on it and they are venerable off road work machines. a winch and gin pole on any truck makes them very useful...still rather have a tractor.

i have a 4.0 bronco 2 with manual trans and it is like a little tractor....i love the little bastard.

they eat up some fuel though

so a fullsize with a 300 six and a 5 speed manual is a bonus if one can be had if you are considering a 4.0. if i could only have one vehicle and it had to be a truck...it would be a fullsize. with a diesel. a cummins diesel.

i would swap in a 4bt into a 1/2 ton 4x4 and beef it up a bit and have a very cost effective machine.

bobbywalter said:

bummer on the 4 whizzer.

did you find suitable land?

a 4.0 with a manual trans is a beast though. especially a reg cab w 6 foot bed...put some good 31's on it and they are venerable off road work machines. a winch and gin pole on any truck makes them very useful...still rather have a tractor.

so a fullsize with a 300 six and a 5 speed manual is a bonus if one can be had if you are considering a 4.0. if i could only have one vehicle and it had to be a truck...it would be a fullsize. with a diesel. a cummins diesel.

i would swap in a 4bt into a 1/2 ton 4x4 and beef it up a bit and have a very cost effective machine.

Click to expand...

Not many folks selling that 4.0. Found one yesterday in good shape and reasonably priced, but he had 5 calls on it and wouldn't wait until i get my next check.

I'm not looking at land yet. Gotta have a truck first, then be out of debt as well and then save some. I'll start looking in 2017 in earnest. Later this year, after buying a truck, I'll scout the state and see where I might want to find something. That's the plan anyway.

I'm looking at full-size. Found a half ton silverado 4wd, reasonable, well-maintained, a 2000, 8' bed, $2500.

you mentioned swapping in a 4bt into a 1/2 ton 4x4. What exactly is a 4bt?