92 ranger gettin another portion rebuilt. Advice is apppreciated!!

[An Audio Guru]

Ok so here I go again do some more work to this thing. Already @ $6,200 ish rebuilding this thing. Now its time to tackle suspension brakes wheels and tires. I plan on dooing averything myself except for alignment of course.

First of all the truck as all rusted out shocks(all 4), shakes while driving, getting knots on tires(but wheels are mitch matched and possibly warped and tires are used), shakes even worse when braking. Front end sounds loose, but it slapping around is probably..hopefully means it just needs those new shocks. I also have a leaky wheel/brake cylinder on back driver side. ABS and ebrake light don't go off. Trucks rear axle was replaced last year but no rear sway bar was on the new rear end so I'm gonna try to figure it out and put the old one on or get what I need to do it right. THESE ARE MY PROBLEMS, ANY INSIGHT IS WELCOMED!!!

To start off here is the list of new parts that are on the way:

Wheels: Going from 14" to 15" now bc tires are obviously cheaper! $60 a wheel!!

http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/black-rock-series-type-steel-wheel-15x7-5x45-p-10477.html
I bought 5 wheels....need a spare right?!

Tires: Goodyear Wrangler SR-A I was thinking about 235/70R15 as a good size. The tires are $82 a pop locally at Wally World.

Shocks: All shocks are Bilstein unless someone has a better suggestion here. Also I am buying these from Autozone bc online was more after shipping plus I have a $40 credit at local store plus a few warrantyable items to return too.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Bilstein-Shock-Strut-Front/1992-Ford-Ranger-2WD/_/N-iwqprZ8oxxw?itemIdentifier=84781_462410_7413_ Obviously the rear is a different code but you get the idea. Do I need to buy shock boots too or will they come with the new shocks?

Rotors: I bought some $30 Brembo rotors...nothing fancy. I know that bearing are actually in the rotor or something like that so I'm just going to go ahead and replcae those too...got Timken(inner and outers, for both sides). Any hints, tips, tricks, things I should know about doing bearings? Throwing some regular but decent pads on there too.

Brakeshake: replacing that rear brake cylinder that is leaking, bleeding the lines too, also replacing the ABS module if the truck turns out to have one. Not sure how to turn that dash light off still... With new wheels and tires I am getting the casters replaced and getting a 4 wheel alignment. Hopefully all this will stop the shakes!!!

Rear springs bushing are being replaced by Energy Suspensions new leaf spring bushing kit

. All the bushings on the truck are squishing out the holes from dry rot. Needless to say I am getting around to all of it at some point.

Got some more plans but this is enough for now.

please drop your expertise here bc I am a newb still, and still learning here. Kinda that can't afford a shop so has to resort to my hands and tools type thing.

 

[An Audio Guru]

No one has any comments or suggestions?? I was hoping this site was more helpful like the focusfanatics forums. Is there another ranger forum that might be more useful where people respond or use the forums?

 

[upnsmoke]

Rotors: I bought some $30 Brembo rotors...nothing fancy. I know that bearing are actually in the rotor or something like that so I'm just going to go ahead and replcae those too...got Timken(inner and outers, for both sides). Any hints, tips, tricks, things I should know about doing bearings? Throwing some regular but decent pads on there too.

Brakeshake: replacing that rear brake cylinder that is leaking, bleeding the lines too, also replacing the ABS module if the truck turns out to have one. Not sure how to turn that dash light off still... With new wheels and tires I am getting the casters replaced and getting a 4 wheel alignment. Hopefully all this will stop the shakes!!!

Rear springs bushing are being replaced by Energy Suspensions new leaf spring bushing kit

. All the bushings on the truck are squishing out the holes from dry rot. Needless to say I am getting around to all of it at some point.

Got some more plans but this is enough for now.

please drop your expertise here bc I am a newb still, and still learning here. Kinda that can't afford a shop so has to resort to my hands and tools type thing.

I like the wheels. What kind of driving do you mostly do with the truck? Any off roading or just street driving/hauling? I have mostly avoided urethane bushings in my truck. I use them in my street/ autocross cars, but by my experience they don't last as long as rubber bushings, not to mention they can beat you up a little on the bumps. I originally had urethane beam and radius arm bushings, but have recently switched back to rubber. I am swapping leaf springs soon, and intend to run rubber bushings in them as well. Some will likely disagree with me on this. I figure it is a preference thing.

Bilstein shocks are good. I put the boots on my Ranchos that came with the shocks, but they just got dirt in them anyway. I'm going to leave them off next time. It's been a while since I worked on my wheel bearings, but as far as I remember they were fairly straightforward. Just make sure you torque them correctly. I don't know what you mean by casters (in red above).

If I was you, I would check your steering (tie rod ends and the like), and replace anything needing replacement before bothering to get an alignment. You could check over the front suspension while you are in there, especially ball joints. Ball joints should be changed, if necessary, before the alignment as well. Did you do anything with the rear brakes when you replaced the axle? Out of round drums can give you a vibration in the brake pedal.

Good luck with getting your truck straightened out. Be patient and thorough with it and you will have no trouble getting it the way you want. Let us know how it goes.

 

[An Audio Guru]

I was wondering if poly bushings would be a problem. I had noticed that they were a bit stiff on my focus when I had it dropped to the ground. Hopefully It wont make to much of a big deal or they will be swapped out again. I drive just about everywhere. No mudding though, no need for wench type driving. Dirt road, street, highway, fields type thing. My caster is off. It's one of 3 parts of alignment. Caster, toe, and camber. I'll try to get the rest of the front end parts but $$ will an issue from here on out. What would be the most detremental and would need tackling first? Balls or steering components? I payed someone to rebuild the rear brakes when the new rear end got swapped. How can I tell if the drumd are out of round? Never heard of anything like that. I do have a leaky rear cylinder....that wouldn't fix the wobble. The shake in the peddle is pretty bad and gets worse with more pressure applied. Thankyou so very much for the response. I was hoping to get some insight before I tackled this any more blind than I already am. so Thanks upnsmoke!!!!!!!

 

[kirbo7106]

I have the energy suspension bushings in my '96 Ranger 2wd. I don't use my truck for off road. I personally like them. I think they give the truck a tighter feel. I also put Goodyear Wranglers on my Ranger. I went with the 235/75/15. Yeah, 15 inch tires are cheaper than 14s. In doing so, I had to change the rear axle. I went from a 7.5 with 3.45 gears to an 8.8 with 4.10 and a limited slip. I went with monroe sensa track shocks. For the street, they work fine. I just recently added the F-150 coil spacers in the front and 4X4 blocks in the rear. Do you have a lot of play in your steering?

 

[upnsmoke]

Urethane bushings have excellent feel on the street. My father has a Civic with all urethane bushings, Koni shocks, and big sway bars front and rear. I love driving that car. It handles the bumps of Baltimore city streets just fine in my opinion, though it will beat you up pretty bad on a cold morning. The only real problem I have with urethane bushings is longevity. The Civic has about 12k miles on the modified suspension, granted it does get run hard, and while all bushings are present and intact, some of them are exhibiting wear that tells me they are nearing half of their usable life. The driving characteristics they provide the Civic with is worth the labor and expense to me of having to replace them once every two or three years. I have seen urethane bushings last a good bit longer than that in cars that are driven in a fairly normal manner, as opposed to constantly tearing around on sticky tires. Everything is a compromise. It all comes down to what you prefer.

Audio Guru, there is no need to replace anything unless it is worn or damaged. I did a full rebuild on my own suspension when I did my lift, but only because most of mine was fairly worn out. You can tell if ball joints are worn by jacking up the truck enough to get a front tire off the ground, and moving the wheel by hand. You will be able to see and feel any slack present in the ball joints. The same goes for the steering linkage. With the front of the truck raised, if you try to steer the tires toward and away from each other by hand you will see and feel any slack present in the various parts of the linkage. Your steering linkage and ball joints are both things that can cause unsafe conditions if they have a major issue, so I would certainly have a look at them. Are you certain that your caster is off? Is your truck lifted? If not, I can't imagine why your caster would be off significantly other than as a result of crash damage or the like.

A leaky wheel cylinder won't give you any drivability issues so long as you don't lose too much fluid or get air in the lines, and even then it won't directly give you a shaky brake pedal. Brake light staying on could be from low fluid in the master cylinder. ABS can do some weird things when it acts up, including giving you feedback in the pedal. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with ABS to give you any direct advice as far as how to diagnose an issue. I have seen anything from metal shavings in a tone ring to a weak sensor cause an occasional pulsing pedal. Hell, an unplugged sensor could cause it. That's about all I know, though. Out of round drums are basically what they sound like. The drums on my F-150 are out of round a mile right now because my mother set the E-brake and I drove with it on. The rear brakes got very hot and when I parked the truck, with the Ebrake still on, the drums were so hot that they got soft, and the outward pressure of the shoes was able to force the drums into an oval shape. That is my theory, anyway. The Ebrake event certainly coincided with the start of the out of roundness. Regardless, the truck bucks and the pedal pulses every time you get on the brakes. If someone rebuilt your rear brakes I would imagine they are fine so long as you haven't been riding them constantly or driving with the Ebrake on. I would advise replacing or repairing the wheel cylinder as soon as you can, if you are sure that is what is leaking.

Just be sure to diagnose the issues you are having. Throwing parts at an issue is nothing more than a gamble. It is absolutely possible to invest time and parts in trying to fix an issue without actually fixing it. At least the TTB is simple and fairly straightforward to work on. Bad shocks can cause them to feel sketchy. I would be surprised if your truck did not feel much better with a new set of Biltseins. From there, you just have to check over it. Beam pivot bushings and radius arm bushings are suspect as well, if you have not looked at them yet.

 

[An Audio Guru]

I have the energy suspension bushings in my '96 Ranger 2wd. I don't use my truck for off road. I personally like them. I think they give the truck a tighter feel. I also put Goodyear Wranglers on my Ranger. I went with the 235/75/15. Yeah, 15 inch tires are cheaper than 14s. In doing so, I had to change the rear axle. I went from a 7.5 with 3.45 gears to an 8.8 with 4.10 and a limited slip. I went with monroe sensa track shocks. For the street, they work fine. I just recently added the F-150 coil spacers in the front and 4X4 blocks in the rear. Do you have a lot of play in your steering?

Yeah I have agood bit of play in the steering wheel. I don't know exactly how to fix that or if that is effecting me as far as those shakes. Why do you ask? Got some info, suggestions for me? Why did you have to change the rear axle when putting the wheels and tires on? Did 235/75/15 fit on your truck stock at height? Also I have no idea what rear end I have or gears....care to instruct on how I would find that out. It's not original I know that for sure.

 

[An Audio Guru]

Urethane bushings have excellent feel on the street. My father has a Civic with all urethane bushings, Koni shocks, and big sway bars front and rear. I love driving that car. It handles the bumps of Baltimore city streets just fine in my opinion, though it will beat you up pretty bad on a cold morning. The only real problem I have with urethane bushings is longevity. The Civic has about 12k miles on the modified suspension, granted it does get run hard, and while all bushings are present and intact, some of them are exhibiting wear that tells me they are nearing half of their usable life. The driving characteristics they provide the Civic with is worth the labor and expense to me of having to replace them once every two or three years. I have seen urethane bushings last a good bit longer than that in cars that are driven in a fairly normal manner, as opposed to constantly tearing around on sticky tires. Everything is a compromise. It all comes down to what you prefer.

Audio Guru, there is no need to replace anything unless it is worn or damaged. I did a full rebuild on my own suspension when I did my lift, but only because most of mine was fairly worn out. You can tell if ball joints are worn by jacking up the truck enough to get a front tire off the ground, and moving the wheel by hand. You will be able to see and feel any slack present in the ball joints. The same goes for the steering linkage. With the front of the truck raised, if you try to steer the tires toward and away from each other by hand you will see and feel any slack present in the various parts of the linkage. Your steering linkage and ball joints are both things that can cause unsafe conditions if they have a major issue, so I would certainly have a look at them. Are you certain that your caster is off? Is your truck lifted? If not, I can't imagine why your caster would be off significantly other than as a result of crash damage or the like.

A leaky wheel cylinder won't give you any drivability issues so long as you don't lose too much fluid or get air in the lines, and even then it won't directly give you a shaky brake pedal. Brake light staying on could be from low fluid in the master cylinder. ABS can do some weird things when it acts up, including giving you feedback in the pedal. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with ABS to give you any direct advice as far as how to diagnose an issue. I have seen anything from metal shavings in a tone ring to a weak sensor cause an occasional pulsing pedal. Hell, an unplugged sensor could cause it. That's about all I know, though. Out of round drums are basically what they sound like. The drums on my F-150 are out of round a mile right now because my mother set the E-brake and I drove with it on. The rear brakes got very hot and when I parked the truck, with the Ebrake still on, the drums were so hot that they got soft, and the outward pressure of the shoes was able to force the drums into an oval shape. That is my theory, anyway. The Ebrake event certainly coincided with the start of the out of roundness. Regardless, the truck bucks and the pedal pulses every time you get on the brakes. If someone rebuilt your rear brakes I would imagine they are fine so long as you haven't been riding them constantly or driving with the Ebrake on. I would advise replacing or repairing the wheel cylinder as soon as you can, if you are sure that is what is leaking.

Just be sure to diagnose the issues you are having. Throwing parts at an issue is nothing more than a gamble. It is absolutely possible to invest time and parts in trying to fix an issue without actually fixing it. At least the TTB is simple and fairly straightforward to work on. Bad shocks can cause them to feel sketchy. I would be surprised if your truck did not feel much better with a new set of Biltseins. From there, you just have to check over it. Beam pivot bushings and radius arm bushings are suspect as well, if you have not looked at them yet.

Looks like I got a lot of learning on trucks then. I am very familiar with smaller car suspension setups, swapping, lowering...the whole 9. I sunk probably $2500 just into suspension into my little focus hatch so it would whip around corners like a demon.

All the stuff I am replacing right now is all stuff that is worn completely out. In turn I am hoping one some of this improves the shake. I am replaceing the ABS module/sensor since its such a cheap part. That was what I read to start at. There is a good possibilty that there is air in the brake lines bc of the leaky cylinder. It's bleeds to where I have to top off the reservoir every 5 days from 1/2 empty. As far as caster.. I am not sure either. I trusted shop said to get alignment they were gonna have to do teh casters first. The truck was in a small wreck with a tree in a field by the previous owner. I have replaced all effected parts so far except suspension...obviously....lol. Thanks for the insight on out of round and front end shake down!!! Your a big help man.

 

[An Audio Guru]

Ok so the wheels were gonna take the longest to ship so I have been holding and buying the parts a few a day trying to earn up my autozone discount. But the wheels came into today a week and 2 days ahead of schedule. SOoooooo It's about to begin!!! Here's a preview....

 

[kirbo7106]

When I first got my Ranger it had the stock 14 inch rims with 225/70/14. Those tires are about 26 inches tall. When I switched to the 15 inch rims with the 235/75/15, which are 29 inches tall, it throughs off the final gear ratio, along with your speedo. Before I changed the rear gears, I could not use 5th gear. According to the calculator:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Gear_Tire_RatioChange.html
I needed to use gears in the high 3s or low 4s. I went with a 8.8 axle with 4.10 gears and a limited slip. I only have the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine. I pull a small 4X8 trailer, so this helps. As for the loose steering, it's either in the linkage or the steering gear box. If it's the linkage, it will have to be replaced. If it's the gear box, you can tighten it up. I think it only takes an allen wrench and a box end wrench. Check in the Haynes/chilton manual. I think that's where I read about adjusting the play in the gear box. I need to adjust mine, so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[upnsmoke]

Kirbo, I have heard mixed things about adjusting steering boxes. I had some luck with mine. I was just careful not to over tighten it. When I switched from 26" tires to 31s with 3.73s, I was using 2nd gear on my 5 speed to pass people on the highway. I have 5.13s now and my 2.0 will just about get the truck rolling in 1st without touching the gas.

Audio Guru, if you have done that much work on cars you won't have any trouble working on the truck. The worst thing about it will probably be stubborn rusted fasteners. One more thing to check no the steering is that the rag joint in the steering shaft is intact and in reasonably good shape, between the firewall and steering box. If I were you, I would ask the shop you are working with more about what they think needs replaced. My guess is they are looking at ball joints, as those are directly related to caster/ camber adjustment. Otherwise you are would be looking at beam pivot bushings and/or radius arm bushings. I did my own ball joints on my truck. If you have someone else do yours, I would want be sure of what brand I got. There is no sense in paying someone labor to do a job when they use junk parts that will need to be replaced again in short order. I have been using motorcraft ball joints in my trucks lately. I used Moog before, but feel that they are no longer to be trusted.

 

[An Audio Guru]

Alrighty here's the update. This portion is over and gotta finish paying off these parts and what not before I can start on the next list for the truck. The parts that went in.. Bilstein front and rear shocks, new balljoints(driver side was shot, pass side is good for a lil while longer), casters(got alignment), front rotors, bearing, caps, pads, rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes, 2 brake lines(flushed all lines), radiator flush, thermostat, upper/lower hose, heater hose, vacuum hose off pcv, never could get the bolts out of leaf springs for those bushings(part not in yet), 2 front cab bushing, ground all rust off front end and re sprayed with rust stop stuff, fuel filter, air filter, oil change, tranny flush, the blackrock 15" wheels95 for $391), 225/70-15 Yokohama Geolanders(5 for $675), spark plug wires and plugs. It took 2 days in a garage to do it al with the help of one other person. The wheels/tires are a close fit. But look awesome. The 4" bs lines tires for a hair of poke out past fender. It looks good!! No scrubbing so far. I can't fit a bigger AT tire and this was the smallest any of the brands carry. This looks and rides great though. Didn't have to many problems on this. Biggest problem was busting the bolts. I still need to tighten or replace steering box and I still have a steady hop at certain speeds. i think I need to figure out how to tell if axle is warped or if spindle is bad...its gotta be something.... Got a quote from Macco for a cheapo black paint job for $350.

 

[upnsmoke]

Good choice on the tire size. It looks good. As for the hop, sometimes tires take more than one try to balance. If the hop was not present before the new tires were installed, I would take it back to the place that put the tires on and get them to recheck the balance. They should not charge you for that. Otherwise, it sounds like the truck should be in pretty good shape. Certainly better than it was anyway.

 

[Rose2300]

6200 into a rusty ranger? you could've bought a pretty nice rig with 6200.

 

[An Audio Guru]

$6200 deffinately wasn't the plan. Bout the truck for $1000. Didn't have a car, just a check after my last car got totaled out thanks to a drunk fool. This truck was just really poorly taken care of. I'm passed $6200 now btw...lol. As it sits there ain't much more I can replace or rebuild. This is my 3rd box body. I just really like these trucks. If I keep going ill have Dang neara brand new truck for half the cost of a new one and its the style I like and grew up with. At least thats what I keep yelling myself. It's a love plus learning experience. Not to mention I'm passed the pojnt of no return. Rebuilt motor and tranny. New rear end, suspension brakes, inside completed bc was half missing, list goes in for days.