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Just need to vent...


masanders

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2000 Ranger 2.5L RWD MT

Friday afternoon my truck died. Thought it was the starter, but its good. Any electrical tests have been done and all have come back as good (to the best of my measuring ability. I’ve known for a while that the clutch, pressure plate, and all related equipment needed to be replaced. Sometime back I contacted a mechanic and asked for a quote on just looking at the clutch and pressure plate to see if they needed to be replaced. I was quoted over $1000 to just look at it. Now I’m being told that there is a chance the engine flywheel will need to be replaced.

The suspension, injectors, fluids, and many other things need to be done. On one hand I’m sentimental about the truck. It was my dad’s truck. I was there with him when he picked it up. I was it’s first passenger. On the other hand, I am so tired of pouring money into it and having to fix it every other month or so.

I am so frustrated, torn, and just plain tired. I don’t know what to do. I neither have the tools, nor the resources to move forward either way.
 


alwaysFlOoReD

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Sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Hope things go your way soon.
 

Josh B

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Sir, I would recommend you purchasing a repair manual for that model, start reading anything of interest along the line of your repairs and doing some checks of your own. Tools can be found very cheaply at flea markets and pawn shops, look for made in USA, sometimes old Japan stuff, even older tiawan likely surpasses newer China stuff. Jackstands aren't too much, maybe $20 bucks for a couple. Even if you live in apartments you can check things out on weekends and maybe do some repairs in evenings. Even if you put a couple hundred into tools and the manual you'll come out ahead in knowing more about what you've got and what it really needs.

If you walk into a shop and their eyes light up with dollar signs (like it sounds like his probly did) tell them you were looking for the eye doctor and must got lost.

There should be a dust cover on your transmission to use in the very inspection you asked him to do. Your manual should describe what you should look for in there, and which way to go depending what you see.
 

masanders

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Sir, I would recommend you purchasing a repair manual for that model, start reading anything of interest along the line of your repairs and doing some checks of your own. Tools can be found very cheaply at flea markets and pawn shops, look for made in USA, sometimes old Japan stuff, even older tiawan likely surpasses newer China stuff. Jackstands aren't too much, maybe $20 bucks for a couple. Even if you live in apartments you can check things out on weekends and maybe do some repairs in evenings. Even if you put a couple hundred into tools and the manual you'll come out ahead in knowing more about what you've got and what it really needs.

If you walk into a shop and their eyes light up with dollar signs (like it sounds like his probly did) tell them you were looking for the eye doctor and must got lost.

There should be a dust cover on your transmission to use in the very inspection you asked him to do. Your manual should describe what you should look for in there, and which way to go depending what you see.
Thank you for your thoughts. I’ve had a manual for years and thanks to this forum I know the steps involved. Some steps are more daunting than others. My personal issue here is I am unemployed. I was a stay at home dad with my daughter for the last 4.5ish years. My wife is a teacher, so you know she gets paid next to nothing.

I’m not at the position yet to make a decision to trade my truck, or repair it.
 

masanders

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19Walt93

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There's no inspection cover, the transmission has to be removed before you can see the clutch so there is no"just look at it" operation unless you're just asking for a road test by a technician. Flywheels can usually be resurfaced but may need to be replaced if the teeth the starter meshes with are damaged. There has got to be a trustworthy shop near you that could fix it. Another thing you can check is the clutch safety switch, if it failed or came unplugged it would prevent the starter from engaging.
 

rusty ol ranger

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First off, 1000 dollars just to see if the clutch is bad is highway robbery.

Id contact a different mechanic. You can usually tell if a clutch is getting bad by where it engages (higher the pedal, more worn it is) or by how spongy it feels. You can also hold the brake and release it in 3rd gear, the truck should immediatly jerk and die.


As far as the starter goes, have you tried jumping the solenoid? I believe 2000 will still have the black fender mounted solenoid. Looks like this....

ACF-SW1951C_ml-1.jpg


Take a pair of channel locks and with the key on, touch the spread end of the channel locks to the two big posts on the solenoid, see if it cranks.

As far as the other things....besides the fluids (its always a good idea to change those) what makes you think the injectors are bad? Or the suspension needs attention?

How many miles are on the truck?

Hope this helps some, i get sentimental value when it comes to vehicles.
 

19Walt93

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I wouldn't jump between the 2 big terminals, jump between the hot terminal to the small one to engage the solenoid with a lot less sparks and drama.
 

masanders

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Took the starter to Autozone for testing. Everything checks out good.
 

Dsetz

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We could use some more info.
You say it died, as in while running?
Now, does it turn over?
Is there a check engine light or have you pulled OBD2 codes?

Agreed with other posts, I've had mucho trouble with solenoids and relays in multiple Ford's. But those are more likely start issues and don't cause the vehicle to die.

If it were a bad flywheel it would probably still try to turn over and probably sound horrible in the process. And your starter cog would probably show extensive wear.

Bad clutch is also unlikely to prevent starting unless its stuck.
 

masanders

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We could use some more info.
You say it died, as in while running?
Now, does it turn over?
Is there a check engine light or have you pulled OBD2 codes?

Agreed with other posts, I've had mucho trouble with solenoids and relays in multiple Ford's. But those are more likely start issues and don't cause the vehicle to die.

If it were a bad flywheel it would probably still try to turn over and probably sound horrible in the process. And your starter cog would probably show extensive wear.

Bad clutch is also unlikely to prevent starting unless its stuck.
It was running when I shut it off. Now it won’t turn over. It just clicks once. When it broke down I had to pop the clutch to get it running. As for CELs it hasn’t thrown a code. I had the starter tested and it passed several times. The battery needs to be tested, but I can confirm the alternator is good, and the relays seem to be working
 

Dsetz

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That definitely sounds like a problem within the starting circuit then.
The click is probably the solenoid (which is on the fire wall, not attached to the starter). Generally they just keep clicking when bad-but not always. Try bypass jumping it as described.
I have had issues with solenoid and relays failing intermittently. As in they seem good but don't work today, but tomorrow they might. Used to just keep extras on hand.
Try swapping your AC or another un-necessary relay with your ignition relay.
Also check all grounds from the battery/solenoid/starter.
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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Check all wire terminals. +'ve from battery to fender relay. Fender relay to starter. Also ground from -ve to block. Make sure starter bolts are tight. Wire can corrode inside insulation. Do a voltage drop test to check for corroded wires and bad connections that can't be seen.
 

masanders

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That definitely sounds like a problem within the starting circuit then.
The click is probably the solenoid (which is on the fire wall, not attached to the starter). Generally they just keep clicking when bad-but not always. Try bypass jumping it as described.
I have had issues with solenoid and relays failing intermittently. As in they seem good but don't work today, but tomorrow they might. Used to just keep extras on hand.
Try swapping your AC or another un-necessary relay with your ignition relay.
Also check all grounds from the battery/solenoid/starter.
I have looked all over the engine bay and I haven’t found a firewall mounted relay yet.
 

Dsetz

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Sorry, I meant fender. On older Ford's the solenoid is on the passenger side fender, between the battery and the fire wall.
 

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