need encouragement on recent puchase.

[need info]

just purchased a 16 year old ranger that was garage kept and very well maintained regularly from a ford dealer during the last ownership of 16 years. It is a 2000 ranger 2.5L manual, with only 43000 miles, I purchased it from a chevy dealer, as is. All they did was put new tires on it. Driving it 300 miles home when I came into hills. I notice that the engine rattles a lot going up hills. When I down shifted and used 3 gear it took care of most of it, but it still rattles. At a high speed lets say 50 mph, gong up a gradual hill that would be a mile or more long in incline, the engine would rattle some in 4th gear. Then engine started running a bit rough and I feel a vibration on the stearing wheel at idle. I read some involved threads here, before I registered to ask this question. one mechanic says that this rattle will kill an engine prematurely. Others went through an expensive set of procedures to stop detonation. My Question is did I buy a lemon and do I have to worry about this, or is this kind of normal for a 2.5 l engine with a manual transmission. I feel like I may of made a big mistake buying an old vehicle, even though it is clean and was garage kept. thanks for any replies. Im hoping that an experience mechanic will tell me, that this 2.5 will run like this for many miles ahead. Maybe I have too much wishful ideas. I purchased this ranger thinking that they are very reliable and for the most part proven to run many miles. Thanks again.

 

[tinman_72]

Did you run a CarFax on it? It might be a cleaned up 2000 Ranger with 243000 miles on it.

 

[need info]

yes, it has a very detailed car fax. the guy had in the dealer every year for maintenance. He never used it much at all until the last 2 years he put on 23,000 miles. Its real clean to go with the miles. The seat is kind of worn though. I had a van with a worn seat , and I only put on 55000 miles. So I think its accurate. It runs nice, except for the hill rattle and now it is rough idling a bit. clutch is good. engine compartment and transmission are real clean. I never knew that a 4 cly. ranger with a stick really feels like a rough truck. I was expecting a little more comfort. keep in mind that I drove it 350 miles home. I went out of my way to get it, and I am kind of blinded that things could be wrong with it. I guess I will keep driving it until, I have to hire a mechanic. Another reason I went with a ranger is I hear they are easy to repair. But I was not expecting to do anything major. It is kind of stressful putting money into something you didn't expect

 

[adsm08]

It's hard to say for sure without hearing your noise. It may be nothing, it may be there is an issue. This is why I hate low-mile vehicles. There is a set of issues call "lot rot" that occur from a vehicle sitting too much. I'd be more apt to buy a 5 year old vehicle with 100K than a 15 year old vehicle with only 25K for this reason.

I have seen the newer 2.5L (different from your engine) go from a little knock to dead in a week, and I have seen others go for years sounding like they are about to come apart. It's a lot of luck involved in both.

The first thing I would do is hop under and check the u-joints. A bad u-joint can cause a knock, a vibration, a slap, or a few other noises and they can go bad from just sitting.

Also, while you are under there, bang around on the exhaust, I use a rubber mallet so I don't hurt myself, see if you can recreate the noise that way. A disintegrating cat can make a rattle under certain loads, especially if it has come loose from the shell.

If that all checks out try running a can of SeaFoam through the intake to clean the valves and such up. With 43K miles you can bet it saw a lot of short trips, which means carbon build up. Carbon hot spots can cause a detonation, especially under load.

 

[need info]

Thanks for the words and they make sense. I will definitely say that this is a rattle from the engine. The kind that you get when you are in too high of gear going up a hill, and that is what I am saying was happening, but I had to really get the rpms up to avoid this. If I had to guess, I think it may be okay and keep running, because they were hills and the truck is heavy. Another thing is when I am on flat roads, it is okay. Time will tell. Let me ask a question. When this truck was new, one year old and if I drove it up a good hill in forth gear going only 40 miles per hour. Would it make that noise the same as I hear now, when it was new? this answer will tell me allot. As for the rough idle, I know how to tune up a car and that is what I will do. I have had stick shift cars and they made it up a hill much better. Maybe this 2.5 engine is kind of like a basic small tough truck engine. Is this a normal occurrence even the engine was perfect new, if the conditions were the same. All the cars with stick shifts I had were much different handling. Could I say that this 2.5 manual ranger is not really made for the hills? When I put it in 3rd gear, I was okay and the rattle was not much at all. I was on a 55 mph highway and I was going 35 in 3rd gear, with high rpm. I was making allot of people behind me, very aggravated. I never had a 4cly stick truck, could it be that you have to get this 2.5 up to 60 + mph going up a good hill in forth gear not to get this rattle? I am basically asking about the normal characteristics of this old ford engine, so that i may know if my engine is actually not going to need attention at this point. my first impressions is that the engine was made for strong torque rather than speed. Maybe you have to drive it like a small tank rather than zipping like a newer pickup. It likes to go 50mph, on smooth roads, its not too good at 65. and of coarse this hill problem. thanks again for any comments.

 

[Shran]

Two things, have you tried running higher octane gas? Every 2.3L I've owned will ping when driving up inclines at highway speed with 87 or lower octane gas. You could try a tank of premium and see if it goes away.

The other thing that comes to mind is, when are you shifting? If you're driving up a hill in 4th or 5th gear and letting the RPMs drop, you need to shift down, period. Do not be afraid to get into 3rd gear and let the engine wrap up! Seriously, the Ranger 4 cylinders NEED high RPMs to make power. I will often keep mine in 3rd gear until I hit 60 or so when I get on the interstate, that is the only way to get it up to speed.

On that same note, shifting into 4th or 5th too soon and keeping it there is called "lugging" the transmission and that is not particularly good for it.

 

[need info]

Two things, have you tried running higher octane gas? Every 2.3L I've owned will ping when driving up inclines at highway speed with 87 or lower octane gas. You could try a tank of premium and see if it goes away.

The other thing that comes to mind is, when are you shifting? If you're driving up a hill in 4th or 5th gear and letting the RPMs drop, you need to shift down, period. Do not be afraid to get into 3rd gear and let the engine wrap up! Seriously, the Ranger 4 cylinders NEED high RPMs to make power. I will often keep mine in 3rd gear until I hit 60 or so when I get on the interstate, that is the only way to get it up to speed.

On that same note, shifting into 4th or 5th too soon and keeping it there is called "lugging" the transmission and that is not particularly good for it.

...okay, it could be that i need to learn how to handle the truck. I am kind of impressed so far, that it has a truck feel to it for being a little 4 cly. I will put the better gas in next as you suggest and i never knew that you have to rev it up like you say. Thanks for the note, much appreciated.







much appreciated.

 

[adsm08]

Listen to Shran. I only know two things about the Lima engines.

1) They like to spin fast.

2) I wouldn't ever own a Ranger with one, because frankly I find the very notion of a 4-cylinder gas engine in a pickup truck to be ridiculous on it's face. If you want a truck you need power. If you want fuel economy you need a car.

 

[Shran]

Listen to Shran. I only know two things about the Lima engines.

1) They like to spin fast.

2) I wouldn't ever own a Ranger with one, because frankly I find the very notion of a 4-cylinder gas engine in a pickup truck to be ridiculous on it's face. If you want a truck you need power. If you want fuel economy you need a car.

Yup.

Also true, but that is why I also own a big block powered truck! The 4 cylinder has a fair amount of power once you figure out how to shift it correctly.

I think the 2.3's are right up there with 300 sixes and the small block engines as far as the best engines Ford ever made. They are definitely not refined, smooth running machines by design but they are incredibly durable.

 

[JB3]

Listen to Shran. I only know two things about the Lima engines.

1) They like to spin fast.

2) I wouldn't ever own a Ranger with one, because frankly I find the very notion of a 4-cylinder gas engine in a pickup truck to be ridiculous on it's face. If you want a truck you need power. If you want fuel economy you need a car.

Thats pretty silly. You need a truck for whatever purpose you buy it for, not because you *need* power.
If you need power buy something with power, which may or may not be a truck depending on application.

No way in hell would i run a gas guzzling truck when i could have the utility of a small truck with reasonable fuel economy.

If im towing something, im not using a ranger for anything larger than a 4x8 utility

 

[adsm08]

Thats pretty silly. You need a truck for whatever purpose you buy it for, not because you *need* power.
If you need power buy something with power, which may or may not be a truck depending on application.

No way in hell would i run a gas guzzling truck when i could have the utility of a small truck with reasonable fuel economy.

If im towing something, im not using a ranger for anything larger than a 4x8 utility

Ah, unfamiliarity with the importance of word order strikes again.

I said if you need a truck you need power, not if you need power you need a truck. If you just want raw power go buy a Corvette or a Viper, or if you have six figures laying around a GT.

A truck without the power to do real work is little better, and in many scenarios worse than, a small car. Heck, my sister who only has room for one vehicle, has done a lot of the same type of day to day work that I do with my Ranger in her VW wagon, got 40 MPG highway, and could get 5 people and gear in it if she wanted. I've had 5 people in my Ranger, but it wasn't comfortable for anyone.

The 2.3, 2.5 and 3.0 are all well built, dependable engines and I would own any of them any day, if they were in something the size and (approximate) shape of a Fusion. Most of the work I do doesn't need anything that can't fit into a Ranger bed. Since I don't want the hassle of a full size truck I don't own one, even though I am getting about the same fuel economy. If I need to move something that doesn't fit in my bed I have a 5x12 trailer that rolls along (and stops) behind my Ranger and my BII very nicely.

The Lima engines were in things like Pintos and Tempos, little cars until some idiot in marketing, not engineering, said "Hey, we should put these in a truck". Same with the Vulcan engine. It was pretty much purpose built for the Taurus, and when the 2.9 was being phased out someone who should have had no input in the decision said "Let's use this in the Ranger".

 

[JB3]

Ah, unfamiliarity with the importance of word order strikes again.

I said if you need a truck you need power, not if you need power you need a truck. If you just want raw power go buy a Corvette or a Viper, or if you have six figures laying around a GT.

A truck without the power to do real work is little better, and in many scenarios worse than, a small car. Heck, my sister who only has room for one vehicle, has done a lot of the same type of day to day work that I do with my Ranger in her VW wagon, got 40 MPG highway, and could get 5 people and gear in it if she wanted. I've had 5 people in my Ranger, but it wasn't comfortable for anyone.

The 2.3, 2.5 and 3.0 are all well built, dependable engines and I would own any of them any day, if they were in something the size and (approximate) shape of a Fusion. Most of the work I do doesn't need anything that can't fit into a Ranger bed. Since I don't want the hassle of a full size truck I don't own one, even though I am getting about the same fuel economy. If I need to move something that doesn't fit in my bed I have a 5x12 trailer that rolls along (and stops) behind my Ranger and my BII very nicely.

The Lima engines were in things like Pintos and Tempos, little cars until some idiot in marketing, not engineering, said "Hey, we should put these in a truck". Same with the Vulcan engine. It was pretty much purpose built for the Taurus, and when the 2.9 was being phased out someone who should have had no input in the decision said "Let's use this in the Ranger".

right, and I said depending on what you need the truck for, power may or may not be important.

The premise that a truck needs power to be useful is flawed, especially for a small truck like a ranger. Yes its helpful, but the most important thing for a truck is gearing. Much of the world does amazing levels of work in large trucks operating with small power plants and advantageous gearing. They aren't fast, but they are efficient.

I am using my 2.3 ranger in a business application which is ideal for it. A 4cyl was the best choice, other plants for ranger are much too thirsty for the size of the truck. For its size, the most efficient small plant makes the most sense. Its just way too small to say more power makes it more useful. You still have a small bed and small shape that can't tow much just on vehicle weight alone if its going to stop, no matter the engine.

 

[need info]

everyone has different needs and wants that is for sure. I am tickled pink on this ford ranger 2.5L manual. I wish i could put 100 thousand miles on it. I drive slow so a 4 cyl. is not a problem. had 8 cylinder vans for years. Now all I need is a small pickup like a ranger. It be really cool to have one that can get 200 thousand miles without much repair!
Hey the good news is around my area there are no big hills and now that I learned to rev up the engine real good, it is not rattling during acceleration. If I go on hills somewhere, I already know that I have to use 3rd gear and rev it up and pull over a bit for traffic to pass. I am going to try the higher octane gas and I will tune it up. I just realized it has 8 spark plugs!?? I have no idea why. If I could get good use out of this older low mile ranger, without major repair, I will be very happy about it.

 

[pjtoledo]

what RPMs are you going up hill in?

if you are putting any type of load on the engine you you should be at least 2000 RPMs


FYI, spark knock/pinging is not felt in the steering wheel.

don't work about the 8 spark plugs issue, the designing engineer was schooled in that "new math" stuff.
if you think that's bad, just wait until the crop of "core" educated engineers arrive can't wait to see how many plugs they "estimate" the engine will need.


Perry

 

[need info]

what RPMs are you going up hill in?

if you are putting any type of load on the engine you you should be at least 2000 RPMs


FYI, spark knock/pinging is not felt in the steering wheel.

don't work about the 8 spark plugs issue, the designing engineer was schooled in that "new math" stuff.
if you think that's bad, just wait until the crop of "core" educated engineers arrive can't wait to see how many plugs they "estimate" the engine will need.


Perry

.........When I was hitting large hills I was not using enough rpm before I shifted. I was driving the engine without a high rpm. I was shifting into 4th gear and the speed of the engine was too low and weight of the vehicle was load enough to cause the heavy rattling. The engine may need service, and or there may be some wear, but what I'm saying now, is staying in a lower gear and having the engine rev up allot more( picking up more speed and rpm), before I shift into 4th is making the difference. Its the same between 2nd and 3rd. Even on level ground, if I shift into 3rd before I get the speed and rpm up. the engine will rattle. One comment was made about this earlier, in regards to lugging and not to do it. I found out that this engine (2.5 L) really does like to rev up and run at a higher rpm, just like the the post reply earlier said.
With the rough idle and feeling the vibration on the steering wheel, I think that is a separate issue. A tune up may help that. I will start by looking at the caps and roters. I assume they will be a bit aged. And the seafoam and the higher octane gas. I will try all of these and maybe the engine will not idle as rough and maybe the detonation problem, will improve.
I have had this truck for only 2 days now