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hayden55 11-28-2018 02:22 PM

New Whip. $500 96 Ford Ranger 2.3 5mt
 
Well,

My need to always tinker hit again and I had a relapse. Bought another junker to mess with. I'm now the owner of a questionable 1996 Ford Ranger 3.0 5 speed truck. Anybody have any recommendations on first mods?

\\\\\\\\\\\PICTURES\\\\\\\\\\\\
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...4C?usp=sharing

Edit: Lady was misinformed, the truck was a 3.0 when i arrived. Truck isn't a 4 cylinder.

Piotrsko 11-28-2018 04:39 PM

Synthetic oil change, tonneau, airdam/splitter.

Daschicken 11-28-2018 05:11 PM

The oil filter may be in close proximity to the starter solenoid. I got a shower of sparks and two pinholes in my arm that time...


Swap to electric fan if it isn't already, grill block, half tonneau cover, warm air intake, lrr or at least tall and thin tires, taller axle ratio.

19bonestock88 11-29-2018 02:28 PM

Definitely swap to an electric fan, do some grille blocking, air damming, and some preventative maintenance (change oil, trans fluid and diff fluid)...

I’m in favor of switching to a taller axle ratio and a slightly smaller tire (ex. 3.73 axle and 215/70 tire to 3.08 axle and 205/65 tire... the slightly smaller tire will shed rotational mass and the taller axle ratio will still lower RPMs (the Lima four cylinder doesn’t need to rev too high)...

Since your truck is a 96, you could visit a tuner that uses SCT software and get a tune, maybe gain some power/mileage...

Taylor95 11-29-2018 02:41 PM

Good maintenance will get you far. I recommend replacing the distributor and spark plug wires with a performance set, new plugs (I run mine 0.01" oversized), new battery cables, new 4 or 12 hole fuel injectors, new air filter, and replacing all your oils with synthetic.

Beyond that I would get new headers, put exhaust wrap on them, a manual hub conversion set (I don't think the rangers have manual hubs), underbelly skid plates, some kind of hard bed cover, and lightweight pulleys (if you're comfortable with that). A higher thermostat may also be beneficial to you. If you are very mechanically inclined then electric power steering would be great. Or removing the power steering system.

Piotrsko 11-29-2018 03:43 PM

I think the starter and header are on different sides. I am proficient in 2.8 or 2.9 colognes.

3.08 diffs are rare as hens teeth unless you want to have them professionally swapped for $2500. I dont know what else in a 8" uses them. I would just use bigger diameter tires, not like space is limited in the wheel well.

Warn makes manual hubs if you have the one piece front end. I forget which year those ended. You can pull the axles if you dont need 4wd.

Autozone has the manual steering box and brake master cylinder, bit of a pita in parking lots.

What could I possibly know about rangers?

Keito 11-29-2018 07:03 PM

I had the same truck but a short bed.
When the donut gasket went in the exhaust I bought a Dynomax
exhaust for it. It was a hundred bucks.
My MPG's went from 25 to 28 overnight.
I was shocked!
Later I pumped up the tires and made a WAI and was getting close to 30 mpg's

steve05ram360 11-29-2018 09:27 PM

If there is an aluminum driveshaft option, swap it. Lighter wheels, skip taller tires unless your in the flat lands. Recent experimentation with taller tires of the same width made me miserable & mpg stank. Seattle area, so nothing is flat around here.

hayden55 11-30-2018 04:05 PM

Well, I went to go pick up the vehicle last night. I bought this vehicle on Wednesday over the phone with a credit card from a tow away place sight un seen and the truck was supposed to be a 2.3 5mt with a bad clutch (I figure for 500$ I could stomach the risk). When I got there the truck was of course a 3.0 v6 with the 5 speed, except 3rd and 4th are dead! Which surprisingly besides that... it actually drives just fine and the vehicle is mostly okay. Its a pulse and glider with 50 psi in the tires. 1st-2nd to 30mph, then throw it in 5th and it lugs down to 1100 rpms but tolerates it to pulse up to 50 and bounce 40-50. I need to make a kill switch then the scan gage should pick up on the tank mileage pretty well. I added more pics to the google drive link in the first post above of the vehicle in day light.
Excited to either flip the vehicle or start eco modding it! :)

19bonestock88 11-30-2018 04:21 PM

Eeeewww, 3.0... lol

Actually the Vulcan V6 is a solid engine, if a bit underpowered... if yours doesn’t have the distributor, you need to watch out for the cam synchronizer, they can fail and the oil pump loses its drive and then you’ve locked an engine...

Same ecomodding ideas apply though... if you can stay off the highway, P&G is your friend... though my Cologne V6/manual truck would get 23-24mpg on longer trips at 60-65mph...

hayden55 11-30-2018 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 19bonestock88 (Post 584994)
Eeeewww, 3.0... lol

Actually the Vulcan V6 is a solid engine, if a bit underpowered... if yours doesn’t have the distributor, you need to watch out for the cam synchronizer, they can fail and the oil pump loses its drive and then you’ve locked an engine...

Same ecomodding ideas apply though... if you can stay off the highway, P&G is your friend... though my Cologne V6/manual truck would get 23-24mpg on longer trips at 60-65mph...

Yup it is distributor.
It's not clearly noted but there is a link in the first post for all the pictures of the vehicle.
Yeah mpg is bad....
It has a code for a recirc valve but thats it.
70mph I saw 21
55 I saw ~26-27
Instrumentation is rough in this car right now lol
And I assume it to have a towing package. Even with 215/70/15 tires 70 mph is 2650 rpms! Not quite in the efficiency range up there. lol

19bonestock88 11-30-2018 04:39 PM

Assuming based on tire size that the truck is 2wd, but I’m guessing you have a 3.55 or 3.73 final drive... with the 3.08 in the 4.0 truck I had and 235/60-15 tires, I was turning like 2100 at 65?

You also need to find a functional transmission, 3rd and 4th gear could be useful lol

hayden55 11-30-2018 05:01 PM

[QUOTE= You also need to find a functional transmission, 3rd and 4th gear could be useful lol [/QUOTE]

Maybe...... Yeah they might be useful at some point. haha
Especially since I want to tow a boat with this thing when the weather gets warmer. (1000 pound packages typically... river boat)

19bonestock88 12-01-2018 01:17 AM

Actually if you’re planning on doing any towing you may choose to keep the current axle ratio and make up the difference in tire size; the taller tire should find better traction all things considered and P&G driving style isn’t so dependent on gearing...

Piotrsko 12-01-2018 02:00 PM

Bad 3\4 could be bent or misaligned shifter, or the stupid plastic ball in the shifter tunnel is destroyed. Easy peasy fix either way. I used an old 60's VW bug heater knob drilled out to fix mine but some welded a ball bearing on the end. If you aren't in neutral when you install shifter you can't align it.

Towing package will be class 2 2" square mount and wiring stub for trailer.

hayden55 12-02-2018 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotrsko (Post 585042)
Bad 3\4 could be bent or misaligned shifter, or the stupid plastic ball in the shifter tunnel is destroyed. Easy peasy fix either way. I used an old 60's VW bug heater knob drilled out to fix mine but some welded a ball bearing on the end. If you aren't in neutral when you install shifter you can't align it.

Towing package will be class 2 2" square mount and wiring stub for trailer.

You are the second person to say this. Is this a common fix? I did notice that originally it would kind of grind, but now it wont even engage. You can shift over to third and fourth and it will just sit there in neutral as if the car fell out of gear.

I'm definitely going to look into this.

Edit: Bought 1-2 and 3-4 shift forks. That and some Mercon V and thats an easy 60$ repair! I love having the internet as a resource.

Can you pull the top loader on the trans with the transmission still in the car?

Piotrsko 12-03-2018 12:48 PM

Might be. The tunnel cover under the rug is huge when it's off. Thought these are bottom loaders, with back housing access however but it's been a while since I had to mess with mine. Have to go look at my TK.
I'm REALLY only qualified on gen 1 &2.

Yup shifter ball failure is common in 10 + year old vehicles

hayden55 12-03-2018 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotrsko (Post 585150)
Might be. The tunnel cover under the rug is huge when it's off. Thought these are bottom loaders, with back housing access however but it's been a while since I had to mess with mine. Have to go look at my TK.
I'm REALLY only qualified on gen 1 &2.

Yup shifter ball failure is common in 10 + year old vehicles

You mean shifter ball or shifter fork?

Piotrsko 12-04-2018 10:25 AM

Shifter ball. And the two most popular trans are bottom /side loaders.

hayden55 12-04-2018 12:06 PM

Found the original window sticker for the vehicle. Got all the lights in the dash working to see what sensors work. Seems like everything IS working. Only weird part is the melted cruise control buttons do work! But there is definitely no dash light for the cruise control lol. Makes me wonder if the gauge cluster is the original one for this vehicle. I posted the original window sticker and some other pictures in the google drive folder. Also the front struts with 20 years of rust on them are a hell of a lot of fun to get out to replace with Bilsteins. :|

cajunfj40 12-04-2018 04:35 PM

Hello hayden55,

IIRC, you have a Mazda M5OD-R1, for a 1996 truck. Here's a good resource.

The manual for the trans is also on that site. (PDF)

I just replaced the shifter ball supports on an M5OD-R1HD, which is nearly identical to the M5OD-R1, just has an extra bolt hole to mount to the 4.0 SOHC V6 and reportedly slightly stronger syncros and such for the higher power rating of that SOHC engine. Cover is on the top. Everything shifter-related is accessed through the top. Transmissions for the 4-cyl and 3.0 V6 are identical, and the 4.0 OHV V6 has different gearing and bolt pattern but might share parts like the main shafts and shift rails and such.

Go ahead and fix the rubber shift rail plugs, too. If you pull the top cover, you'll have it on a bench to get to easy.

If you need room to fish the cover out of the truck, remove the rear trans mount and lower the back end of the trans. That'll get it further away from the body. Be wary of mashing wires/A/C lines between the engine and the firewall, though. Engine will only tilt so far until it hits. I didn't hurt anything - I think...

Good luck!

hayden55 12-04-2018 11:45 PM

Truck so far is returning fantastic mpg's. I've been getting 26 at 55 mph and 22-30 mpg around town depending on how many stop lights I hit and if I choose to idle or kill it and re start and of course i dwb and png as much as possible.
I have noticed that if I start it and stop it a couple times it really sucks some energy out of the battery. Notice I only restart with the key if I had to full stop at a stop light. Every other event will be a half clutch kick, then rev it up and put it back in gear.
I assume either: a. The big body 130A 3g alternator needs a rebuild, b. the all incandescent lights really suck some power, and/or c. The what I assume 200+ Amp starter is really sucking on the brand new walmart battery I installed yesterday.
Future plans may be a deep cycle Odyssey battery, LED lights everywhere, and an alternator rebuild with quality parts.
But past that the charging voltage sits at 14.5V and the truck runs well if I do not kill the engine.

JRMichler 12-05-2018 10:10 AM

Your charging system is designed for people that never kill the engine to coast. When I was commuting 3 miles each way to work, a good part of each trip was engine off coasting. I found that I needed to put it on a charger once a week to top up the battery. I learned this after a dead battery episode. A 2 amp charger is large enough if you use it often enough.

If the voltage is holding over 14 volts, the alternator is working correctly. If you monitor the voltage when on a charger, the charging voltage will gradually increase to 14.8 volts, hold there for a while, then drop to 13.3 volts and maintain at the level. That's what is needed to fully charge your battery.

hayden55 12-05-2018 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRMichler (Post 585264)
Your charging system is designed for people that never kill the engine to coast. When I was commuting 3 miles each way to work, a good part of each trip was engine off coasting. I found that I needed to put it on a charger once a week to top up the battery. I learned this after a dead battery episode. A 2 amp charger is large enough if you use it often enough.

If the voltage is holding over 14 volts, the alternator is working correctly. If you monitor the voltage when on a charger, the charging voltage will gradually increase to 14.8 volts, hold there for a while, then drop to 13.3 volts and maintain at the level. That's what is needed to fully charge your battery.

It seems crazy that it works like that doesn't it. On my old 96 civic I eoc with clutch kicks if I kept moving to restart, and I would restart at stop lights and I never noticed any battery issues. The Prius also EOCs a lot but has a yuge charging system. I have been pretty pampered to this point with those examples. 😂

wriley4409 12-12-2018 04:29 PM

Having owned a '96 Ranger for about ten years, here are my thoughts:

1. This engine LOVES full synthetic oil, and it makes a measurable difference in fuel mileage. My favorite was always Mobil1.

2. I didn't have good luck with killing the engine to coast, but coasting in neutral gave me awesome mileage though.

3. This engine doesn't make enough power to reduce the rear axle ratio or run over sized tires.

4. Anything that you can do to reduce the effort to get this truck moving or keep it moving will make a noticeable impact on your mileage. Converting to an electric fan, pumping up the tire pressure, full synthetic fluids everywhere, lighter wheels/tires, aero improvements, etc all make a big impact.

hayden55 12-12-2018 04:49 PM

Camper shell make any difference? I think this would be sweet to adapt a 5k btu window unit to for overnight camping with the boat. haha.

wriley4409 12-12-2018 06:21 PM

A camper shell would probably hurt mileage somewhat, mostly through poor aerodynamics. It would certainly be fun though.

WyrTwister 12-12-2018 09:03 PM

I could / would not tolerate the bad tranny . I would start searching for a replacement + clutch + pressure plate + throw out bearing + pilot bearing + alignment tool .

If the clutch is hydraulic , I would check it and service / flush the fluid too . If not , examine / lube the linkage .

God bless
Wyr

Clev 12-12-2018 11:25 PM

Check to see if there's a recall on that truck. There were some Rangers that were recalled because the cruise control switch could overheat and cause a fire. Sounds like yours is already on its way.

hayden55 12-15-2018 01:04 AM

There is definitely a recall. I'm just hoping the truck will burn down and I can get a new truck! Just kidding. In reality besides the day I picked it up I have only drove the truck a couple times so far for testing fixes and things. Now that school is out an I just have the 8-5, maybe I can finally get more time to work on it.
Progress:
1. Bilstein shocks have been installed. Much improved. The rear is still very stiff. (not bouncy anymore though. Before if i hit a sewer cover the whole truck would lose contact with the ground).
2. Odometer gear replaced, and leds and lights fixed in the dash.
3. bluetooth head unit installed. 6x8 door speakers installed.
4. dual usb charger with voltage gauge installed where the old cig lighter was previously.
5. Interior has been pulled and cleaned with soap and the water hose. Just waiting on things to dry.
6. New cruise control buttons put in.
7. Junkyard rubber floor liner pulled and ready to go in to replaced the ratty carpet.
8. New wheels and tires installed.
9. Parts received waiting for install: 0w-20, filter, Mercon V ATF, shift forks, coolant, drivers door lock, floor liner, spare tire, ignition lock, keyless remote kit, etc...

Should be very clean when finished! :D

hayden55 12-24-2018 07:39 PM

Update on the trans: Clutch slave cylinder is leaky from what I can see in the inspection window, and the fluid is brand new meaning it must have leaked on the previous owners as well so they must have topped it off for a quick sale:
Trans had a little over one quart of oil in it. Did just fine until the last loop or two around the block and it start buzzing so I parked it. I also realized once I got the top cover off, that the synchronizer sliders will only engage if the clutch pedal is completely on the damn floor. lol
On the agenda:
1. swap hydraulic slave cylinder.
2. replace upper shift ball components as they have disintegrated and the seal boot is broken.
3. Swap shift forks (even though the ones I have are fine... I just already have the parts).
4. replace rear output shaft seal.
That should fix the issues. A lot of slop, low fluid, seals losing fluid, and a slave cylinder that wont engage until on the floor can cause some problems.
5. Will inspect clutch when I pull the transmission as well.

Added pictures to the first post as well.

Piotrsko 12-25-2018 01:12 PM

Typicls air in system. Just wait until you bleed the clutch unless they fixed that. Easier to bleed it on ramps on sloping driveway nose high. Reverse gear engagement is criteria for well bled clutch slave.

hayden55 04-12-2019 12:40 PM

2 Attachment(s)
Starting to get more things done. Haven't really worked on the car beside the first little bit I owned it since it was 50F and then dropped to 30's for the next couple months. Last week I decided to just go ahead and throw all the junk back in the truck and reassemble everything.
Interesting to see what just cleaning the interior can do to a vehicle.
Just need to solder the egr tube now to fix it and make a decision on trans route.

hayden55 09-25-2020 10:19 AM

Update.

Ranger is running. After misc sensors, exhaust fixes, finishing up transmission install she is done.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...4C?usp=sharing
Truck is getting anywhere between 20-30 in town. Truck also gets 24 mpg going 70 mph per GPS.
Now time to do some mods!

hayden55 11-11-2020 09:17 AM

2 Attachment(s)
Finally got a little bit of a hesitation misfire towing my motorcycle to the new city (highway to Fayetteville, AR is EXTREMELY hilly). Didn't have the scan gauge hooked up but it felt like a misfire above 90% load. Took it easy and made it home fine. Got 21 mpg towing the bike back in the bed in 30F weather. No bed cover. Sunday I finally got time to pull the plugs. I assume they are the original plugs from 1996 still in this vehicle. I will say after seeing them I will say I got my money's worth. I'm honestly suprised it ran so well for so long on these plugs. I hardly noticed it misfired at the end. lol
I have put about 2000 miles on the truck now. Absolutely no oil consumption so far. Oil is still golden. Not used to that. Looking at the new plugs all gapped correctly I bet I might pick up a mpg or two from this? :P Just need to get the one spark plug out I broke and I will be good to go! I think I'm done with maintenance now besides swapping out the "Distributor" thing. *Excitement*
I Might have a fleet of reliable vehicles now. *knock on wood*

hayden55 11-11-2020 09:29 AM

Might be closing in on the Best gas mileage V6 Ranger? Just need to figure out the power to tow vs axle ratio challenge. So far it looks like this vehicle will need the 3.73 axle unless I can delete some of the accessory drive with good results to decrease the hp required.
Also, aero mods that you can't see will help. No more extreme(ly-ugly) aero mods for now.

Keito 11-11-2020 01:00 PM

I never read your update that this turned out to be a 3.0.
My first Ranger was a 96, 2.3, 5 speed, that's the one I installed the
exhaust and aired up the tires and got a solid 30 MPG's

I sold that and bought a brand new 2002 3.0 automatic.
I absolutely hated that truck, no matter what I did it would
get no better than 18 MPG's

I kept it a few years and unloaded it.
The 3.0 has the nickname the cockroach, it's hard to kill them.

The 5 speed will obviously help the situation

hayden55 11-11-2020 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keito (Post 636090)
I never read your update that this turned out to be a 3.0.
My first Ranger was a 96, 2.3, 5 speed, that's the one I installed the
exhaust and aired up the tires and got a solid 30 MPG's

I sold that and bought a brand new 2002 3.0 automatic.
I absolutely hated that truck, no matter what I did it would
get no better than 18 MPG's

I kept it a few years and unloaded it.
The 3.0 has the nickname the cockroach, it's hard to kill them.

The 5 speed will obviously help the situation

I really need an admin to change the title. It bugs the **** out of me every time i make an update. lol

I hope you're right. I hate trucks. Therefore, I have this one to last me forever for the every once in a while I need a truck.


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