Mystery's 2003 Ranger Build

2.3 Daily Driver

Welcome to my second ranger build. My first was a 1999 Ranger 4x4. This $800 craigslist find is a white, reg cab, short bed 2003 Ranger XLT that I purchased on the 4th of July. It’s 2wd, has a 2.3L with 148,000 miles and is automatic. CARFAX says this one spent 5 years in Florida, so it’s like having a 2008 in terms of rust. Other than a few bumps and dings, the body is in good shape. The transmission is slipping pretty good, so that needs to be taken care of before I put it on the road. After that, I’ll turn my attention towards maintenance items like brakes, ball joints and bearings. I don't plan on lowering it or doing anything fancy right now.

7/23/16 - Towing My New Toy Home


Today was day of firsts for me. My first time towing a trailer, first time towing with Big Blue and my first time towing another vehicle.

'Big Blue' is my 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 that I bought from the local water department. Technically I guess that makes it 'Water Truck 2'. Anyways, they had it listed on eBay and I had the winning bid of $3,215. It had 123,457 miles on it when I got it. Someone has a sense of humor at the water dept, but they overshot by a mile. It has the 4.7L V8, standard cab, long bed which is great for hauling sheets of plywood and is 4X4. The automatic transmission was having an issue with overdrive so I had it replaced, which set me back $2,700. It's got a small coolant leak so it's burning coolant. It'll puff sweet smoke if I start it up after a few weeks of sitting. I don't see it as a big problem, it's been pretty reliable over the 4 years I've had it. I'll tear into it after I get this Ranger running.


Earlier in the week, I reserved a U-Haul Auto Transport on their website. The website asks you what vehicle you’re going to tow and what vehicle you’re going to tow with to make sure it’s a safe combination. I entered the data for my Dodge Ram. They looked at the age of my truck and suggested that I rent one of their trucks.

Please consider the condition of your Tow Vehicle.
The vehicle information you have entered has triggered this alert. If you are planning to tow a trailer, for use over any distance, you should consider the condition of your tow vehicle. Towing a trailer can be demanding on some older vehicles, depending upon their condition. You should consider the mechanical condition (Engine, transmission, suspension, brakes and tires) into your rental/purchasing decision and if applicable consider the following alternative options:

• Truck and Auto Transport rental
• Truck and Tow Dolly rental
• Truck rental and additional driver (auto separate)
• Different Tow Vehicle

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I was confident that the transmission, suspension, brakes and tires would all be fine, because I replaced them all over the past 4 years. The engine was a possible problem. I wasn’t sure what to expect, it might overheat, crap-out or something under full load.

This trailer rents for $54.95/day. You could go without insurance, but they say trailer is worth $5,000 should you get into an accident. They also say that credit cards and most auto insurance policies do not cover rental trailers. Insurance starts at $8 for $5,000 in personal property coverage. I opted for the $12 insurance policy which covers $15,000. I figure I’d give them some more money since they spent so much time with me on my pre-tow inspection.

The actual Pre-Tow Inspection shouldn’t take long, but there is almost always a line of people at the counter. Basically they check that your tow hitch receiver is rated high enough and check to see that your tow light wiring is working. When the U-Haul gal plugged in her tester it didn’t register headlights, directionals or brakes. She said it might be bad fuse, so I checked the fuse panel and what do you know, there were two tow light fuses blown. I went to the Advance Auto and bought a kit with an assortment of fuses and a tester. Who knows when I might blow another fuse.



When I brought it back, the lights still didn’t register on her tester. She brought out a second set of test lights and that didn’t register either. She finally checked it with a test probe and it worked when she pressed really hard with the probe. She called for a Tech to see if he could clean the contacts and he added some grease to it which didn’t help. She told me it was a bad connector and she suggested I replace the wires with a new one. She sold me a $5 tow light extension cable and told me to cut in half and splice it into the wiring harness.

Splicing it into the wiring harness was pretty much painless. I just used crimps to connect the ends of the wires. I didn’t know what to do with the other half of the extension cable, but then I had a bright idea. I clipped the wires off and plugged it into the cable to protect it from the elements when I’m not using it.





I also decided to buy my own tow light tester from Walmart for $7.


I brought the truck back in, she tested it and I passed.

I didn’t have a draw bar or hitch ball when I came to pickup the trailer, so I purchased them there. They have a good selection of towing accessories there.
I bought a Towing Starter Kit for $24.95.


The actual towing wasn’t all that bad. My Ram weighs 5000 lbs and the trailer weighs 2,000 lbs. Leaving U-Haul, I could feel the extra drag of the trailer. It took some more gas, but it wasn’t too bad. Stopping wasn’t a problem. The trailer has hydraulic brakes built into the tongue so it uses the momentum of the trailer to actuate the trailer brakes. Going up hills on an empty trailer, there were times I needed to floor it. It made me wonder if my 4.7L V8 could handle the extra 3,000 lbs with the Ranger. There was bridge construction in two spots where the maximum vehicle width was 10 ft. Luckily the trailer is just a little wider than 8 ft. Even though, it still made me nervous going between the concrete lane dividers.

Loading the Ranger with the slipping transmission wasn't a problem. The guy I bought it from said to put it in 1st gear and it managed to make it up the ramps and onto the trailer. It’s definitely a two person operation - make sure you have a spotter. YouTube has videos that show you how it should be done.

It wasn’t that much different carrying the Ranger. It was definitely heavier, leave plenty of space ahead of you to brake. The only time I had trouble was right in front of Lebanon Valley Speedway when some guy didn’t like that I was going 55mph, passed me and took up my 4 car-length buffer. Then of course everyone in front of him decides to stop for pedestrians. Yeah, this rig doesn’t like sudden stops. I skidded a few feet before it stopped. I had to floor it for the hills, but it wasn’t a problem for my V8. It’s finally got a chance to flex it’s muscles. Other than that, it was rather smooth riding and there was no overheating even with the a/c on. This thing is designed to haul!

Since I used my own truck instead of renting, I saved $150 - $19.95/day, $1/mile x 116 miles + $14 insurance. Finally getting my money’s worth from my truck. Another surprising thing was the mileage. The Ram usually gets 13mpg. My average hauling the trailer to Pittsfield and then back with the Ranger was 11mpg. Go figure?

Another thing to remember is backing up with the trailer everything is reversed. I managed to drive into a dead-end because my GPS decided to take me up into a closed road. I had to three-point turn it out using some driveways. There was a bit of a learning curve there, but I managed to do it. Read the UHaul manual so you're prepared for things like this.

All in all it was a worthwhile experience. I learned a bunch of things and am confident that my truck can haul future project cars now.

7/27/16 - Remotes, Cruise Control Switches, Speedo Lights

I only got 1 key from the former owner and no remotes. I have the XLT model which has power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise control, etc. I wasn't sure if remotes would work or not, so I took a chance and bought a pair off eBay for $7.92 w/free shipping.



Programming the remotes is pretty easy. You insert the key in the ignition and turn it to the on position, but don't start it and then turn it off. You do this six more times and then turn it on one more time. The locks will cycle lock and unlock. You press any key on the remote you want to program and the locks will cycle again. You repeat the process for any additional remotes. I had one more, so I hit the button, the locks cycled and I turned the ignition off to end the programming mode. I was very happy when the locks locked and unlocked with the remotes!


Cruise Control Switches
I didn't like the square hole in the cruise control buttons, so I got some replacements for $20 off of craigslist. The replacements were from a 2002 Ranger.

Steering Wheel Before


I don't know if it's absolutely necessary, but after I disconnected the battery and let it sit for 20 minutes before I messed with the air bag. The air bag is held on with 2 screws on either side of the steering wheel. The holes are covered with plastic inserts that need to be pried off.

The cruise control switch modules are connected together with a ribbon cable. The ribbon cable connectors are on pretty tight. Don't pull on the ribbon cable or you may rip it off the connector like I did when I was getting the switches off the donor. Use a pair of pliers directly on the connector to pull them off.



Steering Wheel After


Bye Bye Mossy Oak Camo Steering Wheel Cover!


Speedometer Lights
There was a dead light on my speedometer that was annoying me, so I had to replace it. I've done it before on a 1998 F-150 and it's really a pain. You have to unscrew the hood release cable, removed the lower kick panel, remove the reinforcement panel behind it, remove the radio bezel, remove the speedo bezel, which requires some creative jiggling of the shifter and steering wheel tilt. Unplug headlights and dimmer switches, flipping the speedo 90 degrees so you can remove the shifter indicator and the three wiring harnesses. The harnesses each have a tab you press on to remove.



The light holder comes out with a twist. Be careful you don't squeeze the light too hard or you might crush it while removing it from the holder. I also replaced two other lights that looked dim. I figured might as well while I had the speedo out.

7/31/16 - New Tailgate, Leftovers

The tailgate was pretty beat up and the handle was busted so you had to fiddle with the guts on the inside to get it to open.

Old Tailgate


Tailgate Guts


I got the new tailgate from craigslist for $100. It's got some scratches and dings, but the handle works and the paint matches.

New Tailgate


As I was vacuuming the cab, I was amazed by all the little things that were left behind.

Lots of things to be founds when you buy a used truck. I found a ton of stuff. Old timing belt, spark plugs, towels, and recently I found safety glasses when I pulled my instrument cluster out


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What.... no condoms?.....

OkayKafka said:

Lots of things to be founds when you buy a used truck. I found a ton of stuff. Old timing belt, spark plugs, towels, and recently I found safety glasses when I pulled my instrument cluster out

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I only plan on keeping this truck for a few years. Maybe I ought to leave an easter egg or something behind the instrument cluster when I sell it.

Angie said:

What.... no condoms?.....

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If that were the case, I would've hosed down the interior! Although, I still haven't cleaned the bed yet...