New member, new (to me) truck, hello from NC!

[jballard81]

Good afternoon!

Just picked up a 1994 new to me ford ranger xlt, ext cab, 4x4 with the 4.0 v6 engine, auto transmission. drove it home safely but will definitely be utilizing the member knowledge base for all the odds and ends i need to repair on it!
first question - is there a 'best' repair manual option? I ask b/c in my old jeep days i liked to get the Jeep service manuals b/c they were the most detailed.

 

[RobbieD]

Welcome to TRS.

I like having the Ford dealership manuals, in paper, but I also use aftermarket manuals like Chilton and Haynes. And I agree, that factory manuals are the most detailed.

I would definitely recommend getting the Ford Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting manual (EVTM). This covers all of the wiring in your truck and is the best for electrical.

There are also Ford shop manuals covering the mechanical, and a big powertrain manual for diagnosing the engine management systems.

I've used eBay to get my manuals. If your patient and keep watching the listings the Ford manuals can be bought very reasonably. I have no experience with manuals on CD.

For what it's worth, my personal opinion is the 1994 models seem to be one of the better years for these trucks. It is the last year for OBD1, so a cheap OBD1 code reader is helpful.

Good luck!

 

[jballard81]

Welcome to TRS.

I like having the Ford dealership manuals, in paper, but I also use aftermarket manuals like Chilton and Haynes. And I agree, that factory manuals are the most detailed.

I would definitely recommend getting the Ford Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting manual (EVTM). This covers all of the wiring in your truck and is the best for electrical.

There are also Ford shop manuals covering the mechanical, and a big powertrain manual for diagnosing the engine management systems.

I've used eBay to get my manuals. If your patient and keep watching the listings the Ford manuals can be bought very reasonably. I have no experience with manuals on CD.

For what it's worth, my personal opinion is the 1994 models seem to be one of the better years for these trucks. It is the last year for OBD1, so a cheap OBD1 code reader is helpful.

Good luck!

Awesome! I will hop on ebay now. She has some electrical gremlins to sort out for sure!

 

[superj]

Welcome

 

[Josh B]

Hey JB, welcome to TRS and good luck with the truck.
I also like the manuals on CD. I have one for the 93 and 94 models, it includes every vehicle Ford made that year, in extreme detail, it was the same CD they kept in their shop computer. Bear in mind if you get one that it was published prior to Windows 95 being heard of. I also have one for 96 to 99 models that I got when I got a 96 Explorer. At that time I got them for less than ten bucks but as they began to realize their contents the prices went up a good bit, I think near 50 dollars last I looked.

I also have Chilton and Haynes for simpler stuff

 

[jballard81]

Hey JB, welcome to TRS and good luck with the truck.
I also like the manuals on CD. I have one for the 93 and 94 models, it includes every vehicle Ford made that year, in extreme detail, it was the same CD they kept in their shop computer. Bear in mind if you get one that it was published prior to Windows 95 being heard of. I also have one for 96 to 99 models that I got when I got a 96 Explorer. At that time I got them for less than ten bucks but as they began to realize their contents the prices went up a good bit, I think near 50 dollars last I looked.

I also have Chilton and Haynes for simpler stuff

I like paper usually, but would also like to be able to review them digitally. I can spool up a VM for an older version of windows, but also would need to find a CD-rom lol. would be preferable to be in a pdf format, but i understand why that isn't available.

on a whim i looked it up. apparently copyright law is the life of the author plus 70 years.. so i imagine these manuals still fall under that protection. interesting though, since the original author(s) would not be making money on the re-sale of their works anyway at this point.

 

[RobbieD]

I like having the Ford dealership manuals, in paper,

I also like the manuals on CD.

I like paper usually,

We've had this discussion already.

These days, it seems that stupidest stuff, like covid or a war, makes toilet paper disappear from the stores overnight, and it suddenly become unavailable . . .


You can't wipe with CDs; you can only scrape.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I went to the local public library the other day to look up some stuff on my 77 pinto. There are no hard copies of automotive manuals anymore...
Got the librarian to help me look online. Nothing... Then looked to see if any other associated library had anything. Nope. Kind of stupid of a library to get rid of books and not have a digital replacement...

 

[jballard81]

I went to the local public library the other day to look up some stuff on my 77 pinto. There are no hard copies of automotive manuals anymore...
Got the librarian to help me look online. Nothing... Then looked to see if any other associated library had anything. Nope. Kind of stupid of a library to get rid of books and not have a digital replacement...

I've heard a bunch of that stuff (well 78 and up) is available through all data. but that's a subscription or $$$. It makes me sad to think of information like that just slipping away (especially the pre-78)

 

[RobbieD]

I've heard a bunch of that stuff (well 78 and up) is available through all data. but that's a subscription or $$$. It makes me sad to think of information like that just slipping away (especially the pre-78)

I went to the local public library the other day to look up some stuff on my 77 pinto. There are no hard copies of automotive manuals anymore...

That's because the '70s never actually happened.

Those of us that lived through it, simply imagined it all.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

A hallucination due to the lack of alcohol and drugs...

 

[RobbieD]

. . . or possibly an overabundance.

 

[Josh B]

The majority of copyrights that are stolen are done before the work has reached the publisher. Inventions are as well. In so many trades/professions a work is more likely to be taken by the very people it was taken to while seeking to obtain this "protection".

 

[rumblecloud]

Welcome to TRS.
Glad to see another 94 owner with whom to commiserate...

Plus one on the EVTM ---- when that fails, there's always @RonD