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85 Ranger getting some teeth...


Twister

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So hows the truck running?
 


85_Ranger4x4

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So hows the truck running?
When it runs... it is great. :yahoo:

Otherwise the truck is keeping up its old habit of keeping me scrambling to keep it on the road. :annoyed:

Reman water pump = fail. Pulled grille, tranny coolers, efan, radiator, alternator/PS pump and finally water pump. Reassemble and about a week later notice harmonic balancer isn't all that harmonic anymore.

Repeat procedure, everything between the grille guard and engine has to come out again, and proceed change the balancer. I let it sit awhile between proceedures, I really didn't want to do all that again.

Test drive it to the edge of town and back, everything is peachy. Test drive it a little on the highway, pings, gets warm (see other thread) and seemed to have a really wierd power problem even after the engine cooled down. Pulled over and checked the tires (felt like I had a flat) but they were fine. Limped it home and popped the hood to recheck things, walked around the truck and the PS front hub was smoking... so I just got done fighting with the original brake line and can play with the timing/carb now that it doesn't seem to have any other engine related ailments for the moment.

Dunno if it is a tire coming apart or my driveshaft is out of balance, but there is a wierd vibe in the back of the truck above 55mph too. I need to rotate the tires and see if it moves with them. Simple fix for now is to keep the thing off the highway unless I am checking for ping.
 
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baddad457

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When it runs... it is great. :yahoo:

Otherwise the truck is keeping up its old habit of keeping me scrambling to keep it on the road. :annoyed:

Reman water pump = fail. Pulled grille, tranny coolers, efan, radiator, alternator/PS pump and finally water pump. Reassemble and about a week later notice harmonic balancer isn't all that harmonic anymore.

Repeat procedure, everything between the grille guard and engine has to come out again, and proceed change the balancer. I let it sit awhile between proceedures, I really didn't want to do all that again.

Test drive it to the edge of town and back, everything is peachy. Test drive it a little on the highway, pings, gets warm (see other thread) and seemed to have a really wierd power problem even after the engine cooled down. Pulled over and checked the tires (felt like I had a flat) but they were fine. Limped it home and popped the hood to recheck things, walked around the truck and the PS front hub was smoking... so I just got done fighting with the original brake line and can play with the timing/carb now that it doesn't seem to have any other engine related ailments for the moment.

Dunno if it is a tire coming apart or my driveshaft is out of balance, but there is a wierd vibe in the back of the truck above 55mph too. I need to rotate the tires and see if it moves with them. Simple fix for now is to keep the thing off the highway unless I am checking for ping.
Just another day at the office and par for the course in this hobby.:icon_thumby: Last weekend I replaced all three U joints and the hanger bearing on my 99 SD F250, figuring after 270K, they could used it before we go back out west with it. I packed the slip joint with a glob off fresh grease and had a hell of a time getting it to compress. This afternoon I was on a rare (for Louisiana) smooth stretch of highway and noticed a driveline vibe.:icon_confused: I guess I'll be fooolin with it next weekend again..............................
 

skx762

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Smooth stretch of highway in Louisiana? Must have been close to Texas. :D

I have found that if you crank the stereo up a little louder most of the drive-train noise goes away.

I'm starting to get a little nervous about my Ranger being my only car. I don't know why , when I get finished with it it will be better than all of the cars I owned prior to '84 when I bought my first new Ranger off the dealership lot.

Spoiled I guess.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Smooth stretch of highway in Louisiana? Must have been close to Texas. :D

I have found that if you crank the stereo up a little louder most of the drive-train noise goes away.

I'm starting to get a little nervous about my Ranger being my only car. I don't know why , when I get finished with it it will be better than all of the cars I owned prior to '84 when I bought my first new Ranger off the dealership lot.

Spoiled I guess.
But the vibe was making all the crap in the back rattle... and I could hear that over the wind noise. I had the brainy idea to rotate my tires and now it is ubber scary with the front of the truck shaking. The radio can't hide what feels like a major part of the truck falling off. :fie:

On the plus side it is the tiny tires I want to get rid of anyway and not the driveshaft. :icon_thumby:

Got the timing nailed down and the ping is gone too.
 

fordman4x492

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i wanna hear it running. (video)
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Twister

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Thread bump for a lot of good info :icon_thumby:

Hows the trucking running? There is a good chance i am getting a 302 from my buddies mustang, and i am going to start collecting parts for a swap on my 85 since the engine stopped running and i couldn't figure it out.
 

shane96ranger

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I do too, I have only heard it from the seat or engine bay at anything other than idle. :D
Wasn't it you hat had the camera hooked to the receiver hitch?

That could be useful for said idea. :D

EDIT: Oh piss....I didn't realize your post was a year old. I promise I'm not a grave digger..... sorry! =)
 

85_Ranger4x4

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Thread bump for a lot of good info :icon_thumby:

Hows the trucking running? There is a good chance i am getting a 302 from my buddies mustang, and i am going to start collecting parts for a swap on my 85 since the engine stopped running and i couldn't figure it out.
It ain't. :annoyed:

It all started so simple, just rip the heads off, check for excessive carbon and change to the Explorer FEAD. Then I found an HO cam and poked it in, then I figured I might as well get new lifters for my new cam. Then with the headers off I noticed a softplug had been leaking so it took a little figuring how to change that with the engine in the truck. Then I noticed the engine shifted off to the side and the oilpan was rubbing on the engine crossmember, I am fixing that right now... I don't really know why it did that.

Wasn't it you hat had the camera hooked to the receiver hitch?

That could be useful for said idea. :D

EDIT: Oh piss....I didn't realize your post was a year old. I promise I'm not a grave digger..... sorry! =)
Yeah, I mounted it on both the reciever and on the front frame rail. The rear sounded a lot neater but it was also cool to watch the TTB flop around. I like the sound of an engine under a load a lot better than just reving in park/neutral anyway.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111591&page=6
 

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