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What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)


Seems like it might be time for a junk yard axle. Bummer. You didn't have anything more important or more fun to do. Did you? Like putting a camper back together?

And the camper is backing me up on my laundry list of stuff on the Ranger for the roundup.

Almost feels like I am trying to build new Broncos...
 
Off and on I’ve been working on the light bars for all the trucks and all the cars. The closest I’ve come on the 87 four-wheel-drive is to test fit the aluminum bar across the top of the cab. That was a month ago and then I got distracted.

Now remember I’m a city kid, my house is in an old tight subdivision, sitting on a quarter acre with a very busy road out front, garage out back and I’m rumbling around in the driveway and the garage all the time.

Soooo, I walked by my dining room window and I look out and there’s this creature about the size of a sack of concrete sitting on that light bar. I moved as slow as I could to get a picture but she flew up into a tree.

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There are only six or seven owls in Georgia, and I figured out it was this guy: Georgia Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) This mid-sized tawny-brown mottled owl is 13–17 inches (34–43 cm) tall, with a wingspan of 33.5-40.5 inches (85–103 cm), and weighs between 7.3–16.8 oz (206–475 grams).

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This picture doesn’t do her justice, the inserts on the tops of her wings are almost red in color, really fabulous. I wish I could’ve gotten a picture of her sitting on the Ranger, that would’ve been priceless. I think her nest might be in the back of my yard, they nest on the ground, and I’m gonna keep my eyes peeled for a couple better pictures, hopefully one on the Ranger.

And I’ll say it before somebody else does: Why doesn’t it surprise me that Rick W has an owl in his yard whose name sounds like “flaming a-hole”
 
The hub assembly is supposed to be in tomorrow for the 2011. If it shows up early enough, I'll get it, the spring brake inspection done, and rotate the tires. If the 2019 is any indication, it will be pretty much cleaning off the brake dust, lubing what needs to be lubed and slap it back together.

It's a bummer on the bearing but the truck is 10 years old and I don't baby it. I make it earn it's keep. Judging on how the truck is shifting, I think a clutch and slave cylinder might be in it's near future. Like in the fall or next spring.
 
Ordered the break away style mirrors to replace the flag style. I never liked the looks of the flag mirrors so the sporty looking ones will be installed.

Do ya'll know if there is a gasket behind them that I need to order also? I know some have them others don't.


 
Drove the '97 about an hour from home to get the wife a new to us '04 Camry, she was complaining about the ~16mpg of the '98 V8 Explorer... so I went to the most reliable car that I shouldn't have to work on which is Toyota sedans... price range pushed me to this year range... It of course has 226k miles and needs some maintenance like a trans fluid change and filter, oil change, brake fluid flush and bleed, drivers side rear turn signal bulb, headliner repair, cleanup and a jack handle and lug wrench... Has the jack, just not the lug wrench or handle...
 
sems like a lot of used vehicles are missing some/most/all of tire changing gear. I always put a small floor jack in each vehicle along with a 1/2” drive breaker bar & the correct socket, the hhr had a unbelievably short lug wrench. No way I could get enough leverage to change a tire, let aline her. Especially if the tires were last put on with a impact.
 
Installed the sandwich plate and gauges yesterday. 60psi at cold idle, but drops pretty quickly as it warms up. 20 psi at 150° EOT at idle. 16 psi 180° EOT at idle. I'm beginning to think the stock switch may be correct and it's dropping below 7 psi after driving awhile and stopping at a red light or something. We'll see later today or tomorrow after a good long drive.
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sems like a lot of used vehicles are missing some/most/all of tire changing gear. I always put a small floor jack in each vehicle along with a 1/2” drive breaker bar & the correct socket, the hhr had a unbelievably short lug wrench. No way I could get enough leverage to change a tire, let aline her. Especially if the tires were last put on with a impact.

A definite on the breaker bar and socket. Even with proper torque, I don’t know if those small lug wrenches would work. The 2011 also has a cross bar wrench. I need to get one of those fold up models for the 2019. I haven’t figured out where to stash a bottle jack yet. There isn’t a lot of storage space in the Supercrew cabs. I can do whatever I want in the Supercab of the 2011.
 
Installed the sandwich plate and gauges yesterday. 60psi at cold idle, but drops pretty quickly as it warms up. 20 psi at 150° EOT at idle. 16 psi 180° EOT at idle. I'm beginning top think the stock switch may be correct and it's dropping below 7 psi after driving awhile and stopping at a red light or something. We'll see later today or tomorrow after a good looking drive.
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Mind me asking what brand guage pod that is? I've been looking for one that will fit the ranger pillar but have only seen "universal" ones.
 
Installed the sandwich plate and gauges yesterday. 60psi at cold idle, but drops pretty quickly as it warms up. 20 psi at 150° EOT at idle. 16 psi 180° EOT at idle. I'm beginning top think the stock switch may be correct and it's dropping below 7 psi after driving awhile and stopping at a red light or something. We'll see later today or tomorrow after a good looking drive.

I see you got the glow shift a pillar pod too...

My truck does the same oil pressure wise on start up.... but it hold 20 psi on a hot idle.
 
Mind me asking what brand guage pod that is? I've been looking for one that will fit the ranger pillar but have only seen "universal" ones.
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Fits pretty good, I'd say. Decided to leave it black instead of trying to color match 20 year old trim, plus I've got the black radio bezel and door trim.
 
I see you got the glow shift a pillar pod too...

My truck does the same oil pressure wise on start up.... but it hold 20 psi on a hot idle.
I put brand new Melling high volume oil pump in it when I rebuilt it about 20k ago. Beginning to question that, though it does seem to hold good oil pressure above 1000 rpm. At 750, not so much. Probably going to 10w-40 on the next oil change. Those numbers are with a fresh change of Mobil 1 5w-30.
 
Man @G8orFord ... that sucks.

Melling was always like the best name in oil pumps... I have heard a couple times people had issues with them.
 

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