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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So I talked to the machine shop this morning, they said my parts should be in early this next week, so I’ll be hopefully be able to get back to getting the green Ranger together. Really getting anxious to try this beast out.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[Snoranger]

View attachment 76317

I see 3 vehicles... Did the kid drive one of them?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I see 3 vehicles... Did the kid drive one of them?

The joys of both of us having to work on a otherwise gorgeous weekend. We are like 5 miles from home so running home to grab another car isn't a big deal.

 

[Snoranger]

The joys of both of us having to work on a otherwise gorgeous weekend. We are like 5 miles from home so running home to grab another car isn't a big deal.

So the Ranger and camper are basecamp... got it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

 

[scotts90ranger]

The passenger front speaker went out on the '97 on Monday morning annoyingly, so I faded the stereo to the back which wasn't ideal... the other day I ordered some "Boss" 4 way 5x7" speakers from Amazon for $39ish for the pair... they got here today and I just got to the house from putting them in. Turns out they bolt right up in place. The speaker wire they came with was like 35awg and I couldn't get it to solder anyway so I came up with this:

This is the second one, the whiskey drink had kicked in a little and the ain't care level had increased... it's super easy to remove the stock connector from the stock speakers, still didn't solder great with the soldering iron I had handy... For future reference positive on the Ford connector is opposite the latch on the connector, I looked it up, whether it matters too much or not I don't know but what the heck...

That said, it sounds WAY better than it has before, I hooked the phone up to the cassette adapter and cranked it with a bunch of songs just to get some varying sounds and I'm impressed... at some point I might grab a second set for the back...

Started on the passenger side, then came up with the above method of wiring (I'd originally soldered 2" of the supplied wire to the same stock speaker connector) while I was doing the drivers side, then also remembered there was a rattle in the passenger side window when it was down driving around so I took it apart and fixed the speaker wiring then found the rattle, the top nut on the center guide post thing was sitting in the bottom of the door, from the rust on it it's been there for many years... ran a tap down the nut and put it back on, I wasn't in the mood to dig through the coffee can of junkyard fasteners I have to find a replacement...

 

[Bill]

I haven't been on the board, so time to catch up. I noticed an oil leak which appears to be coming from the back of the valve cover. I re-torqued the valve cover bolts and noticed two in the back were loose. I wiped the oil off so I could see if tightening the bolts made a difference. I also checked crankcase pressure/vacuum. No more pressure. It now has a slight vacuum after replacing the PCV valve. I then made a 400 mile round-trip this week and checked for oil at the back of the valve cover. At this point it appears tightening the bolts fixed the leak, or at least reduced it. I'm going to give it another week to see what happens. Nonetheless, I'm sure a valve cover gasket replacement project is in my future as the rubber gaskets they use now were meant to seal a clean surface, not an oily one. I'm sure the new PCV valve is helping reduce the oil leak in the meantime.

 

[Curious Hound]

I see 3 vehicles... Did the kid drive one of them?

They're farmers, or almost farmers or something like that. It's almost a law to teach the kids to drive by the time they reach age 3 or 4.

 

[rubydist]

Nah usually they can't reach the pedals until they are about 7 or so...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

They're farmers, or almost farmers or something like that. It's almost a law to teach the kids to drive by the time they reach age 3 or 4.

Kid had the fourth truck.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I haven't been on the board, so time to catch up. I noticed an oil leak which appears to be coming from the back of the valve cover. I re-torqued the valve cover bolts and noticed two in the back were loose. I wiped the oil off so I could see if tightening the bolts made a difference. I also checked crankcase pressure/vacuum. No more pressure. It now has a slight vacuum after replacing the PCV valve. I then made a 400 mile round-trip this week and checked for oil at the back of the valve cover. At this point it appears tightening the bolts fixed the leak, or at least reduced it. I'm going to give it another week to see what happens. Nonetheless, I'm sure a valve cover gasket replacement project is in my future as the rubber gaskets they use now were meant to seal a clean surface, not an oily one. I'm sure the new PCV valve is helping reduce the oil leak in the meantime.

Indian head gasket shellac. You will need a dead blow mallet to remove the valve covers without damage after that, but leaks with about any gasket should stop

 

[Bill]

Indian head gasket shellac. You will need a dead blow mallet to remove the valve covers without damage after that, but leaks with about any gasket should stop

That still requires removing the valve cover. If I were to use a sealant I would use Aviation #3 because I can disassemble stuff after using it and it is easier to prep the surfaces with it for a new gasket. However, the molded rubber gaskets used now only require sealants where they cross joints like the timing cover and the block. Otherwise, they work much better than the gaskets used in the past. This one lasted 15 years in an area with very hot summers which accelerates the normal aging process that causes rubber to shrink and harden.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

I sprayed the interior down with Febreze, apologizing to it about me being a landscaper in Florida again.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Since it didn’t rain today I ended up spending a little time on mom’s Explorer. Pulled the fan and shroud and serpentine belt so I could get at the power steering pressure line. Had to pull the pulley off the pump to get a good bite on the fitting. Got the nut off the rack but can’t get the line to pop out. There’s always another day to mess with it. 02 Explorer with the SOHC 4.0

Also finally got around to getting my Stihl MS170 back together. Cleaned up some restrictions on the intake side (there’s some aluminum that wraps the bottom of the air box and sort of becomes like a gasket with the carb but the hole was punched off center of where it needed to be so it was restricting what got to the carb), new air filter and plug, straightened the exhaust fins, straightened the throttle linkage so it actually will hit full throttle, put a metal bucking bar on, and converted it to side adjustment for the bar tension. Seems to like my efforts so far, seems like it’s running much better. Next will be to adjust the carb. It’s going to see a bit of use here soon.