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

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well, it was back to work on the Ranger today. Might have pushed harder than I should have, but it will be alright. Pulled the core support back out, cleaned off some burrs and sharp edges, shot a quick coat of black paint on the inside and let it sit. May or may not squirt the outside before it gets bolted back in, might just try to be somewhat neat after it’s bolted in. Not really trying to make it pretty right now, don’t have the time or warm temperatures for that, just trying to give it a little protection from rust.

Then I started tearing into the rear axle, prepping the Explorer one that is. Pulled the rear sway bar, diff cover (and drained it), leaf springs, brake cables, etc. Pulled the one wheel and tire and when I went to pull the other side and my impact quit. That was a mess pulling the lugs by hand on a loose axle. Even ended up snapping one lug. Broke apart an extra set of leaf packs for an extra to add to the ones with the axle.

 

[Bgunner]

95 is the change year for interior dash changes. 89-94 had the same dashes.

Took the beer featcher to the beer store and it ran a bit rough. Been having the check engine light popping on and off now with a noticeable skip. Thinking I have a cylinder missing and causing a rich situation causing the light to come on.

I need to call the shop around the corner and get her a doc appointment to have some work done but I'm lazy and haven't called yet.

 

[Roert42]

Installed a new set of WeatherTech front and rear floor mats in my 2002 Ranger XLT as my originals were wearing through.

Seems like WeatherTech would produce a made-to-fit set for this Ranger considering how many Rangers are running out there - but no. Had to trim down a general purpose set of floor mats.

Anyone know if the floor configuration changed with each generation of Ranger? Wiki says the chassis were the same for the first 29 years but perhaps the floor mats had to change with each generation.

I have a set of weather tech floor mats for my 2011, they also fit my 2003. I also have a set of Husky floor liner floor mats that fit just as well.

The big difference between the Husky and the weather tech liners is the thickness of the mats.

I looked it up, and weather tech doesn’t list a liner for a 2002, but I bet one from an ‘11 would fit fine. Husky liners does list one for an ‘02.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Not much progress today, but Autozone brought me new brake cables and axle seals and UPS brought me a bunch of bolts and odds/ends. It decided to snow this afternoon which didn’t help. Got my fuel filter modification stuff ready to go and got the leaf springs knocked apart and now I need to decide if I’m sticking with my original plan or changing things with the springs….

I’ll put a post in suspension, anyone willing to offer help, please chime in…

Next few days I’m going to hit this project as hard as I can. Weather is supposed to get colder and I want to get this as close to done as possible before that happens

 

[Dantheman1540]

Found a killer deal on marketplace.
4.56 gears and rebuild kits for both the front 35ttb and the rear 8.8, along with a lockright for the front. All brand new in the boxes for $500. Guys had them in his shop for close to 15 years and finally decided to sell them.

 

[Uncle Gump]

That deal would have been hard to pass...

 

[Curious Hound]

That deal would have been hard to pass...

I agree.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Back to work on the green Ranger… made more progress, little bit here and there. A/C pump went on, but the tensioner is shot so the belt isn’t fully on. Went to plumb the power steering and the return out of the rack and pinion is badly rusted and about to pinhole. No problem, I’ll pop it out bend something new, right? Nope, it’s not that kind of fitting. The fitting that I bought for the pump appears to be correct though so there’s an option, I bought two of those to have a spare right? Nope again. Next task for now, something else goes on the order list. Core support I dusted with a quick bit of paint before I started and at the end of the day it went in. All bolts are in except the body mount and they just need a final torque. Body mounts need two fender washers yet, might have them somewhere. Made up two studs and put them in the water pump and secured the wire for the oil pressure switch to them. Tore into the rear axle to refresh the LS clutches, got it apart to do them, got a game plan and the new clutches soaking.

The left (drivers side) backing plate on the rear axle is pretty rusty so I added that to my list until I got to searching now that I’m inside and apparently they are made of near unobtainium because I found exactly one place with new ones in stock for $125 each plus shipping. Guess I’m taking a closer look at how bad that side really is tomorrow.

Also got mad and pulled out both of my broken impacts. The old one that quit the other day (it would spin the motor but not the socket) and the new one that’s been sitting a couple months waiting for me to ship it out for repairs that wouldn’t do anything. Put batteries on both and both spun like they should. Took them both out and tried a couple bolts. Both worked flawlessly. I don’t get it. Literally nothing changed other than they sat a bit. I’m not complaining, or at least not while they’re working again. Hopefully they don’t decide to act up again.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Back at it again today. All the core support bolts are final tight, found a couple fender washers so the body mounts are on. Got the fuel filter changed to the bigger one and my new custom mount. Got the power steering pump mostly plumbed. Put the new clutch packs together and got them in the diff and the spiders rolled into place. Couple little things. When I opened my tote the flaring and bending and such tools are in, I found the spare adapter I thought I had for the power steering. For whatever reason it ended up in there instead of the Milwaukee organizer that all the -AN stuff is. Couple other little things done. Autozone was back again with my shopping list that I put together yesterday. Still waiting on UPS to bring my new carbide tipped drill bit for drilling the holes for the pads on the leaf springs. Hopefully Monday. Weather permitting, I’ll be junkyard shopping Monday.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Weather permitting, I’ll be junkyard shopping Monday.

If you find an extra junkyard on the cheap let me know, I could use one too!

 

[scotts90ranger]

Just got in from changing the injectors on the '97 Ranger, was uneventful, remembered all the vacuum hoses this time, didn't even cut myself on anything... in the 20 seconds I ran it I think it runs a little smoother than it did before but time will tell... curious to see if the gas mileage changes at the end of next week when I'll need gas...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If you find an extra junkyard on the cheap let me know, I could use one too!

If I find a junkyard for cheap I’m definitely buying that! Might even take two if the price is right. I’ll keep you in mind though, or do you want to invest in my junkyard and I can send parts your way?

 

[Curious Hound]

If I find a junkyard for cheap I’m definitely buying that! Might even take two if the price is right. I’ll keep you in mind though, or do you want to invest in my junkyard and I can send parts your way?

I love a good junk yard. But I'm too cheap to buy one.

 

[4.0blue98]

Changed oil, freed up the throttle linkage at the TB and changed the Neutral Safety Switch/range sensor. The NSS was a pain but three soakings with AeroKroil and I managed. Shifter moves like a dream now!

 

[Uncle Gump]

I drove mine to the hospital to get a look of my new grandson...