2.3L ('83-'97) road trip safe

[ugly_truckling]

I wanna drive my 1988, 2.3 L, rwd, auto trans ranger (170000 miles) from ohio to arizona and back. Plan on sleeping in the shell on the back. Yall think itll make it? Or leave me stranded in the dessert?

 

[Uncle Gump]

170,000 miles...

You better bring good walking shoes.

 

[oldgeek]

Is anything going on with it that makes you doubt?

 

[Jazzer]

Highway miles are relatively easy on well maintained vehicles.

How’s your maintenance?

 

[ugly_truckling]

Highway miles are relatively easy on well maintained vehicles.

How’s your maintenance?

maintenance is ok, but not amazing. def has an oil leak. i put in about a quart every 3k miles. need to change the trans fluid, and put on new brakes. would do both of those and oil change before going. not sure how to fix oil leak.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Sorry... I read the original post wrong. Thought you were gonna drive 170k miles.

 

[ugly_truckling]

Is anything going on with it that makes you doubt?

idk, it seems hot after a 1 or 2 hour drive, but the temp guage never goes above half. sometimes it shifts hard into first, but i usually let off the gas right as it shifts and it shifts smooth.

 

[ugly_truckling]

170,000 miles...

You better bring good walking shoes.

 

[ugly_truckling]

Sorry... I read the original post wrong. Thought you were gonna drive 170k miles.

yea, the driving distance would be about 1800. on the way there probably split into 3 days. on the way back, maaaaaybe split into 2. but mostlikely 900 miles, 4 hrs of sleep/rest, then 900 more miles.

 

[SenorNoob]

Really only you can answer that question. I've driven mine all over. I have a bunch of work into it too.

 

[scotts90ranger]

The only dumb things I can think of are distributor cap and rotor as well as timing belt within the last 60k miles. Other than that the 2.3L is pretty reliable unless there's some random thing that happens which you will get here and there...

Within the first 6 months I got my '97 going I took it on an 1800 mile trip one weekend, did fine other than the clutch master cylinder giving out half way home... drove the rest of the way not using the clutch...