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1999 ford ranger, the good, bad, and ugly


Rangerblue

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WV
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Transmission
Automatic
My newest truck is the 99 with the 2.5 and auto trans rwd of course.

Been looking for a ranger to tinker on, always loved these trucks. Already in love with this one. Not my daily driver so I have time to fool with it

The good:
No major issues found with engine or trans yet
Most things seem to work properly
Rust: I live in the western part of WV so not as bad as the lake states but rust is still a big issue and this truck did spend some of its life in Ohio.

Only body rust is slight surface rust where there are scratches and dings in the paint

Frame is actually OK IMO main rear frame is actually rust free, one of the gas tank cross members is rusted but that is common , I want to replace that and the upper rear shock mounts . I beat on the frame with a hammer where those parts meet and all over and no issues yet

The bad ? Nothing too much of an issue yet, fixed a couple vacuum leaks , coolant sender is bad, alternator may have an issue, battery light has been flickering but very seldom, gonna have it tested

Fan clutch is bad I belive no issue , gonna inspect water pump when I pull that off and replace if necessary

Passenger front blinker is acting weird and one one of the bulbs is intermittently not working making the turn signal flash quickly , I cleaned and even swapped the bulb , maybe a short somewhere but but again no big deal

Exhaust is crap from the joint behind the cat to the rear , muffler is rattling from loose heat shields and it sound like a ghetto rice burner ,someone has it all jacked up and the tailpipe is welded to the hanger pointed downward causing the pipe to be just a hair away from the frame and bed and its rattling off of there too. that will be replaced to original sound

Parts are cheap for these trucks ! Luckily

Other than that just odds and ends and regular maintenance type stuff,

The ugly : folks are rough on stuff , it is 20 years old though . Flareside bed and the fiberglass is cracked in a few spots , I fixed those to pass inspection. Darn scratches everywhere on the bed , debating on ignoring it , painting it (I actually like the fiberglass bedsides so I don't have to worry about rust ) or buying a style side bed in good shape when i see one avaliable. Cabs a bit used as well though have a dent in the door and scratches but overall not too bad. Interior is actually pretty nice , I cleaned it like crazy and it looks like it rolled off the lot . Original radio , I wish I still had some of of my old Tracy Lawrence cassettes !2019-07-12 20.29.43.jpg

I'm no mechanic just a guy that likes to tinker and loves Rangers , fairly mechanically inclined , I swapped engines and transmissions in these trucks not a bad job but I'll probably be asking yall some more random questions when I'm working on it. I'll keep this truck forever even if it all goes bad and I save it for parts. Shouldn't have sold my 93 ,I grew up down south and that truck didn't have even a thought of slight surface rust, a4ld only failed once in 289 thousand miles !!! Lol
 


sgtsandman

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Location
Aliquippa, PA
Vehicle Year
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Make / Model
Ranger XLT/FX4
Engine Size
4.0 SOHC/2.3 Ecoboost
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
Check the bottom of the doors, the tailgate, and the body mounts. Especially the bottom of the tailgate. I had to repair some pretty bad cancer on mine and I'm not all that far from you.
 

Rangerblue

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Doors and body mounts are good , a little rust around the rear ones but not bad

Tailgate is rotting not horrible but I'm not too worried about getting another from a parts truck or even swapping this bed sometime

This engine runs so good It's crazy for the age , idles like a brand new vehicle she just needs some love 142 on it
 

sgtsandman

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When you get a chance, hit everything underneath with fluid film. It will creep into all the nooks and crannies and doesn't trap water like undercoat can. It will take about four cans and will need to be redone annually but it will stop or slow down the road salt rot significantly.

 

Rangerblue

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Got most of those little issues mopped up, changed oil and flushed radiator , trans is next , needs done anyway has a very slight leak on the pan gasket . I will be using that fluid film on the truck before winter. I'm gonna hit the little spots with slight surface rust on the body (especially the tailgate) with the grinder and will prime and paint

What would yall recommend to coat the frame with if I pull the bed off and thoroughly wash and prep the frame ?
 
Last edited:

sgtsandman

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2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
I would just hit it with Fluid Film on the outside and in all the holes in the frame and call it good. Some people are fans of Pore15 (I think I got that right). Even then, you'll still need to do something for the interior of the frame where it is boxed.
 

racsan

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central ohio
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2009
Make / Model
ford/escape
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2.5 (4 Cylinder)
Engine Size
2.5/151 I-4
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
235/70/16
My credo
the grey-t escape
POR-15. great stuff, not cheap and has to be extremely clean. good news its a “one and done”, dont need to re-apply every year.
 

PetroleumJunkie412

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Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
Ya'll know what I'm going to say.
 

sgtsandman

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4WD
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Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
Even with it having that 2.5 Lima in it? Cast iron head and block. Used in all kinds of commercial equipment. Superior to a 2.9 in just about every way except, perhaps in the power department. But at least it will run...
 

PetroleumJunkie412

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My credo
Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
Even with it having that 2.5 Lima in it? Cast iron head and block. Used in all kinds of commercial equipment. Superior to a 2.9 in just about every way except, perhaps in the power department. But at least it will run...
Nope. 2.5 Lima is catapult fuel.
 

sgtsandman

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2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
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RangerVet

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Become knowledgeable with your local Pic a Part yards. As one of my yards back in Michigan used to advertise, "Cruise With Used".
 

Rangerblue

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Nothing wrong this engine or trans but I have considered just scrapping them and doing a 2.9 and a4ld swap :sick:
 

PetroleumJunkie412

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Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
Nothing wrong this engine or trans but I have considered just scrapping them and doing a 2.9 and a4ld swap :sick:
Joking aside, 2.5l is a fine engine. Strap a turbo to it!!
 

Rangerblue

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Transmission
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Now that I finally have a ranger again I got the bug back already, would like to have a 93-97 4.0 5 speed 4x4.

Actually looked at a 2000 with a cracked block last week but the body and frame was too far gone to fool with
 

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