New guy - 2011 Ranger

[bootsandpaddles]

Hey all, new guy here. I'm looking forward to being an active member of this community.

A little about me: I'm a 30 something ecologist who lives in Eastern Washington. I use my truck to commute to work, and I sometimes use it as my work truck. I also use it on the weekends for camping and ski trips. I have never owned a Ford that didn't give me issues, so I'm a little scared of this truck. I hope to learn some mechanical skills to work on problems as they arise.

A little about my truck: It's a black 2011 Ranger Sport, with the 4.0L engine and automatic transmission. It's a beautiful truck. I'll get photos later. I replaced my 2006 4runner (frame rust issues). I've only had it a few months now. I had to finance it, unfortunately. But it only had 30,000 miles (owned by an old man in Canada, as I've been able to find out). I'm a little scared of why it has such low miles, but I couldn't pass it up. It already has a few issues: leaking front differential, minor frame rust, etc. And just this morning I had to engage 4wd to get up a snowy hill, and on the top I smelt something burning and realized the transfer case was screaming at me, so that's fun. I've had 2 Ford Explorers in the past, and both of them blew their transmissions without a month of owning them. So I'm extra paranoid about tranny issues.

I want this truck to last 10 years or more. I hope to get some bigger tires on, find a canopy, and built a sleeping platform in the back. I do a lot of camping and skiing, and having a convenient place to camp will be great. I'll document my progress on here as I go.

Looking forward to it.

 

[sgtsandman]

Welcome to the forum.

It sounds like the transfer case doesn't have enough fluid in it.

With that low of mileage, the transmission should be fine but you will probably want to change the fluid in it. Depending on who you talk to, it's due at 30,000 miles. I believe Ford recommends 60,000. In any case, transmissions, transfer cases, and axles are perhaps the most neglected things on vehicles. The fluid in them wears out over time, just like with anything else and needs attention from time to time to keep them running well.

The key is also to tackle things while they are small. Like that differential leak, It could be that the cover just needs resealed or the pinion seal has developed a leak. It is hard on a vehicle if it isn't driven often and things can wear out faster as a result. My guess on the previous owner, he just used it to go to the store and perhaps a local restaurant and not much else. Go over it with a fine tooth comb and I think you'll be fine.

If it's only consolation, my 2011 only has about 66,000 miles on it and it doesn't get babied.

 

[Oxxon]

Hello and welcome to TRS!!