1997 Ford Ranger question

[slater62586]

My soon to be grandfather in law has a 1997 ford ranger 4 bannger (I dont know the specs but i do know its an automatic) that he's trying to sell me. He wants 500.00 and the reason hes selling it is bc he knows i'm semi looking for a truck and he wants to keep it in the family type of thing, but before i buy it and waste 500.00 i wanted to see if it could pull acouple of jet skis in and out of the water and around town. FYI this would not be my daily driver.

And Do yall think I should upgrade anything on the truck?

 

[CheapRanger]

Are you SURE it is a 4 cylinder with an automatic? (not a 6 instead)

They are hard to find, because they were dogs. I think you could do light pulling with the 4 and a manual, but not the automatic (there is another thread discussing some of the issues, namely the ramp).

 

[scotts90ranger]

a '97 should have the 5R55E auto not the old A4LD, so it's not as bad as it could be...

a boat ramp should be better with an auto over a manual, the advantage of a torque converter... it's not going to be peppy on the highway on the way to the water, but it should do ok...

 

[Earl43P]

A running, driving 97 2.3 is well worth >$500.

It's probably got an open rear axle, not limited slip.

You might have a traction problem on a steep boat ramp and you should get a frame hitch rather than tow with a bumper ball.

I say snatch it up. You can drive it for a LONG time.

 

[BlackDogSociety]

I use to pull a 2200 lb pop-up camper with my 94 2.3L 5 speed Ranger all over Arkansas & Mississippi without any problems. Rangers are great, I still have mine.

 

[slater62586]

Well I know its an automatic for sure could be a 1995 or even a 1996. So I just wanted to see if it would be smart doing this. How fast do you think i will be able to go on the highway bc it looks like i will be towing the jet skis from lubbock to fort worth "its about a 250mile drive"

 

[Earl43P]

Just accelerate like a grandma so you don't overheat the (auto) tranny. If it's hilly, keep it out of OD (if it even has that). Leave plenty of room for the increased braking distance. Should do fine. If you'll be doing this repeatedly, add an external transmission cooler (JY should have a selection of them, cheap - get one from an Explorer).

 

[93'Stranger]

im pretty sure the 97's the 4 bangers came with 4:10 gear ratio so u should be fine with hauling jet skis

 

[scotts90ranger]

there was never a set gear ratio for any given truck, there are more common ratios, but 4.10's are only common on 4 cylinder 4x4 trucks, that's the most likely setup to see that ratio, with the super small tires they stick on the super base model trucks (which most 4 cylinder trucks were) they stuck really tall gears in them, I would say it would most likely have 3.45's

but that shouldn't be a huge deal, I didn't have that much of an issue pulling our 14' aluminum boat with 3.08 gears and 195 75 14 tires back in the day... an auto should have an easier time with it not having to engage the clutch on the ramps...

 

[TAAGMAN]

My soon to be grandfather in law has a 1997 ford ranger 4 bannger (I dont know the specs but i do know its an automatic) that he's trying to sell me. He wants 500.00 and the reason hes selling it is bc he knows i'm semi looking for a truck and he wants to keep it in the family type of thing...

That's how I got mine from the old man. Mine is a '97 Ranger XLT stepside with a 2.3l and an automatic with 38K miles on it when I got it. That was 3 yrs ago and it has given me dependable service ever since (it just turned over 80K a couple of weeks ago). I've helped people move and even hauled a dog home from the vet in it (darn dog wouldn't sit down, though).

Take a look at the actual shifter for the automatic and see if there is a button on the end of it that allows you to defeat the O/D (I think it says "O/D Cancel"). That will tell you whether you have the AOD transmission or not; although, from all accounts, you most likely do. I agree with the comment earlier that for hauling watercraft, definitely get the frame mounted trailer hitch; they're not that expensive and bolt on with minimal drilling. I'm using mine to haul my Harley to get it fixed in the near future.

The one thing you didn't mention, is it 2WD or 4WD?

 

[TAAGMAN]

a '97 should have the 5R55E auto not the old A4LD, so it's not as bad as it could be...

If it has the 2.3, shouldn't it have the 4R44E, not the 5R55E? Just asking.

 

[mattpresley]

My soon to be grandfather in law has a 1997 ford ranger 4 bannger (I dont know the specs but i do know its an automatic) that he's trying to sell me. He wants 500.00 and the reason hes selling it is bc he knows i'm semi looking for a truck and he wants to keep it in the family type of thing, but before i buy it and waste 500.00 i wanted to see if it could pull acouple of jet skis in and out of the water and around town. FYI this would not be my daily driver.

And Do yall think I should upgrade anything on the truck?

OMG!! My 4 banger auto used to do this all the time! My cousin was previous owner and owns a jetski. towed and launched every weekend riding steep san diego hills. The 4 banger ranger is ideal for towing and launching jetskis. Its an auto. has a bumper hitch and in 2wd

 

[scotts90ranger]

If it has the 2.3, shouldn't it have the 4R44E, not the 5R55E? Just asking.

I have no idea, I just know it shouldn't be the sucky A4LD, and since it's not the A4LD it shouldn't suck too bad...

 

[vavet]

It's not going to be a hot rod, but it'll be fine for it's intended purpose. Take reasonable care of it and it should provide plenty of service