2001 Ranger 4.0 keep?

[motoxman.21]

So in January I bought my 2001 Ford ranger XLT with about 172k miles. 3 months and 3000 miles later the timing went out. I'm just now getting to throw a used motor in it with about 80k miles on it. The question is now once I put a the motor in it is the tranny going to crap out on me soon after? The tranny felt fine before it broke down but I'm not sure how reliable it is. I'm a college student and can't afford major mechanical repairs again in the near future. Do you think I'm best off just selling it after I fix it or will the tranny hold up to another 40K or so? I don't drive it really hard but I do enjoy the occasional off road fun. Any thoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[exbass94]

It's almost impossible to say how long the trans will last. It could last another 70k or it could last another 5k. 172k is pretty high mileage for any auto tranny. The odds aren't really in your favor. How was it maintained? The odds of it lasting a long time are much better if the fluid was changed regularly.

 

[motoxman.21]

I honestly don't know how well it was maintained. I only had the truck for like 3 months before it broke down. The guy claimed to have babied it and did frequent oil changes with full synthetic...

 

[pcollins]

which means he probably never touched the transmission. pull out the dipstick. what color is the fluid and does it smell burnt?

 

[motoxman.21]

Did that before I bought the truck and it looked and smelt fine. But that's not to say he hadn't ignored it prior to wishing to sell it... I guess I will probably have to wing it when I get the truck back. Try to make sure the tranny feels fine...