Finally a Ranger owner.

[HankG]

Purchased my first Ranger today, which is also my first Ford. It's a 2WD 1996 xlt extra cab, power windows, locks, steering, seats, cruise control, and air conditioning. Has 170k on it. Also comes with a Snug Top camper shell. Has the 4.0L engine with a 5 speed transmission. Paid $650 for it. However, there are some downsides. It needs a lot of little things, especially the interior. Also, it was a lien sale and there are some back DMV fees to pay and I don't know if it'll smog right away, but the CEL was not on. The Snug Top is missing the rear window, but is perfect otherwise. The engine sounded pretty good, although my brother said he heard a slight pinging when it started. Oil looked fine. Drove it back and forth in the lot a bit since I couldn't give it a proper test drive and it seemed good. While this is probably low since vehicle projects always cost more than you think, I'm hoping to get the truck fully street legal and in fairly tip top shape for no more than $1500 total investment.

While I am sure I will have many questions once the truck is home (place I bought it from won't release it until I get the DMV stuff taken care of), there is only one immediate question. What is the biggest size tires I can fit on the truck? The tires on it are pretty dead, and one of them had a leak and might not make it home. My brother has a set of 265/70/15s on Jeep rims, will those fit on the back at least? I just need something to get the truck home and then I'll worry about buying some long term tires.

I'm really jazzed about the truck and can't wait to get it home and start working on it. I think it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

yeah they can fit there

 

[Nhaz]

Lol lots of your problems will go away if you move away from California!

 

[adsm08]

Your brother's tires should fit. If they are on Wrangler or Cherokee rims they should bolt right on, wheels and all. I'm not sure about Liberty or GC.

I agree with Nhaz though. A lot of your problems could just be left right at the state line.

 

[HankG]

Thanks for the answers. I'm not sure why my state would matter much at this point, though. Afaik the only state specific thing I mentioned was smog, and as yet I have no evidence that there will be any problem getting it done.

 

[HankG]

Bit of an update. Took care of the DMV crap today and got my truck. Ended up just having the place air up the bad tire and drove the Ranger home without swapping tires. First impression is holy crap this thing moves. I've never driven a sports car or anything close to it, but the Ranger is definitely the fastest vehicle I've driven. When I got home I was really curious about the gearing, so I crawled under and saw the 3L55. It even has a limited slip diff. As far as I could tell, there were no major problems with the truck. The transmission either needs some getting used to or maybe is a bit iffy. Still entirely drivable, just not ultra smooth. It's my first Ford so I don't know.

Few questions that have some up since getting it:

The clutch pedal takes A LOT of pressure to push in; is this normal or something that needs work?

The sliding window needs to be replaced. Just the sliding glass. Is this just a matter of popping in some new glass, or is it a big job?

Most of the carpet is missing and I'm thinking of just ripping out the remains and Herculining the whole floor, anyone know if this provides any sound proofing? If not, is it worth laying some down then putting the liner down over it?

 

[strvger]

put the herculiner down first. then sound deadener or carpeting or whatever over that.
as for the clutch, check the level in the clutch master cylinder for sure (i think these are hydraulic clutches) and look for leaks of any and all kinds when you get up in the morning. just park it where the concrete is clean underneath.
not sure about your rear glass.
anyway, have fun and good luck getting it smog'd!
i'm so glad i live where there are no inspections of any kind really.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

Howdy Hank.. welcome to TRS.
When you change your oil in the truck for the first time, add a pint of Lucas, that stuff is slicker'n snot and I know several people who swear by it.. including myself. As far as the CEL, take it to Advance Auto or Autozone and they can pull your codes (if any) for free and tell you if anything is out of kilter.
As far as the slider, check your local auto glass place and see what they'd charge to swap it out for a new pane. I took my to Binswanger Glass and they charged me $20 to take apart the rear glass, add a used slider, and put it back in. Good luck to ya!

 

[exbass94]

Howdy Hank.. welcome to TRS.
When you change your oil in the truck for the first time, add a pint of Lucas, that stuff is slicker'n snot and I know several people who swear by it.. including myself. As far as the CEL, take it to Advance Auto or Autozone and they can pull your codes (if any) for free and tell you if anything is out of kilter.

I wouldn't put that Lucas crap in my lawnmower. Just plain oil changed regularly will get that engine to 300k miles.

 

[HankG]

Thanks for the replies and welcomes. Did some work on the Ranger today, just small stuff like cleaning, taking the camper off, and new wipers. Also hit up Kragen and picked up all the fluids I need to change the coolant, both axles, transmission, and engine oil. I have the Harbor Freight code reader and checked last night, was elated to find zero codes. Made a smog appointment for Monday and I'm going to hope for the best.

With the clutch, would a leak really increase the amount of pressure required? When my slave cylinder was leaking in my Pathfinder it had the opposite effect; it just sat on the floor unless I pulled it up with my toe. I'd park it somewhere dry, but I haven't seen dry pavement in a while.

I'm glad to hear that glass place replaced your sliding window for cheap. I talked to one today about the windshield weather stripping (completely dead and falling out) and they said they don't think they can pull the window without breaking it, and said I'll need to just get a new windshield. Quoted $350 for the job. The window does have a crack in it, so it wouldn't be awful having a new windshield, but I'm still not entirely happy about it. Haven't made an appointment with them yet.

Plan for the weekend is probably the fluids. Going to wait 'til after the smog appointment to pull the seats and give the cab a really thorough cleaning. Also need to figure out some tires. Nothing on craigslist that'll work and it'd cost almost $500 to get new tires put on. Going to try putting some 235/75/15s on and see if they rub when turning. If not I'll just run those.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I'd get a used set of tires off Craigslist.

Glad to have you in the ranger owner group of awesomeness.

Yes a 2wd 4.0 absolutely hauls ass.
I couldn't tell you if clutch stiffness is normal w'o driving it myself... but they are pretty firm stock.

Frank