Hallo from Denmark

[the Dane]

Hi everybody.
Im now the lucky owner of my first Ranger.

but i do have some issues, i live i Denmark and the spare part marked for these great cars are very bad, and i have a hard time finding out which parts i can use on my car.

As im new in this, i still havent learnt about gen1, gen2, mk2, ER and so on, so im hoping that the thousand of brains in here can help me.
The thing i really would like to know is which year of production i can use on my car, i can find alot of parts from the never cars, so if any of those fit on my car that would be helpfull, especially suspension and steering parts to starts with (that is the worst right now)

haha

so the info on my car.
Vin number. 1FTCR14A1TTA69309.
and from that i have found these specs.
Usa
Ford
Truck
4,001-5,000 lbs
Ranger 4×2 (2-door SuperCab)
2.3-Liter 4-Cylinder (Ranger 1997 and older
1996V – 1997
Edison (Edison, New Jersey)
Ford Division
i have to say, that i have never owned a car that drives as bad as this one, but none has givin me as big a smile on my face when i drive it.
so in advance thanks for your help.

Best regars Jesper

 

[MikeG]

You've found the joy of twin I-beam Fords. You don't steer them, you herd them down the road more or less in the direction you want them to go

I-Beam bushings likely shot, and these things are hard on shock absorbers due to the mass of the front suspension. Define "ride bad" and we might be able to narrow it down a bit for you.

 

[Curious Hound]

Congratulations! You have a 3rd generation Ranger (1993-1997). It looks great.

 

[the Dane]

You've found the joy of twin I-beam Fords. You don't steer them, you herd them down the road more or less in the direction you want them to go

I-Beam bushings likely shot, and these things are hard on shock absorbers due to the mass of the front suspension. Define "ride bad" and we might be able to narrow it down a bit for you.

I know that i never will make it steer great, as you write i herd it in the direction. haha

But i shakes when braking, shakes and klonks when turning. and i am thinking that if i need to change a tie rod or such, i might as weel take some other parts when it is taken apart, but as i wrote it is hard to find parts for the up to 97 model, can i use parts from the next generation 98 and on?

but i have to say i love driving it thru the danish streets full of mazda 1, vw up, polo and so on...

 

[the Dane]

Congratulations! You have a 3rd generation Ranger (1993-1997). It looks great.

View attachment 55877

Thanks

 

[Curious Hound]

Are Mazda pickup trucks common there? Your truck would be the same as a Mazda b2300 of the same year. So suspension and steering parts should be the same.

 

[MikeG]

You need 93-97 parts for the front end. I don't know if earlier will work. It might on some things. 97 was the last year of the twin i-beam.

Shakes when braking = warped rotors, usually. So I foresee a brake job in your future. Not too difficult to do yourself though.

Clunks when turning - front end or back? Front, either tie rod ends, ball joints, or shocks, or bushings. Have someone push the bumper up and down and see if you hear anything. Also check the sway bar bushings / links.

 

[MikeG]

Mazda B-series is the same as Rangers from, 93 on, here. Might not be true where you are. So look at one if you can. It should be obvious if the front ends are the same.

 

[19Walt93]

Once you replace any loose front end parts you'll need to find an alignment tech who is willing to replace the camber blocks if needed and possibly use aftermarket pieces so he can adjust the caster as well. Toe in and camber will affect tire wear and caster will drastically affect road feel. It will surprise you when it's set up properly. Rockauto.com has a large selection of parts and I assume they would ship to Norway. Welcome to the group.

 

[dvdswan]

Welcome to the site.

 

[the Dane]

Are Mazda pickup trucks common there? Your truck would be the same as a Mazda b2300 of the same year. So suspension and steering parts should be the same.

so that must be the Fourth generation (UF from 1985-1998) right? and is it only the b2300 or is it all the B serie from those years.

 

[19Walt93]

so that must be the Fourth generation (UF from 1985-1998) right? and is it only the b2300 or is it all the B serie from those years.

In the U.S. a Mazda B2300 was a Ranger with a 2.3, a B3000 was a 3.0 Ranger and B4000 was a 4.0 Ranger. I'm not sure if Europe got comparable models. Mazda didn't deserve the Ranger after sticking us with the Courier in the early 70's.

 

[the Dane]

Once you replace any loose front end parts you'll need to find an alignment tech who is willing to replace the camber blocks if needed and possibly use aftermarket pieces so he can adjust the caster as well. Toe in and camber will affect tire wear and caster will drastically affect road feel. It will surprise you when it's set up properly. Rockauto.com has a large selection of parts and I assume they would ship to Norway. Welcome to the group.

Thanks

 

[Curious Hound]

so that must be the Fourth generation (UF from 1985-1998) right? and is it only the b2300 or is it all the B serie from those years.

Steering, suspension, engine and drivetrain from 93-97. Body and trim are similar but have differences. Some electrical stuff changed around 95, I believe.

 

[Momohenri]

I am in Belgium, when I need a part I can find almost everything for my Bronco 2 from 88 at Rockauto so go and see you will surely find what you need , transport is a bit expensive but parts are cheaper than in Europe