Help me buy a ranger

[Fowldarr]

So, my son needs a truck, we found a ranger for a stupid good deal. ($750). 1988 2.9L, rear main seal is leaking, valve covers are leaking, battery cables need replaced. AC has been removed. Runs good, brakes are a little soft.

What else do I need to look for?

 

[scott9]

Depending on where you live frame and body rust would be my biggest concern. I recently bought a ranger for 500 but it needs a lot of frame work. If rust is not a concern the only other things I would look for is general maintenance, this will usually tell how well it was taken care or. Check all fluids etc.

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[alwaysFlOoReD]

There is a section on shopping for a ranger in the following link;
http://www.therangerstation.com/resources/index.shtml

 

[Fowldarr]

Well, I bought it. $700. Ran all the way to the gas station and now it won't start. Feels like the starter isn't engaging, but there is some questionable wiring around the battery as well. We will tear into this weekend or next and figure it out.


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[Fowldarr]

Went ahead and ordered a new starter an all new battery cables. We'll just start from scratch and know what is there.


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[enjr44]

Make sure to get the correct starter, if I remember correctly there are two different ones and most parts stores do not know which is which.

Don't give them your old starter until you are sure. Once it is gone, it is gone and you are sitting there with a starter that grinds up the flywheel!!!!

 

[Fowldarr]

I ordered it online. Core charge be damned.


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[Andy D]

The starter thing on the 4.0,is that the automatic trans and the manual trans starters are different, Make sure you get the right one to suit. I replaced the starter on the Rat with a chinese starter from Amazon for about 40$. I wanted to say that it is a cheap POS, but the fit and finish are pretty darn okay. and it came with a spec sheet of test results. Best of all it works fine. I don't think I could have gotten the parts to refresh the starter for that. Ford starters are not anything that great to begin with. I took the original out because I thought that I had let the smoke out of it. The trouble turned out to be a shorted wire. The starter was still working, barely. The bushings were shot , allowing the armature to drop away from a brush and into the field. Not yet but probably in the dead of winter, it would expire. I got smart for a change and R+Red it in the summer.