[HELP WANTED] 1992 Ford Ranger Questions / Introduction

[Dyno Party]

Hello, Good Day..

I am newly registered to the forums although I have been browsing it for quite some time. Very grateful of the community here. I have a 1992 Ford Ranger, was my first vehicle I purchased and it came with a lift already.. I had never owned a truck like this before and I have really enjoyed learning about it.. So far I have redone some of the suspension in the front, tie rod ends, redid the u-joints in the drive shafts, and changed the wheel bearings in the front. Still have much to go. Below are some images of my rig. its a Manual 2.9 V6 4x4. not sure the lift height to be honest..





I have a couple questions here and I am going to try to keep it as organized as possible..

1. 2.9 V6 Engine has 380k KM on it, so I was ready to face some issues with it.. I have run various checks for issues I have seen online. I have not checked the engine compression although am going to get to that. I have checked the oil cap for milky residue and I do believe there is some.. Although when I took the radiator cap off and started the engine, no air bubbles. I am not sure how to diagnose the issue further but if I don't need to replace the engine I would be Interested in that. To my luck the engine temperature gauge does not work on the truck. I have ordered a replacement thermostat and temperature sender and will replace those. To my knowledge the engine is running pretty well, although I have witnessed it misfire or skip a beat maybe 6 times of me owning the vehicle. (I have had it for 6 months) If someone would have some guidance at what I should do or look at next to not destroy the engine that would be very helpful, I am in the introductory stage of learning about my engine and others I could maybe swap in...

2. When I was replacing my wheel bearings in the front and changing my tie rod ends I noticed alittle play in the axle shaft on both the driver and passenger side, they both seemed the same. I was able to move the shaft up and down, left to right, inside the hole of the hub. Heres an image of when I was seeing the play in the shafts.



I am currently running without a front driveshaft because I was concerned I was going to ruin my axle shafts further or my diff if I put it in 4x4. Although since I have taken the front driveshaft out I have locked the wheels to see if I hear any noise and everything seems to be moving fine. no noise from the front. I have yet to check my diff fluid both in the front and back but I will get to that.

3. I am speaking with someone right now that has a 92 4x4 bronco and is selling parts off it of. It has a 351w v8 with 226,000 km on it says driveline works good but gas tank is sold so I can not start it up. His Bronco also has Dana 44 TTB front axle and 8.8 rear axle.. Says the bronco is not for sale as a whole but I am interested in alot of the parts. I am now thinking of swapping the axles from this bronco and even considering the engine.. which I could probably grab the transmission, transfer case, and driveshafts from. So basically I am wondering if should I go forward with buying these parts, it seems like a really good opportunity.. Really looking for some guidance as I am not sure who else to ask regarding this stuff.

So that is currently where I am at, I can provide more pics if needed. I really want to make this truck run like a beauty.. Hoping to become more involved in this community..

THANKS

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm probably going to delete the other post you made... No need to have it on here twice.

 

[Uncle Gump]

OK... only on here once now.

I have one question... where/what are those headlights?

 

[Dyno Party]

@Uncle Gump Thank you for deleting, wasn't sure if I was able to delete my own post.. As for the Headlights I am not entirely sure.. they already came on the rig.. I believe It is the stock housing with some home made sanded down expanding foam.. I like the look of the round headlights but definitely don't like the execution.. focusing more on the vital parts of the truck now and will start getting into cosmetic things if I can figure everything out..

 

[Uncle Gump]

I understand... but those aren't stock housings... at least from a Ranger. Just have never seen that before and had to ask...

The 2.9L are known for head issues... they tend to crack. They don't like getting heated up. Search "Glove Test". This would help you identify if you have a cracked head or bad head gasket.