keeping the ranger strong

[olred90]

hi everybody,

i have a 90 ranger with almost 213,000 miles on it. my dad bought it new, sold it to my grandpa, then he gave it to my brother and he gave it to me. we've never had any major problems with it other than regular matinence and some minor things going out on it. its my daily driver and its still running strong. what are some things i should to to keep it that way?

 

[superdave1984]

Regular maintenance is a huge factor. Change the oil regularly and fix what's broken ASAP so it doesn't cause other things to start having problems.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If it has made it that long and can still be considered strong, I would be talking to my brother/grandpa/dad about what they did and do the same. Whatever they did, it was evidently the right thing to do.

 

[RobbieD]

+1 to both of the above posts. And, I know it's your truck, but think seriously about any mods you do to it. If you're wanting to hang on to it for a long time, go easy on the mods and do keep the maintenance up. Sounds like it's almost a member of the family.

 

[Mark_88]

Yeah, I'd try to get a list of things that have been done over the years if possible...

Things you can do to help extend the life of the truck...

Change transmission fluid if it's never been done or hasn't been done in a long time.
Lubricate rear end.
lubricate u joints if they allow for it.
Rust proof...even an older vehicle can benefit from this and if the body is in good shape it's worth the extra money...

Other than that...like everyone else says...regular stuff like oil, plugs, air filter...

And I wouldn't consider moding anything to get more HP out of it...that leads to other things like more wear and tear...unless you're considering a rebuild on the engine...

 

[olred90]

yeah i dont really have much extra stuff done to it. new tires, brush guard, and lights are pretty much the main things. it pretty much is a member of the family. i still have a year left of high school and my brother is living at home and my whole family calls it the ranger, not my truck. i changed the oil today and we just replaced the right rear shackle and the one brake line is getting done tonight. it seems like its brand new with all the new parts.

 

[IDontCare]

REBUILD! errrytang... for about 500 bucks you can get a rebuild kit. my engine had over 300000+ miles ticking like crazy till i spun a rod bearing then it knocked.. no Pounded LOuD! i still drove it for about a week like that... people just stared at me at every light like "wtf" it was loud.. you dont want that to happen.. only way that would happen is if you lost oil pressure from a worn bearings or a bad oil leak

 

[MAKG]

REBUILD! errrytang... for about 500 bucks you can get a rebuild kit

WOW, that's the cheapest cylinder boring machine I've ever heard of!

You don't think that rebuilding = teardown and reassembly, do you? There is ALWAYS machine work involved, and it WILL cost more than $500. Leaving a heavily tapered cylinder and bellmouthed valve guides in the engine will not improve performance and may reduce it substantially due to circulating grit related to break-in.

There are also very many variations on "rebuild kits" and which one you need is a result of a detailed inspection. There is little point in installing a worn crank into new bearings....

Rebuilding is to CORRECT KNOWN PROBLEMS such as audible knocks or low oil pressure. One does not do it just for fun.

 

[IDontCare]

i rebuilt mines the kit was 500 i didnt say nothing about the machine work... his crank is probly still in spec mines was except the 1 rod journal was off about .05 of an inch cause of the spun rod bearing, had it welded and regound .01 over mains and rods and i used a Cylinder Glaze breaker for the block.. you can mic the crank its easy theres a -.001 allowable tolerance... if its under then yeah machine work.. if not i wouldnt lose any sleep on it.. it was just a suggestion..

 

[IDontCare]

also for the BREAK-IN grit i bought a oil filter magnet from summit for under 30 bucks keeps the grit in the filter untill your next oil change. olred90 i would recommend that oil filter magnet cuz with that many miles im sure theres some grit siting in the bottom of your oil pan waiting to be sucked up by the oil pump pickup tube....