New to the forums, new to my Ranger..

[DroidTN]

Hey guys and gals. This is my maiden post here. I just traded an old Passat for a great 1994 Ford Ranger. It is in excellent shape from what I can tell. It's a V6, not sure which V6 though. It has 31's with a 3" inch lift. I really like to "know" my vehicles, can you give me some tips to get acquainted with my Ranger? I am by no means a mechanic, but I am learning. I just want to know the truck inside and out and when something does go wrong, be able to identify it and fix it. So..any routines to go through it, things to look out for specific to a '94 Ranger. Can you recommend any repair manuals? It has about 158k miles.

Things that were done by the previous owner: new water pump, thermostat, radiator, fan blade, fan clutch, battery terminals, new spark plugs and wires, new heater core.

Things I want to do: 4 wheel drive doesn't work or I should say the 4 wheel drive/low button doesn't work, it doesn't light up. Also AC doesn't work, although that isn't a big deal, at least not for 6 months. Also the ABS light is on, previous owner said it was some sensor in the dash. And the needle indicating what gear you are in doesn't work, it just stays at Park.

Thanks so much!!

Andrew

Yes it is snowing today!!!

 

[90longbed]

well first I would pick up some kind of repair manual.... the factory ones are the best and can be found on ebay and such....they are more specific to your year ranger.... the haynes and chilton are a little vague on some stuff....I think you will like the ranger better than the VW.... I always hated working on VW's and saab when I was a mechanic

 

[Road Angels]

looks real nice, most of what is wrong seems to be common on these, want to know what you got check the door jam on the drivers side or on the end of the drivers door, every thing you need to know is there and can be decoded with a manual, welcome this is a great site

 

[exbass94]

That is a 4.0 OHV (pushrod) V6. And you have an A4LD 4 speed automatic trans. Axles should be a Dana 35 front, Ford 8.8 28 spline rear.

 

[DroidTN]

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[bmerr98]

Welcome to TRS and the joys (and occasional pains) of Ranger ownership! Good looking truck to start off with. Very clean. Too clean maybe...I suspect foul play of a devious plot of some kind...

For shifting in and out of 4 LO, make sure the vehicle is completely stopped, transmission is in neutral (maybe park with the automatic), and the brake pedal is depressed. It's all in your owner's manual, but is overlooked sometimes.

We had a little snow this morning too! What part of TN are you in?

 

[DroidTN]

For shifting in and out of 4 LO, make sure the vehicle is completely stopped, transmission is in neutral (maybe park with the automatic), and the brake pedal is depressed. It's all in your owner's manual, but is overlooked sometimes.
We had a little snow this morning too! What part of TN are you in?

Thanks for that, I will try it. I don't even know if there is an owner's manual. Can't remember and its too cold to go look I live in Johnson City.

 

[swynx]

Buy a shiftster! Forget that push button. Or switch to a manual case.

Maybe I'm making shit up but I seem to remember somebody saying if the ABS light is on the rear pads need changing. Mine do and my light is on.

 

[wildbill23c]

Thanks for that, I will try it. I don't even know if there is an owner's manual. Can't remember and its too cold to go look I live in Johnson City.

I believe your Ranger still has the push button 4x4. In any case, you can shift into 4WD high range up to 55mph by just pushing the button. My advice be going slow or completely stopped, not sure who came up with that speed, but if you are going that fast and engage the 4WD you are engaging parts that have been motionless and then throwing them into a high rate of speed suddenly usually means damaging expensive parts. Anyhow here are the shift procedures.

Shift from 2WD to 4WD high range, can be done at any speed up to 55mph. To shift back to 2WD just press the button again.

To shift from 2WD to 4WD Low Range, stop the vehicle completely, shift transmission to neutral (manual/automatic), press the 4WD High Range button, and let the shift sequence complete. Once the high range light is illuminated then press the 4WD Low Range button, wait for the shift to complete before attempting to drive away or partial or no engagement may take place.

To shift out of 4WD Low Range, do the opposite, stop the vehicle, shift to neutral press the 4WD Low Range button, let it shift back into 4WD high Range and either continue on or if you are done with 4WD completely then shift out of 4WD high range as well. Once the shift completes then shift transmission back into gear and drive away.

With either manual or automatic hubs I have always completed my shift out of 4WD mode by either backing up about 10 feet or driving forward about 10 feet in a straight line this helps to ensure that the hubs have properly disengaged. If you were driving forward when you disengaged the 4WD and the hubs you will need to backup. Drive forward if you were going backwards when you disengaged the 4WD system.

 

[DroidTN]

I believe your Ranger still has the push button 4x4. In any case, you can shift into 4WD high range up to 55mph by just pushing the button. My advice be going slow or completely stopped, not sure who came up with that speed, but if you are going that fast and engage the 4WD you are engaging parts that have been motionless and then throwing them into a high rate of speed suddenly usually means damaging expensive parts. Anyhow here are the shift procedures.

Shift from 2WD to 4WD high range, can be done at any speed up to 55mph. To shift back to 2WD just press the button again.

To shift from 2WD to 4WD Low Range, stop the vehicle completely, shift transmission to neutral (manual/automatic), press the 4WD High Range button, and let the shift sequence complete. Once the high range light is illuminated then press the 4WD Low Range button, wait for the shift to complete before attempting to drive away or partial or no engagement may take place.

To shift out of 4WD Low Range, do the opposite, stop the vehicle, shift to neutral press the 4WD Low Range button, let it shift back into 4WD high Range and either continue on or if you are done with 4WD completely then shift out of 4WD high range as well. Once the shift completes then shift transmission back into gear and drive away.

With either manual or automatic hubs I have always completed my shift out of 4WD mode by either backing up about 10 feet or driving forward about 10 feet in a straight line this helps to ensure that the hubs have properly disengaged. If you were driving forward when you disengaged the 4WD and the hubs you will need to backup. Drive forward if you were going backwards when you disengaged the 4WD system.

I haven't gone through the 4 low procedures, but neither button lights up at all, whether moving or in neutral. I guess the first thing to check would be maybe a fuse for the electronic system or a relay?

 

[enjr44]

Lurking and question. The orange 4X4 indicator lights, are they bulbs or ? Can they burn out? Can they be changed?

Ed

 

[SenorNoob]

Hi from the middle of the state!

Edit: My 250th post!!!!

 

[RangerSVT]

Welcome fellow TN neighbor. Shift motors are notorious for going out when not used. You can pull the motor apart, clean the internals, and most of the time they start working again. Or you can just get a replacement motor. This is one junkyard part I would avoid getting unless you can verify its working. The 4x4 instrument lights do use bulbs and are replaceable if they burn out...

SVT