So long and thanks for all the fish (AKA Ranger had to go)

[Millster]

Just wanted to stop in one last time and thank everyone for all the help over the years. With the assistance of folks on this site, I managed to nurse the old '86 to 213,000 miles! That said, after the ignition module failure and the subsequent "driveway-darkening period" too many things had gummed up/decayed away for it to be practical for me to keep it around. As it would happen, I had replaced ALMOST everything needed to get it up and running decently again but didn't know about the "accumulator/filter" until well into my let's replace this and see what it does mode of troubleshooting. That ended up being the last variable, but I was burned out.

So, I listed it for sale. Only took two days to find a buyer at my price (the truck was in stellar shape aside from its mechanical quibbles) and after fully disclosing the work I had done and what needed/may need to be done, he talked me down a couple of hundred and off it went.

I have to say, it was one of the easiest vehicles I've ever worked on. Most everything was simple to reach, relatively easy to find and I never had to lift the thing off the ground to get under it. I will definitely miss that. But it won't be my last Ford. I have a 1997 F-150 that will be moving on to my driveway in the next year or so. I already know it's not QUITE as worker friendly as the Ranger, but it's a bit newer so hopefully it won't need that work quite as badly.

I do have to confess to a funny situation, however. The Ranger left my house yesterday and this morning on the way to work, my Saab began to shred its serpentine belt. It just needs to make it to the parts store and home and I'm good, but I thought the timing was rather comical.

Anyway, cheers all! I'll probably stick around a bit to see if any questions pop up where I may be of assistance. Give back to the community that so generously gave to me and helped me enjoy the bulk of my Ranger experience.

 

[straycat]

Just wanted to stop in one last time and thank everyone for all the help over the years. With the assistance of folks on this site, I managed to nurse the old '86 to 213,000 miles! That said, after the ignition module failure and the subsequent "driveway-darkening period" too many things had gummed up/decayed away for it to be practical for me to keep it around. As it would happen, I had replaced ALMOST everything needed to get it up and running decently again but didn't know about the "accumulator/filter" until well into my let's replace this and see what it does mode of troubleshooting. That ended up being the last variable, but I was burned out.

So, I listed it for sale. Only took two days to find a buyer at my price (the truck was in stellar shape aside from its mechanical quibbles) and after fully disclosing the work I had done and what needed/may need to be done, he talked me down a couple of hundred and off it went.

I have to say, it was one of the easiest vehicles I've ever worked on. Most everything was simple to reach, relatively easy to find and I never had to lift the thing off the ground to get under it. I will definitely miss that. But it won't be my last Ford. I have a 1997 F-150 that will be moving on to my driveway in the next year or so. I already know it's not QUITE as worker friendly as the Ranger, but it's a bit newer so hopefully it won't need that work quite as badly.

I do have to confess to a funny situation, however. The Ranger left my house yesterday and this morning on the way to work, my Saab began to shred its serpentine belt. It just needs to make it to the parts store and home and I'm good, but I thought the timing was rather comical.

Anyway, cheers all! I'll probably stick around a bit to see if any questions pop up where I may be of assistance. Give back to the community that so generously gave to me and helped me enjoy the bulk of my Ranger experience.

Dude, not too many post from you. But, your story is a real Sabb story....LOL!!! Have fun and good luck.

 

[Millster]

Dude, not too many post from you. But, your story is a real Sabb story....LOL!!! Have fun and good luck.

No, not really. I kind of kicked back and stayed out of the way most of the time. I think all of my posts are in the 2.9L forum, LOL.
It is indeed a true Saab story. Kind of funny to get to a point of frustration with the Ranger and keep a Saab, yeah? Strangely, at least to this point, the Saab's quibbles have been really simple fixes. The worst was the clutch that took a full week to replace because the trans shafts would just NOT line back up.

In any case, I loved my Ranger. Its downfall was totally my fault. I never even thought of the TFI being the initial failure and if I had, it would never have gotten to the point of varnishing up so badly it didn't want to run right. I'll miss it but something tells me if I find a good enough deal on another one (probably a newer one), I'll be back in Ranger land. I can say with certainty that I'd never own any other small truck than a Ranger. I've seen them all, I've seen what they're like to work on... the Ranger has them all beat hands-down!

 

[Brownie Mobile]

But it won't be my last Ford. I have a 1997 F-150 that will be moving on to my driveway in the next year or so. I already know it's not QUITE as worker friendly as the Ranger, but it's a bit newer so hopefully it won't need that work quite as badly.

Atleast youre keeping it in the family

 

[Bondo]

Nice Hikers reference, and hope you find another Ranger at some point.

 

[shane96ranger]

I have a 1997 F-150 that will be moving on to my driveway in the next year or so. I already know it's not QUITE as worker friendly as the Ranger, but it's a bit newer so hopefully it won't need that work quite as badly.

No need to leave because you sold the Ranger. I graduated to a 97 F150 as well, because you can't fit 3 kids in the back of a Ranger. I found it to be a little more intimidating at first than any of my RBV's. BUT, what I've done so far has been decent enough. The hardest thing so far has been the spark plugs and wires, but it's easily manageable. I'm not looking forward to the day the timing chains/tensioners/covers need attention.

Stick around, it seems there are more and more getting into an F150. There is a full size section, you know.

 

[doorgunner]

See ya around....213,000...just "broke"-in good......

 

[Millster]

Thanks all! Glad someone caught the reference in the thread title!

Like I said, after I posted I realized "Eh, I'll probably hang around. I went through enough bits on my Ranger I may be able to help someone else out".

I actually have to laugh at the 213,000 mile comment. I could not agree more that it's just getting it broken in. For one, my Saab is about to roll over to 222,000. But it's the back-story on the Ranger that's the kicker. I was unemployed for a brief while following a layoff and moved back home to see if I could find work. My Dad, figuring I had nothing better to do, tasked me with finding a truck for him. I found the ranger at a local lot for $1400. The guy told me "oh, it has a lazy lifter and ticks a bit (it's a 2.9L... what one doesn't)". Anyway, we picked it up for $1000 even with what we thought was most likely 90,000 miles. We figured it was only about to roll over once since the body was straight, the engine ran strong and the interior seemed practically brand new. It wasn't until about a year into his ownership that my father discovered the service records and as we pieced things together realized there was no way it could have been less than 100,000. It was a former fleet vehicle someone used to drive all over the country and it had been over once and was on its way around again.

The only trouble the thing gave my father while he owned it was a blown heater core and the front lift pump choked while the truck was in the garage. It never once left him stranded. It was only once it came to me and that stupid TFI went out and I didn't figure out that was the problem for 2 years...

I'll miss the old rig, for sure. It brought a lot of laughs and was thoroughly interesting but it'll be good to see it in the hands of someone who will get it back on the road where it rightly belongs.

As for keeping it in the family, I kind of forgot that at some point, I'll be inheriting my Great Grandfather's 1972 F100 Ranger that only has 90,000 miles on it. No worries though, guys, I'm not willing my Grandfather ill. It is mine by right of inheritance, yes, but there has been talk of my getting the truck soon as right now it's not being driven and could use a little mechanical assistance that my Grandfather is just not willing to put into it. So either way, I guess... my Dad's F150 when he moves on to a newer rig or the '72 if my Grandfather decides he is well and truly done with it.

 

[Millster]

Just thought I'd give a quick check back in to say that it's kind of cool knowing the person you sold your truck to (at least when you're honest and told them what all of the potential problems were). It's back up and running. They did have a little accident with some brittle plastic pieces so it's not on the road just yet but it's good to hear the old beast still has some life left and it found a home with someone who wants to see it hit the road.

I lost my passion for the Ranger as a project, but that doesn't mean I lost my love for it as a vehicle. I feel great knowing it's going to be back out there getting someone from a to b instead of having handed it off to a scrappy to have it crushed. THAT would have been a shame.

 

[doorgunner]

Exactly....

my '41 pickup is still seen occassionally (I bought it in '82 from a friend & sold it in the late '90s)