What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Things2do]

F&@:%€n Brake Lights…

I put in the new switch, I took it out and put it in again after checking everything, I sprayed it all with WD-40, and I still have the original problem that came up with the old switch.

I've noticed that behavior of the brake lights going off when you let up on the pressure on several Fords. I first noticed it on a 48,000 mile Grand Marquis and just assumed that it was some feature to let cops in Crown Vics sit in gear with the brake lights off. But my Ranger does it too, so I guess it's just something caused by that type of switch.

You might try removing the little plastic bushing that goes on the shaft that the switch rides on on the pedal, the little plastic cylinder that takes up the gap between that rod and the switch. When I first got my Ranger it didn't have brake lights at all unless I really stepped on them, like yours is doing when you ease off and then press harder, but removing that little plastic cylinder made them work like they should starting from barely touching the pedal. I don't know why and it probably isn't a permanent fix, but at least they work.




Today I put in my third NAPA reman starter, while laying in a large puddle in a dirt parking lot and being dripped on by melting snow. The first starter was bad out of the box and the second one lasted a whole 4 months and 800 miles. While I was under there and cold and wet anyway I replaced the 2005 date coded fuel filter. For some reason my engine seems a little happier now... I also did yet another round of cleaning on the front seats. They aren't turning my cleaning towel quite as black as they used to. And then I went and bought a pair of Skyjacker 132X 1.5" lift springs for $100 on Marketplace.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well, Saturday night my Choptop stopped pumping fuel, Mom’s 02 Explorer decided to stop letting the windows go up and down, friend Tom’s 96 Explorer decided also to stop letting the windows work and to flash the 4x4 lights on the dash, and the dome light in my F-150 decided to stop working. I got a ride home, dragged the tow dolly out of the mud and took the F-150 to tow the Choptop to Paul’s.

Sunday both Explorers started working fine. Also my dome light came back on (I got home after midnight). After church I got a ride up to Paul’s and started checking the electrical for the fuel system (I had done everything possible with the limited tools and parts I had Saturday night, really needed a multimeter and power probe). Got the pump to kick on and I think the relay is flaking out because it would randomly not click, click as loud as a starter solenoid with a bad starter, or click normally. I put a new one in after cleaning terminals and it appears to have solved the problem. Got a spare new relay on order, should be here today.

I also put new shocks on the front of the Choptop. The old shocks were still working. They were a higher grade Guardian or Gabriel shock. I decided to try some Rough Country N3 shocks. Definitely beefier than what I had in there. Definite improvement. Tamed most of the vibration I have been getting, removed the minor bit of bump steer I’ve been getting, and the front end feels planted for the first time ever. I’m now contemplating replacing the new KYBs in the rear, they were an improvement over the Guardian/Gabriel shocks I had back there but maybe there’s an even better option?

 

[Rick W]

Well, Saturday night my Choptop stopped pumping fuel, Mom’s 02 Explorer decided to stop letting the windows go up and down, friend Tom’s 96 Explorer decided also to stop letting the windows work and to flash the 4x4 lights on the dash, and the dome light in my F-150 decided to stop working. I got a ride home, dragged the tow dolly out of the mud and took the F-150 to tow the Choptop to Paul’s.

Have you checked if your toilets are all flushing?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Have you checked if your toilets are all flushing?

All are fine except the one that is currently not installed at Paul’s sisters house because we’ve been working on a bathroom remodel

 

[djfllmn]

drove it to work, felt like the first time in forever

 

[Rick W]

Oh wise ones….

Who’s stupid idea was it to buy this Ranger thing?

On the Road Ranger saga of changing the cam synchronizer. 97 4.0 OHV

So I put the motor at top dead center. And I have become an expert at taking those two little tiny screws with the 5.5mm heads off the top of cam synchronizer cap. Then I spent an unusually long amount of time getting the 10 mm hold down bolt out that holds the synchronizer down. You can’t get a deep socket on it nor a regular socket, and I eventually had to do it with a 10 mm 12-point wrench, one 12-point tooth at a time (while my old fat ass was upside down and backwards). But I did get it out.

So help me with this one. HOW IN THE HOLY COTTIN PICKEN HELL DO YOU BREAK THAT SYNCHRONIZER LOOSE IN THAT LOCATION SO YOU CAN PULL IT OUT OF THE BLASTED HOLE !

It was a chore getting the 10 mm bolt out, and the unit is frozen solid in the block. I can’t get at it to tap it gently with something, there’s no way to get something on it to pull it up, there’s no way to get a pry bar under something to try to ease it out. I did have three 3/8 inch branch extensions wrapped around the corner and tapped the end of them with a small hammer, but you can’t really get any good angle to give it a good little tap without risking busting it or something else.

After I abandoned it and I cleaned up, I thought I might be able to get a pipe wrench on that synchronizer, and just try to twist it a hair to break it loose. I have some pretty small pipe wrenches, but there’s no place to swing the handle down there. Great F&@:#%£¥N design!

HELP!!!

AAAAGGGGHHH!!!

 

[holyford86]

Last night I grabbed my stx seats out of an extra cab I have stored on top of my shipping container. While I was up there I looked the cab over a bit and I'm wondering why I saved it in the first place... once the container is moved I'll likely pull some parts and send it to scrap.

Today I moved my supercharged truck out of the back yard and stuck the 88 back there before the ground turned to soup. Figured i might as well enjoy the supercharged truck for a bit before I yank the cab in a few weeks.

 

[Rick W]

Oh wise ones….

Who’s stupid idea was it to buy this Ranger thing?

On the Road Ranger saga of changing the cam synchronizer. 97 4.0 OHV

So I put the motor at top dead center. And I have become an expert at taking those two little tiny screws with the 5.5mm heads off the top of cam synchronizer cap. Then I spent an unusually long amount of time getting the 10 mm hold down bolt out that holds the synchronizer down. You can’t get a deep socket on it nor a regular socket, and I eventually had to do it with a 10 mm 12-point wrench, one 12-point tooth at a time (while my old fat ass was upside down and backwards). But I did get it out.

So help me with this one. HOW IN THE HOLY COTTIN PICKEN HELL DO YOU BREAK THAT SYNCHRONIZER LOOSE IN THAT LOCATION SO YOU CAN PULL IT OUT OF THE BLASTED HOLE !

It was a chore getting the 10 mm bolt out, and the unit is frozen solid in the block. I can’t get at it to tap it gently with something, there’s no way to get something on it to pull it up, there’s no way to get a pry bar under something to try to ease it out. I did have three 3/8 inch branch extensions wrapped around the corner and tapped the end of them with a small hammer, but you can’t really get any good angle to give it a good little tap without risking busting it or something else.

After I abandoned it and I cleaned up, I thought I might be able to get a pipe wrench on that synchronizer, and just try to twist it a hair to break it loose. I have some pretty small pipe wrenches, but there’s no place to swing the handle down there. Great F&@:#%£¥N design!

HELP!!!

AAAAGGGGHHH!!!

AFTERTHOUGHT:

That thing is so inaccessible with regular tools, I just had the thought of fabricating a little 2-finger claw, out of a significant piece of steel, that would still fit in that small place, with the bench shaft to go around the upper intake, where I could put my slide hammer on the top, so I could use the slide hammer to try to pull it up and out without trashing everything around it.

While I’ve turned wrenches for the better part of 60 years, I don’t have the experience you guys have, and I don’t want to screw something up by using too much force if there is a simpler method.

Any and all thoughts – urgent*- would be greatly appreciated!

* Urgent because it’s making me freaking crazy and I have weapons

 

[scotts90ranger]

Got the new window regulator for the '90 today so I "thought" I would tackle that, tapped the center out of the stock rivets then drilled them out and the old regulator fell right out. Now I see what's wrong with the old one, the teeth are pointy so are jamming up... Next fun is that I don't have a big enough rivet gun to do the job, will have to borrow one from work so will probably get to that on Wednesday.

Yesterday the D ring mounts I ordered came but once I looked closer I can only put one on without more fabrication with where I would want them to mount... in the back I would need to move the license plate over a few inches and in the front I need to cap some square tubing for best placement...

 

[scotts90ranger]

AFTERTHOUGHT:

That thing is so inaccessible with regular tools, I just had the thought of fabricating a little 2-finger claw, out of a significant piece of steel, that would still fit in that small place, with the bench shaft to go around the upper intake, where I could put my slide hammer on the top, so I could use the slide hammer to try to pull it up and out without trashing everything around it.

While I’ve turned wrenches for the better part of 60 years, I don’t have the experience you guys have, and I don’t want to screw something up by using too much force if there is a simpler method.

Any and all thoughts – urgent*- would be greatly appreciated!

* Urgent because it’s making me freaking crazy and I have weapons

I would highly recommend rotating it before slide hammer so if you can get a pair of vise grips around the shaft to get it to turn (to break the corrosion and O ring or seal between that and the intake or block or whatever) then yeah, try the slide hammer...

 

[Rick W]

I would highly recommend rotating it before slide hammer so if you can get a pair of vise grips around the shaft to get it to turn (to break the corrosion and O ring or seal between that and the intake or block or whatever) then yeah, try the slide hammer...

Yes, I completely agree, BUT…

Can’t get any vice grips in there, and I’ve got all kinds of different vice grips. Ditto with channel locks. I haven’t tried with the small pipe wrench yet. My fear is the little pipe wrench that will fit in there that you can get some leverage on, won’t open far enough and grab the thing so you can twist it.

Reminds me of my ex-wife, Satan…

 

[Rick W]

Yes, I completely agree, BUT…

Can’t get any vice grips in there, and I’ve got all kinds of different vice grips. Ditto with channel locks. I haven’t tried with the small pipe wrench yet. My fear is the little pipe wrench that will fit in there that you can get some leverage on, won’t open far enough and grab the thing so you can twist it.

Reminds me of my ex-wife, Satan…

@scotts90ranger, you just set off a lightbulb in my head. I have one of those old T-handle claw wrenches you use to disconnect faucet fittings from underneath a sink. I bet I could modify that to create a bend that will hook around the intakes, and twist on the son of a gun..

 

[scotts90ranger]

Worst case get a big pair of vise grips across the top vertical and stick a pry bar between the jaws to get it to twist... will take less force to rotate than it will to directly pull, after getting it to rotate a little bit I would blow some compressed air in there to clean out some goo...

 

[Rick W]

Worst case get a big pair of vise grips across the top vertical and stick a pry bar between the jaws to get it to twist... will take less force to rotate than it will to directly pull, after getting it to rotate a little bit I would blow some compressed air in there to clean out some goo...

I hear you, but even if I could get a pair of ice grips to clamp on from above, I need a 18 inch long pair of vice grips to be able to put something between the jaws or the handles to get any twist on it.

I’m just about to head out again. BTW, if I do fabricate some kind of claw/puller, I would just gently tap it upward until I get some motion, and then try to twist it. Right now it’s a one and a half ton paperweight, not much to lose.

 

[holyford86]

Went and used the supercharged truck to pick up all the paint and supplies to paint it's new cab. I had forgotten that automotive paint isn't cheap, haha