ok just traded for a 94 ranger 2wd 5 speed 3.0 truck runs good but i never have to shift to fifth gear i can run 65mph in fourth at about 1300rpms what causes this???

 

Could be a number of things. The gearing, tire size(if different then stock). Those are a couple. What gears do you have? (Check the axle code and the door sticker) And are they stock tires?

 

5th gear is considered overdrive. used for the higher gears. you said your running 1300 rpm at 65mph? what size tires do you have? probably 3.73 at that speed.

 

Good grief, my old 94 (3.73's and 31.5's) would have been in the upper two thousands in 4th @65 and lower two thousands at 65. Pounding the keys on my calculator shows that even if you had 3.08's, you should be turning more than 1300. I'm wondering if your tach is lying. To put this into perspective, let's do a little math, it's just a ratio:

2500/3.73 = X/3.08

X= 2064 RPM on the tach for my old 94 IF it had 3.08's and IF it was turning 2500 at 65 MPH (it was actually a bit higher, so this makes that 2064 a conservative figure meaning yours would be higher than that). If you were in 4th and IF you had the same tire size that I did, that 2064 is MOL what you should see. If you have smaller dia tires than what I had, you'd be turning higher r's at the crank. Me questions the honesty of your tach readings on the freeway. and for good measure, I'd compare it against another one. That 1300 in 4th @ 65MPH is illogical for a gas powered vehicle sold to the public.

 

the truck dont have a tach but 1300 was just a guesstament but iv drove standards all my life and its up to almost 75mph before fourth wines out so id say 1300 or 1500 is close at 65mph.. and it is stock tire size ill get back to ya on the gear ratio...