Hello, Im new to this forum so please pardon me for mistakes, I just bought a 1997 Ford ranger XL, I dont know if this truck is 4 cylinder or a V6, the seller said its a V6,but I spoked to a coworker of mine, most rangers came out is a 4 cylinder is there any way to check what it is? Ok moving on..

it has several issues but the truck runs,my two main issues is the overdrive switch, its broken the seller said his grandson pull the switch so the wires is sticking out, and said its stuck on over drive, actullay I fear its worst than that, coz im having hardtime driving the truck as it wont run when I shift it on drive but on drive2 it starts to run any advice will be appreciated

and my second concern is the AC, the system is removed, no condenser coil no ACcompressor and I am trying to rebuild the AC system, I just want to know if I could find a photo of a ford ranger engine with the AC on it, or any help would be appreciated, I dont think they remove the heating core and evaporator in the dash but I saw to rubber hoses coming from the dash that was "cut" I dont know where those two rubber hoses go to so please I need your help all the masters here in Ford Ranger, I would really appreciate your help

 

there would be six spark plugs and six spark plug wires on it 3 on one side and three on the other

 

In order to know what engine it has, there will be 6 spark plug wires on the V6 and 8 plug wires on the 4 cylinder, the 4 cylinder has two spark plugs per cylinder.
As for the OD switch, you will want to run the truck with the overdrive on all the time for the best fuel economy, the shifter can be had at a dealership for about $55. please describe the trans problem in more detail (it will not move in drive but will move in man2, it will not start in drive, etc)
worry about the big things (trans) before the air...welcome!

 

thank you for the replies, if you turn on the engine, its an automatic by the way, the truck wont run when you shift the shifter to D, but after you put gas and shift it to D2 it starts to move, could be the overdrive switch being broken could have something to do with that?

Lol, I live in Florida miami thats why I wander about the AC coz temps here spike up to 90

 

So are you saying the truck stalls when put into drive or it just won't move when you press the accelerator?

If it doesn't move when put into drive check to see if your shifter display (PRND21) is matching up. Basically, put it in reverse and if it doesn't go into reverse, your shifter is off by a gear and when your display reads drive, your actually in neutral. happend to my first car, pretty easy fix.

 

yes thats what goin I notice the needle pointer is pointing in between "D" and "2" then the truck starts to move so whats the fix for that?

 

it actually depends. Theres 2 ways that i know of:

Get to the instrument cluster (the speedo), and try manipulating the wire that is directly below the gear indicator, see if you can get the orange needle in the right spot. (your cable could be really worn and stretched out, I hav no clue how to replace it, but i hear its a real PITA

the other possibility (which is most likely your problem) there is a little piece of metal that sits on top of the tranny and is bent up on one side with a cable going to the gear shifter. This thing tends to loosen up after being used so much and is only held in with a bolt. You may be able to see it from the engine compartment, have a buddy move the shifter constantly, you'll see it moving. You can then manipulate it with your hand and align it into park, then tighten it down. It'll be a b1tch to get to, but should solve your problem

 

so which one I need to manipulate, little piece of metal on top of tranny or the cable thats goin to the shifter?

 

ill take picture tommorow and let me know if thats the one coz im new on fiddling with a ford ranger i appreciate all your help!

 

those are 2 different things to try.

i would start with the first one, which is pulling off the trim, getting to the cluster and play with the wire under the gear indicator, trying to get it to line up...if it doesn't work, then proceed to the second solution

 

only adjust the needle at the cluster, not at the trans. this is not causing your stalling problem when you shift into drive. in my opinion, the torque converter is locking up when you shift into drive, the converter will not lock up in reverse, or man2 so thats why it doesnt stall in those gears

put in man2 and take off, when you are doing about 30 shift into drive and see if it does not stall. it will stall when you come to a stop if the converter is locked, but if it doesnt stall when you are moving and shift into drive the converter is most likely in need of replacement or something electrical that commands the converter on is faulty

 

just in case i brought it to a dealer or a shop,what ineed to tell them to fix?

 

just tell them they need to diagnose the stalling issue, they have a scan tool called IDS and they can watch and command things for the trans to do to aide in diagnosis (i am an auto trans tech at a Ford dealer)

 

great,but do you know how much they charge for it?

 

so it is stalling then? in that case, yea what i recommended will not work.

And most mechanics will charge a standard fee for scanning (at least around here they do). some may charge an hourly rate (80 - 90 per hr)

 

it will be around $95 to diag and then who knows what to repair, R&R on a 2wd ranger is like 6-7 hours

 

could i safely say to them just change the torque converter so i save 100 bucks of diagnostics? How much changing a torque converter cost? coz here in miami, a bunch of cheater mechanics here, especially on the dealer side, im hoping its just wiring issue but if you bring it to the dealer, reality is they will always go with the expensive repairs

 

I just bought an overdrive switch, any one happened to have a diagram for an exploded view of the shifter?