I have owned a ranger for years and I love it. (170k and counting!) The old girl has been a champ for me but it is getting time to find a new one. Any thoughts?
I want a 2001 or later 3.0l Flex fuel. Any advice? With gas price predictions as they are I think it is wise to consider other fuel options. What should I look for in a FFV Ranger? What years were the FF 3.0 offered? I know it was only an option but did it make the 3.0l any less reliable than a standard fuel 3.0l? Any other advice/issues I should know about?
Thanks

 

It's still the same engine. Only differences (that I know of) are higher flow rate fuel injectors and an (expensive) fuel sensor that tells the PCM % of ethanol. The PCM is obviously different to account for that, probably just programming.

E85 Flex Fuel Vehicle Application List from http://www.aa1car.com/library/e85.htm

Trucks with an E85 Flex-Fuel Option:

1999-2003 Ford 3.0L Ranger Supercab 2WD
1999-2000 Ford 3.0L Ranger Supercab 4WD
2000-2002 Ford 3.0L Ranger 4x2 extended cab pickups
2004-2005 Dodge 4.7L Ram 1500 series
1999-2003 Mazda 3.0L B3000 pickups
1999-2002 Mazda 3.0L B3000 pickups

 

Thanks Man! I appreciate the advice. So, by Expensive I assume you mean it ain't cheap to replace. If that goes bad how much is it to repair/replace? If that sensor goes bad Will the engine still work on say, %100 gas only?
Thanks!
Matt

 

IIRC, the expensive and often troublesome Flex Fuel Vaporized Sensor was discontinued on the FFV Rangers after 2000 model year. The newer trucks use a lambse shift after a fuel level change to signal a step change in the alcohol content of the fuel and adjust the A/F ratio accordingly. So if you look for a 2001~2003 3.0L FFV Ranger, you should be able to avoid the sensor problems.

 

Thanks Bob!

 

Also, keep in mind that not all 3.0L's from those years are FFV's. The best way to know is to check the VIN. For FFV Rangers, the eight character of the VIN is "V" .

 

Thanks. That really helps the search!