So I let my cousin take my 93' ranger with option to buy. Don't hear anything for 2 months. I found it abandoned with a bent rim, muffler on the ground and steering column trashed. I towed it 160ish miles home. It started right away. But Transmission wasn't going into gear. Pulled the shifter one of the lower rings cracked and was in the Transmission. Pulled it out. Replaced the shifter. Now it goes into all the gears but doesn't engage. I can shift through all 5 while running hard and nothing. I've had the S/M cylinders go before. Different truck. But had opposite effect. Grinding away "matching" rpm to speed. This has nothing. What is going on?

 

1993 Ranger will have an M5OD-R1 manual transmission
2WD I assume?

Can you roll the vehicle and does drive shaft turn when you do?
If drive shaft is not turning the differential is bad

Or does drive shaft turn when in gear engine running?
If it turns then differential is bad

If input shaft gear was stripped there would only be 4th gear

Output shaft could break but never heard of that happening

If clutch is stuck disengaged or its "fried" then no forward or back
Does clutch pedal feel OK or easy to push down?

If it was a 4x4 then transfer case can be in Neutral, so no forward or back

 

Thank you RonD. I was thinking about the differential earlier. And hoping it's the cylinders. I'll have to get some help in the next couple of days. Good thing about these trucks is part's are everywhere. I have to ask. my engine is a 2.5 I believe but has 8 plugs what could you tell me about them?

 

Be careful what you ask for, lol

1993 Ranger 4cyl was the 2.3l Lima engine, 2.5l Lima was same engine but with different crank and rods, a "stroked" version, but only made and used from 1998 to 2001

2.3l Lima was first used in 1974 Pinto, so often called "the Pinto engine"
Also called "the Lima" engine because it was made for 27 years at Ford's Lima, Ohio engine plant
It used 4 spark plugs and distributor until 1988

In 1989 the 2.3l got a Crank sensor so could be run without a distributor, also the head was modified to do dual spark plugs to gain more power
Both spark plugs fire at the same time, there is no alternating
Dual spark plugs add power, its not for emissions, although better combustion(more power) does mean less emissions, but not the reason for dual spark plugs

Your engine can run with either coil pack unplugged, on just 4 spark plugs, like it did from 1974 to 1988
And that is a good way to test if all spark plugs are working, run engine on one coil pack and then on the other one to see if there are any misfires
With dual spark plugs one spark plug can fail and you wouldn't notice that, until both spark plugs in the one cylinder failed, there would be a slight power loss but probably not noticeable

1989-1994 the 2.3l used the same crank sensor setup, Hall Effect, and the EEC-IV Computer
1995 to 2001 used a different crank sensor, Variable Reluctance, and the newer EEC-V Computer
So these years can not be swapped to or from each other, i.e. a 1993 2.3l block can only be used with, or replaced by a 1989 to 1994 2.3l block

2.3l Lima uses a timing BELT and it needs to be changed every 80-100k miles
Its a non-interference engine so a broken timing belt won't cause bent valves, but will strand you when it breaks

A turbo-version of the 2.3l Lima was used in Ford cars in the 1980's

The 2002-2011 Ranger 2.3l is a DOHC Mazda L engine, has nothing in common with the 2.3l Lima except displacement
2019 and up Ranger 2.3l is a turbo charged version of this 2.3l DOHC Mazda L engine