**URGENT** HOW TO PREP MY TRUCK
 

i am about to take an emergency trip to georgia from rapid city south dakota. about 1400 miles one way, which is about all i will be driving, as the truck will be on a u-haul. i experienced two deaths in my family and i am relying on my ranger to get me there. it's got the 3.0, 5-speed manual, with 150k on it. new slave cylinder, new oil pan gasket, new water pump, new timing cover gasket, new timing cover, and new tires. is there anything i need to check/ bring/ prepare for to ensure i make it there safly. i trust in my truck and it runs good, no obd codes at all. so anyone got anything else? i got fluids and tools, and a functional spare and jack. so anything else? any comments welcome i just want my ranger to make it.

change the oil if you can, always have spare oil, and coolant. check all the fluids, check tire pressure, have an emergency kit with jumper cables, water, some tools, a flash light, just other random stuff. oh and get gas too. and snacks!

but in al seriousness im sorry for your losses and i hope the trip goes well. good luck.

That about sums it up.

On top of what's listed, it never hurts to have some lengths of various hoses and clamps handy, and a spare accessory belt.

As for spare fluids, I'd not only have some oil & coolant, but also washer fluid, brake fluid, and power steering fluid.

If you feel comfortable driving your truck to work everyday you should be able to take it on a trip. Everyone freaks out about long trips and then they end up having more problems.

I'd just check the truck over for all the fluids and top off anything that needs it.

This sums it up. I trust mine (shut up) i would take it to Florida tomorrow. But if you trust it as a DD i would certainly trust it

I don't think it's a matter of not trusting your vehicle, but if you break down on the way to or from work, you're not all that far from a friend who can give you a lift to pick up something to get it taken care of. If you're on a trip, your only option is to be prepared for as much as you can, or have it towed to a shop you're not familiar with and be at their mercy.

^^ Exactly it. I just went on a 1,400 mile trip from Ohio to Texas. I did a once over on the truck and made sure to check all the Ball Joints and Tie Rods. Everything that is said above is what I did as well. I bought spare radiator hoses and a spare serpentine belt to bring along just in case. My truck has 199k on it so I was a little worried about it but it got me down here just fine with 0 problems.

Hope your trip goes smoothly and sorry about your losses..

I guess I think that way since I have AAA. But my trucks have never let me down. I have had one flat tire on the middle of the freeway onetime. Had to park in the median of a 10 lane freeway with my old car. Thank god for AAA.

My condolences for you loss.

I second the AAA advise. I had to use my card twice in the last 6 months. That was for my Volvo turbo wagon with 270K miles. She is about to become scrap metal soon.
I believe there are other auto roadside service organizations other than AAA, but they are the biggest.

One other bit of advise. Have a mechanic give it a safety check. A second set of eyes sometimes can spot something you may have over looked. Such as worn out windshield wiper blades.

hell, he's probly been there & back by now.

:smileford::smileford::smileford::smileford::smile ford::smileford:sorry for the long wait. but my wife actually pulled some strings and got the paperwork to plate her new jeep quicker, so we took that. i was a tad disappointed, i kinda wanted to do it in my ranger for braggin rights lol. but under the circumstances, it was no time for games, but her jeep has the hemi, terrable on gas, good for towing, which since we had to clean out an entire house, was a good thing. but thanx for the help. i might be making another trip solo in my ranger to deal with all the court stuff so i'll keep the advice in mind. :smileford: