2010 Ranger - Radiators seem very vulnerable
 

Hello All, I am a new Ranger owner, first Ranger, first Ford for that matter. So far so good with my 2010 4wd XLT except I was looking at the front end and noticed that the radiator(s) seem very exposed to anything coming up off of the road or from the front(see photo). This seems weird for a vehicle that is suppose to be suitable for off-road use and a bit of abuse. Can any of you tell me if this is normal, or is there a part or two missing, namely a screen or two? Just wondering...If this is stock, does anyone have any recommendations as to what I can add to eliminate this vulnerability? Thank You.

Welcome. I have the same grill, and I bought a couple pieces of metal mesh gutter guard and adhesed them to the back of the grill to fill the holes. You can buy chrome inserts to go in there too.

Hey paul, I too had the same grill at one point, I did the metal mesh behind mine and it worked like a charm.
O another thing you can do to protect from under the valance is go to a junk yard and get the front skid plate of another ranger. That will protect it from the bottom.

I dont see anything wrong with it, Plenty of trucks are just like that. I would leave it be, looks good and works, no sense in messing with it IMO.

You could also retro fit a honeycomb grille behind it to match the sides, or just swap it out for a different style grille.

I'm not as much concerned about the openings at the grill, those will atleast keep bigger rocks and varmints out, but it seems to me like there is a lot of unprotected open radiator real estate in the lower part where the tow hooks come out. I can imagine rocks and other ricocheting debris coming up off the road and tearing up this part of the radiator...

Ive seen birds, rocks, squirrels you name it stuck in radiators that did not break. I wouldnt be worried about it. seriously. Leave it open let it breathe and keep cool.

x2

If you are really worried about it (which you shouldn't be) paint some aluminum mesh and stick it back there. Or you could probably buy some cheapo pre-cut ebay deal to go in there. But it's fine, it's open like that for airflow.

i agree with the other guys its not gonna break. The only reason I did it was I had a rock smack the rad and it made me nervous. But I dont have anything behind the grill now.

You've got nothing to worry about. It's a-okay. all 98+ are alot like that....big hole, free and open. TONS of other vehicles are just like that. Shoot...I ran without that lower plastic valence on mine for a good 3 years and NEVER once had an issue.

Options to cure the 'issue': install a bumper billet grille or front hitch(FTW!!! DOOOOOO IT!!)

What you see is actually the A/C Condensor. The radiator is located behind it.

Allright guys, thanks for all the good input. I'll let her stay naked so she can breath good and stays cool.

Now whats this 13.2 mpg (around town) that I got on my first tank of gas. The dealer told me not to pay attention to the mileage until around 3,000 mi or so. He said it will get better as the engine gets broken in. Was he blowing smoke or does it sound like an accurate statement? The sticker said 14/18 so I guess I'm close.

Thanks

He is correct. IT will take a few miles to break in

i didnt see my best mileage to around the 6k mark

i have the same grille and ive never had a problem. Man i cant believe how low the 2010s are. Both our trucks have 15s on them and look how low your XLT 4x4 is compared to mine:

Attachment 116618

Maybe the picture of mine is a bit misleading because the driveway is sloping downward at the rear of the vehicle making the rear end look lower. Here's another picture from straight on. Anyway, this Ranger is definitely higher than 96 4wd s10 it replaced.

In 08 they lowered the 4wd rangers 2 inches or so. FYI.

time to do the pre key mod! lol

and starting putting those Mazda Wheels you have on them in 2010

You have a beautiful truck by the way. i truly am jealous of your rear disc brakes. You see you also have a first there. No Ranger before 2010 had rear disc brakes, only drum brakes.

QUOTE=vista4.0;1626527]time to do the pre key mod! lol[/QUOTE]

Nah, don't want to have to mount a step ladder for the girlfriend to get in. Also, not proud to admit it but I'm afraid of heights. It goes back to when I was a four year old and my mother hung me out over Niagara falls. I have not been the same since that day...

Thanks for the good words. I wonder if the disk brakes in back will be easy to replace. I've always had better luck doing disk brake shoe replacements rather than drums.

It looks to me like you have a nice piece of truck there yourself, plus you probably owe less on it than I do mine.

thanks (if that was aimed towards me). I dont see why it should be any harder to do the back disc brakes than the front ones. Ford disc brakes are EASY to replace. Your right, drums suck and i dread the day i have to replace them.

ahh drum brakes arent as bad as every bad thinks they are.

Yeah....'08+ Torsion bar trucks got a bump in epa mileage ratings and a drop of 1.5-2" in ride height.

no FACTORY ranger. end users have been putting discs on the back of these trucks for quite some time now...

I know the torsion keys changed in 08+ (different indexing). But I do find it a little hard to believe they dropped the ride hieght by as much as 1.5-2" on all modesl of 4x4's 08+. .5 - 1" just maybe. I have a 2010 FX4 and the SPR is 11CC (highest rating in Bars & Springs). This may be true of XLT or other Sport 4x4 models though with lower rated Bars & Springs . I'd be curious to see other peoples stock only ride hieght measurements. Especially 06 to 2010 all models. To compare.

Nice Ranger! Love the color.

As for the question, no need to worry.