Hi guys, first off I'm new here (clearly). I'm happy to have found this community. I recently purchased an old 1990 Ford Ranger XLT 2.9L V6 Automatic 4x2. The truck is supposed to have 103000 miles on it (per the person I purchased it from), but the odometer only has 5 digits, so its rolled over but I can't be certain I was told the truth. The State of TN doesn't require Odometer records for vehicles over 10 years old, so it wasn't on the previous title. However, after visual inspection it definitely appears to have sat for a very long time.

I've only been driving the truck for a week, but I love it. I've made a decision to commit to it as the body is in very good shape for almost 30 years old, the motor sounds and runs strong, etc. Transmission fluid looked very old so I'm changing the fluid and filter tomorrow. I've been taking it to work for the last week and I'm happy but realize its gonna need some TLC and money.

Now to my issues: When I first got the truck tagged, it sat in my driveway for about a week. During that week I wasn't really driving it, but checking things out, starting it, visually inspecting it etc. As you would expect for a 30 year old truck that sat, theres a lot of grime just everything has aged, and probably weathered. I live in Southern Middle Tennessee so we don't get much in the way of snow, but nots of rain, and very hot summers. One of the things I did was check the ebrake. It worked, so I just disengaged it. It's been raining 70% of the time I've had the truck, we've had a lot of water. Anyway when I got my tags and went to drive it, I noticed it felt like the ebrake was stuck when I went to back out of the drive way. There was a lot of drag and resistance. This was my first experience with it, so I wasn't sure what to think about it. I drove it around the block and kinda pulled the release several times and somehow, I got it to drive normally. I thought it was maybe an issue with the ebrake and I wasn't gonna use it again until I had a chance to figure out what the issue was. Now I did notice that the brakes were kind of touchy, and when stopping, if you push them to hard, you get a kind of roaring sound (sounds like a whale) that appears to come from the back of the truck.

So yesterday I went to AutoZone to get the tranny filter and fluid, and I pulled into the spot. Stopped the truck, parked it, and went in to get my stuff. I DID NOT USE the ebrake. When I got back in the truck to leave, I noticed that drag again. This time though, I drove it all the way home like that (3 miles maybe?). I parked it in my drive way, put it in Neutral, and tried to push the truck (driveway is flat) and I couldn't move it, it acted exactly like a car does when you have to push it and the driver hits the brake.

This morning it seemed like the drag wasn't as bad, but it still doesnt feel right. When I accelerate I get a weird "shake" almost, I'm not sure how to describe it, you might get the same feeling going over small bumps with one side of the car. I noticed that the ebrake cable sags, and realized its been like that since I bought it. I have a picture. Tomorrow when I do the transmission fluid I'm going to visually inspect the brakes but does anyone have any experience they could share about an issue like this?

I'm no mechanic, I'm a monkey with tools and and a Haynes manual. But I'm not stupid and capable of learning things. I can follow directions, I just don't have the knowledge to diagnose a lot of things, only car issues I've experienced in the past.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Here is the picture of the cable. That is completely dis-engaged.

 

The cables probably have internal corrosion and they aren't allowing a full return/release of the brakes. If it were me, I'd pull the rear brake drums off and do an inspection of the brakes, and I'd probably end up disconnecting the emergency brake cables and tying them up to the frame until new ones could be purchased.. With the drums removed, you should be able to do a better inspection of the emergency brake cables. You may end up clamping some Vice-Grips on the cable ends and seeing how hard they are to pull. Frozen and/or sticky cables are quite common on these old trucks. They're not expensive to replace and the cables are available new at most parts stores.


Transmissions get burnt up by driving vehicles in this condition...



GB :)

 

Thanks, I'll inspect them tomorrow and probably disconnect the cable. Buying a new cable isn't out of my ability, I just wanted to ask for advice/opinions because I was thinking something was going on with the emergency brake but obviously, I'm not totally sure. Thanks for your reply.

 

No problem. That's why we're all here.

If you decide to disconnect the parking brake cable from the rear brakes, you may have to pull some small parts out of the drum brakes so they don't cause interference. I've never removed any cables permanently so I'm not sure on that process. The main thing is, find out if the cables are releasing all the way, and if they're not, then do your best to make them release fully, then NEVER use the parking brake ever again, or at least until you install new cables on the truck.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/engine...-brakes-81906/



GB :)

 

Myth,
If you intend to COMMIT to this Ranger and have a good DD, check out the brakes, take the drums off the rear, if there is a lot f rust, it might be better to replace everything; Backing Plate, all of the brake parts, new e-Brake Cables. Also, if you do everything, which would include new adjusters, don't for get to clean the new adjuster and use some grease on the threads.

Front brakes are a little easier, do it all and then you know where you stand.

Also, you might flush the Brake System, check the Master Cylinder for rust inside of the bowl, it might be sticking a little.

Good Luck.