I picked up a 1995 3.0 Ranger with 211,000 miles from a friend that is moving out of town. I just plan to use it to run mulch around town and carry my mountain bike to some local trails, so it's the perfect fit for me!

 

Nice send more Pics!

 

Looks like a good Ranger

1995 was first year for the new Computer, EEC-V, OBD2
3.0l Vulcan engine, used in Rangers from 1991 to 2008, good reliable engine, 1995 was first year it was distributorless, 1991-1994 had distributors

If Manual trans its an M5OD-R1
Automatic is a 4R44E

3.0l is a high RPM engine, makes best power at 3,500RPM, most engines do that at 2,500rpm, this can make the 3.0l feel low on power unless you keep the RPMs up higher than you would think
Its the DESIGN, its MADE FOR higher RPMs

 

Thanks! I was a little concerned to get it up in the rev range, thinking it might be more likely to hurt the old engine. I have to say, it's not "fast" by any means but I don't have any complaints about power.

It is a manual and 2nd takes a little finesse to go in smoothly. There's also a few exhaust related codes that I'll have to figure out, but that's all part of the fun.

 

The M5OD-R1(M5R1) manual trans uses ATF, yes, automatic transmission fluid in a Manual trans

Some one "may" have added Gear oil(80w) which would make transmission harder to shift in some gears

It only holds 2.8 quarts(bone dry) so doesn't cost much to change fluid, Mercon V is spec, but some use synthetic version, which costs more, but they say it shifts better
Drain and fill plugs are both on drivers side of transmission, seen here: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T...1/IMG_0459.JPG

Bolt head size should be 15/16"
It usually takes less than 2 quarts to refill, because all the fluid doesn't drain out


There is a clutch fluid reservoir in the engine bay on the firewall, very important to keep this from running dry, as its a PITA to bleed the clutch system
Take the cap off the reservoir, there should be a black rubber Air Dam Cup inside, pull it out, there should be Dot 3 Brake fluid underneath it, that's the clutch fluid
The Air Dam may not be there any more, or someone may have goofed and added fluid inside it, if so pull it out and empty it, brake fluid is CORROSIVE so don't get in on anything you like, like paint, lol
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, that's why the Air Dam is there, it reduces fluid's contact with outside air, but not a big deal if it isn't there
The big deal is to make sure reservoir doesn't run dry

 

Thank you so much for the information. I'll take a look at the clutch reservoir and that doesn't look too bad to swap out the transmission fluid so I might give that a shot over a weekend.

 

I checked and thankfully the level in the clutch reservoir was good and the air dam was still there.

Any time I open the driver door, with or without the key in the ignition, I get the beep/alert. I saw a video already on how to correct that, so that'll be one of my next tasks. I'm going to go through and do the MAF cleaning and check the rest of the intake for buildup as well.

I also noticed the temp gauge is always around 25% and never gets up to 50%. No codes related to it so it's probably the sender unit that needs to be replaced, I think?

 

Yes, the temp gauge on the dash has its own 12volt Temp Sender on the engine, the computer has a 5volt Temp Sensor(ECT sensor)
So if there are no codes then Sender would most likely be reading low

In 1995 temp sender should just have 1 wire connected, red/white wire, its grounded to the engine via it's threads, so leave a few end threads bare metal, do not tape them, so it has a good ground to engine metal

ECT sensor would always have 2 wires

When ordering the part make sure its a SENDER, most of the time it will be a SENSOR that comes up first, lol