Hey all.

Typed this post up once, clicked the post button, and it disappeared. Oh well.

I'm going to look at a 1990 Ford Rangr V6 XLT on Saturday (I don't know if it's the 2.9 or 4.0). Has 187,000 kilometers on the ticker (so they claim, anyway). I've never owned a truck, and haven't even owned a Ford. The idea is to use it primarily as a DD, 20 kilometers round-trip to work and back 5 days a week. Occasionally it might see some light use to haul some dirt, lumber, etc. But no towing, and no real hard work.

What should I be looking for when I see it? Any problem areas or things I should know? I've been reading this forum (before I registered), but my head is spinning a little bit from all the info.


Thanks all.


EDIT: Also, apparently the previous owner removed the AC compressor. The guy selling it doesn't know why.

 

Welcome to the forum

1990 Ranger is 27 years old, so will suffer from all the usual stuff a 20+ year old used car suffers from.
Rust is the big one, cancer for cars/trucks

Pickup trucks in general suffer from rusted out rear spring hangers, rusty rear frame.

On any used car/truck, look at the drivers seat wear and pedal wear, that can confirm true miles.
Also look at front tire wear, uneven wear means front end work will be needed, also look at rear tires, they may just have been rotated :)

1990 V6 Ranger could be either 2.9l or 4.0l as you said, 3.0l wasn't available until 1991 model year.
And officially the 4.0l wasn't either but Rangers did start getting the 4.0l OHV in 1990

2.9l and 4.0l used the same block and similar heads, not the same, similar.
Both were very reliable engines, both would get a cracked head if overheated.
Watch for white "smoke" exhaust on start up, would indicated a cracked head.
Bottom end lasted well passed 400k miles if oil is changed

2.9l used a TFI spark system, these needed work as they got older, wiring and module issues, not expensive, but a pain none the less.
4.0l use distributorless spark system, much more reliable even when older

Manual transmissions age better than automatics, but do need clutch and slave replacement, 4.0l 2WD or 4x4 would have the M5OD-R1, used until 2012, 2.9l 2WD would be the same
1994 and earlier Ranger automatics would be the A4LD, good transmission if rebuilt recently, if never rebuilt then budget for it within the next year or two.

Drivers door tag/label can tell you alot, ask seller to send you a picture of it
Look here for picture of the drivers door tag: Ford 7.5 & 8.8 Inch Axle Tag & Door Codes

This it for axle ratio

But it will also have date it was built and VIN
VIN decoder here: VIN Decoding Ford Explorer Ranger Bronco II VIN Number

This will tell you what engine, and other info

Also at bottom of label is TRANS, letter under it will tell you what trans
T= A4LD
M = M5OD-R1
D = Mitsubishi FM146, 2.9l 4x4


Missing AC Compressor could be a sign of major engine work, never put it back on, could also be the clutch bearing failed and instead of replacing it they just removed it and put on the shorter fan belt
If you decide to fix the AC, besides compressor it will need to be flushed and a new dryer/accumulator installed because it has been exposed to the outside air.

 

Thanks for the great info, Ron, it's a huge help to me.

I found the link to the listing, here it is: 1990 Ford Ranger XLT

It is a manual transmission, has new tires so hopefully I can see if there's any wear on them. I can't get a picture of the door tag unfortunately, so I'll just have to look when I get there.

Is there a how-to somewhere on working with the TFI spark system? Also, what about the timing belt on these trucks? I'd hate to have it let go and eat the engine.

What is a good service manual for these trucks? And is doing the clutch/slave work difficult?

Sorry for all the questions, it's new territory for me.


Thanks again.

 

TFI testing here: Ford EEC-IV/TFI-IV Electronic Engine Control Troubleshooting

Only the 4cyl 2.3l and 2.5l Lima engines used timing belts, 1983 to 2001 Rangers

V6 engines used timing chains, and the 2.9l or 4.0l OHV never had issues with those, lasted the life of the engine.
Rangers used the 4.0l OHV engine from 1990 thru 2000

2001 and up Rangers got the 4.0l SOHC engines, which did have timing chain issues.
4.0l OHV and 4.0l SOHC engines are not related in any way

 

Great, thanks again Ron. This is all going to help when I go to look at the truck today.

One more question, if I do decide to buy the truck what's a good service manual for this year of Ranger?

 

Haynes seem to work well for most things

1983 to 1992 Rangers are considered 1st generation, there was a sight body style change in 1989 so 1989-1992 are also called gen 1.5, but mechanically they were the same
1993 to 1997 are 2nd gen
1998 to 2012 are 3rd gen, 3.5 2001 and up, lol

 

Thanks Ron, I'll look into getting a Haynes.

I picked up Old Blue yesterday, and drove it the 1-1/2 hours home. Smooth, quiet, comfortable ride. Truck needs a good clean inside, and some work here and there but I'm happy with it so far.

The valve cover seals are slow leaking, there's a new set in the truck so I'll probably install those today if the rain goes away. And the transmission has a 'clunk' when going into first gear, and also grinds in first and second. Not sure if that's the clutch or the actual transmission? Either way, I'll have to deal with that at some point soon. Other than those 2 things, the truck is nice. Dirty, a little rusty, but nice. I've made a mental list of things I'd like to do to it...

Oil change. Always an oil change. Can I use synthetic in this truck, or would that be a waste of money?

Replace the bench seat with buckets, maybe from an Explorer or if I get lucky at the wreckers, Mustang seats.

Give the interior a deep clean.

Replace a dead bulb in the dash.

Replace the headlights, the housings are fogged and have condensation in them.

Sand down and paint some rust spots, fix a large patch of rust on the bottom rear of the bed. At some point I'll DIY a paint job over the whole truck.

Put a bedliner in the truck, most likely a DIY spray-in as I'll be selling the cap.

Replace the shift boot, it's beat-up.

Put new speakers in, the current ones are pretty worn out and sound bad.


For now I think that's it. I'm not in a huge rush to do any of these things, primarily because money, time, and money are in short supply.

 

You will have an M5OD-R1 manual transmission, they have synchro on all gears, even Reverse.
These transmissions used ATF, yes Automatic transmission fluid, NOT gear oil.
Some people top them up or mistakenly used gear oil, even some mechanics.
So I would drain fluid and refill with Mercon ATF, Ford spec
That may help stop the grinding

Rangers all used internal slave cylinders for the clutch, these were hard to bleed air out of and so even with clutch pedal to the floor the clutch disc could still be rubbing on flywheel which would make it hard to shift into 1st when stopped, and cause grinding.

Clunk could be u-joint