Our electric Coop here in interior Alaska has an annual meeting and to encourage good attendance they give away worthwhile prizes. The best prize this year was a 2005 Ford Ranger 4wd 4.0 engine with 77,000 miles on it. They just retired it from their fleet of vehicles and appears to have been well maintained. Looks and feels like it has been well taken care of.

This is my very first Ford vehicle. Back about 1972 my dad bought a brand new Ford Courier and later on another Courier from about 1978. My mom had the misfortune of getting a brand new Ford Pinto from the mid 70s. The Couriers seemed like good little trucks.

So I've been researching my new truck. Sounds like one weakness is the automatic transmission. I heard from one source rear gear goes out. Any suggestions on getting the most out of the transmission?

The other weakness apparently is the timing chain Tensioners? From what I understand one can avoid timing chain failure if the Tensioners are periodically replaced before one starts to notice a rattle? With only 77,000 miles on the truck I'm going to assume they have never been replaced. How often do people recommend replacing them? Here in interior Alaska our winters can be severely cold at times. Our last winter was the coldest on record. Perhaps starting a 4.0 at -20 or -30 fahrenheit might shorten the Tensioners life? In that case I can keep it in my heated garage at night.

I'm looking forward to learning from people on this forum on how to promote this unexpected vehicle's longevity.

 

The transmissions are OK. Ford made over 19 million of them starting with the A4LD.
Yours is most likely a 5R55E, maybe a 5R44E. It's the first electronically controlled 5 speed transmission mass produced in this country.

I read that a spacer plate within the valve body -addressed before 2005- can separate and cause internal leaks resulting in bad operation.
I'd recommend a pan drop and filter change. I replaced my pan with one with a drain plug. Use MerconV fluid in the trans.
6-packs of Valvoline MerconV purchased online could be the easiest way to go. MerconV is widely available in brick & mortar shops but it is frequently not ordered by some.

Ford says to use LV in all their transfer cases. Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc LV is what I used in my TC.

Read the diff tag or door B-pillar to see what gear ratio you have.

Experts say the tensioners should be replaced at 100k miles.
Be aware that they are of two differing sizes and each has a thin seating gasket. When the time comes, get Motorcraft, I've read.
TIP: I employ the "clear flooded engine" method for 3 seconds to pump 'em up for the first start of the day.
Turn ignition key to ON (dashboard lights up),
Depress the accelerator all the way to the floor. This turns fuel delivery and spark OFF.
Crank the engine for 3 seconds. Release key.
Then start the engine normally.
I never hear any mild start-up noises. This is not to be confused with the loud rattling of failed components.

Congrats on your NTY truck. A pick-up truck is a great door prize!

 

Thanks for the great information. I didn't find any thing on the truck indicating what transmission it has. I did find a tag on the differential and a sticker on the axle that says V333N. The metal tag on the differential does appear to have V333N on it.

How do I identify the transmission type in my truck?

I did make a discovery for something else though: this truck has little half doors allowing easy access to the extended cab! I hadn't noticed that until just now.

I checked the transmission fluid pan and it is an original since it doesn't have a drain plug. With our cold winters it does have a transmission pan heater glued on though.

 

I don't know where to look to identify a transmission.
There are VIN ID websites but many are quite abbreviated and don't tell you much.
Having a dealership run your VIN might be the best.

Were there jump seats behind those little half doors?

 

Another thing that goes is the thermostat housing. Replace it with an aftermarket metal one. Probably time to replace all coolant hoses Check you transmission cooling lines for rust near the radiator. Flush the radiator coolant and brake fluid as well. Change the gas filter too. Keep an eye on the rear spring shackles as they tend to rust through.

 

^Yes to those suggestions.
The PO of my Ranger replaced his housing with another OE plastic one. While expedient, a metal one would've been money well spent.
Going over 20 years -even on today's superior hoses- is risky.
G-05 coolant in these.
My truck also had its rear shackles replaced by the PO.