Hi, I am new here and am posting this on 2 other forums hoping to get some good advice.
I have a 2.3 ranger, regular cab, 5 speed manual with 240,256 on the clock. I get about 20 mpg and have had no major problems other than the power steering high pressure line and I had to rig my blend door shut with an old funnel and some duct tape last year because my heater was stuck on. . I have had this truck for a year and would just like to know what i need to do to keep it going for another 100k. Its bone stock and hauls ***. I do 90 uphill all day long and put about 400 miles a week on it hauling around heavy loads of roof tiles and misc tools. I love this truck so help me keep her alive.

Problems:
The shifter **** pulls hard to the right after I take off in first, not to sure what that's about.
The cat rattles bad but doesn't seem to affect performance
Gas gauge always says empty, I use the odometer to guess
I would like to remove all the a/c components or find a way to fix it.
Should I switch to synthetic oil?
How do I know when I need new plugs and wires?
Its hard to put into gear sometimes. I have to put it in 4th and then I can get into 1st.
Sometimes it randomly dies at stop lights. rare but maybe once a month.
airbag light and abs dash light are always on.

I just need tips on good maintenance since I know little about cars but I am in the construction business so I have a shop and every tool known to man. Dont really want to wait for things to break before I fix them.
Thanks for reading.

 

A rebuild or throwing another 2.3 in is gonna run you about the same price or close to it.

I am also in the process of making a Lima engine truck go another 100-150k and have done all basic maintenance and damn near replaced almost everything that is a "wearable" part at this point.

A good place to start if you are looking to do some preventable maintenance is by replacing the timing belt and the water pump. Do you know when or have a receipt from when items like that were last replaced on the truck?

It sounds like you have a work truck you really like, but depending on the problems you have listed that you want fixed, it can get pretty time consuming.

Good thing is the 2.3 engine that comes in your truck and the transmissions can be found a dime-a-dozen at virtually all junk yards.

 

I would leave engine alone until it starts to show signs of problems, compression sounds good if motor still climbs the hills, timing belt needs to be replace every 100k or so, O2 sensor(front one) as well, but you will see slight drop in MPG at that time.

No on synthetic oil, high mile oil is fine to use.

Shifter moving means motor mount or trans mount is loose or broken.
Open hood, Set parking brake, then start engine
Put in 1st then slowly let out the clutch while watching engine, you are look for lifting of one side, loose or broken motor mount
Now do the same but in Reverse, watch for movement the other way.
If it seems tight then trans mount is probably the issue.

Ranger hydraulic clutch system is marginal at best, no room for even a little air in the system.
You can rebleed the system, and put in fresh brake fluid(that is what is used).
Make sure reservoir is topped up.
Next time a new clutch is needed replace Master along with slave.
This is why it can be hard to get it into 1st when stopped with engine running.

Clean the IAC(idle air control) Valve, not hard to do, it could be sticking so idle drops to low when stopping.
This could mean pilot bearing in clutch setup is broken,(also why it is hard to shift into 1st when stopped), pilot bearing allows engine/flywheel to spin at a different RPM than the transmission input shaft.
When trans is in gear the input shaft is connected to the rear wheels, the clutch separates flywheel and input shaft but only if pilot bearing is working well.
When in Neutral the input shaft is disconnected from the rear wheels.
So try this, shift into Neutral when coming to a stop don't leave trans in gear with clutch pedal in, and then see if it still stalls.
If it doesn't then yes could be pilot bearing issue, its a long shot though.


ABS and airbag have lots of possible issues.
Have a read here first: 1997 Ford Ranger: OFF...airbag light..ABS light..the air bag
Could just be a fuse, or two

 

This is some great stuff man, exactly what I was looking for. thank you.

 

Has anyone heard of a stock 2.3L truck going 90mph uphill fully loaded? I've got the 97 too and live in hills. Dang, I think I once had it up to 90 going down a long hill with a tailwind. Oh, kilometers per hour, okay.
I too have sought to do some preventative maintenance but the ranger/mazda guys around me all say leave it alone if it's working. I have a new clutch kit been sitting in a box for 3 years as the old one I thought was going bad just had some air in the line. And helpers who have driven it loaded have smoked that clutch before my eyes a dozen times but still going.
Best thing I did was find that the AC leak was from the accumulator bottle that's only $20 to replace and actually putting in the 5w-20 oil that is recommended (for 15 years I just used what my other vehicles took 10w-40) and woohee, it zips much better now.
Read a long blog by a Colorado man that had the 97 2.3 (B2300) and he tried every regularly advertised mod out there and debunked them all with plenty of testing (mostly a big hill). The only thing he thought worked was replacing the injectors with larger ones but that has been debunked here many times (computer will compensate) so his old ones were probably clogged.

 

The 2.3l DOHC Duratec Rangers, 2002 and up, boasted 143HP with 154ft/lb torque, I can see these doing the 90mph uphill and stock, lol.

Your 1997 2.3l Lima has 112HP with 135ft/lb torque

Performance things for it here: Ford 2.3L Performance - Route 66 Hot Rod High

But it is just a heavy engine, weights almost as much as a V8, so poor power to weight ratio to start with, put it in a 3,000lbs Ranger and you have a serviceable but not fast vehicle

 

Try having a 99 base single cab short bed. Should be a little better than the longer heavier one's. Nope. 2.5 L4 with an automatic transmission. Plus the mileage on it. And the factory rated @119 hp drops down with the wear and mileage. She runs good 👍 but don't try to pass anyone. You'll just waist gas. And don't think that you're going to get a speeding ticket. 🤣 But it's good for my daughter's first car.