Ford Ranger

[JamesBond]

Originally Posted By: nobb
Cam synchronizer should be inspected for wear. I don't necessarily agree that it requires regular replacement, the trick is to keep the bushing lubricated because a bad bushing is what eventually causes play and then gear failure. Every oil change, you can pop the cap on the synchronizer and add a drop of oil down the shaft. I actually drilled a hole in the synchronizer cap and put a plug on it to make it easier to lube the synchronizer regularly.


So do you just remove the plastic crank position sensor on the top and dump some oil down the hole?

 

[ecotourist]

Boy, lots of negative comments.

Might be the single most common truck on Vancouver Island (and the most common small truck for sure).

They're considered a very reliable truck around here. Some people say they're the most reliable vehicle they've ever owned.

 

[PimTac]

I had a 85 with the 2.8 V6. The engine didn’t want to run for the first 2-3 miles until warmed up. Blew 4 ECUs during the time I had it and also blew a headlight every 4-6 months. Ford could never figure out what was wrong. That was the last domestic branded vehicle I owned.

 

[WiskyBadger]

Originally Posted By: andyd
How is the frame? esp spring hangers and body mounts. Left rail usually goes first.
Everything looks good, it was a North Carolina truck. It’s clean for its age in Wisconsin.

 

[pscholte]

I have owned three Fords: 67 Mustang, 1993 Taurus and 2003 Focus. While all three were good automobiles the Mustang and Taurus had design flaws (clutch Mustang) (transmission Taurus) that made them unlamented when they left the stable. The more I know about the brand, the more I see this as a perpetual problem; design issues that Ford doesnt seem to want to care about when told. Just one person’s experience. I am sure owners of each brand have their own sad tales but I don’t need another one to talk about.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Boy, lots of negative comments.
Might be the single most common truck on Vancouver Island (and the most common small truck for sure).
They're considered a very reliable truck around here. Some people say they're the most reliable vehicle they've ever owned.


My 3.0-powered Ford vehicles have been some of the most reliable engines that I've owned, by far. They never were designed to be a hot rod engine.
I'd say a lot of those negative quotes are by people who just read about them on the internet and a cute little cliche sticks in their mind.
Yes, it's true the camshaft synchronizer has a tendency to fail, and yes, you should always replace it with a Ford or Motorcraft part. However, I've put probably 300K miles on my own 3.0-powered vehicles and I've never had a cam synchronizer fail. My theory is that you don't extended oil changes on this motor. As far being a gas hog, my wife's favorite vehicle right now is a '98 Ranger 3.0/five speed that got 28 mpg on a recent 500 mile trip, a far cry from being a gas hog considering the vehicle is 20 years old.
Parts are cheap, the design is simple and I'd say the only real fault this design has is the oil filter located right on top of the starter making some oily starters when they get serviced.

 

[nobb]

Originally Posted By: JamesBond
Originally Posted By: nobb
Cam synchronizer should be inspected for wear. I don't necessarily agree that it requires regular replacement, the trick is to keep the bushing lubricated because a bad bushing is what eventually causes play and then gear failure. Every oil change, you can pop the cap on the synchronizer and add a drop of oil down the shaft. I actually drilled a hole in the synchronizer cap and put a plug on it to make it easier to lube the synchronizer regularly.


So do you just remove the plastic crank position sensor on the top and dump some oil down the hole?


Yup, 2 bolt and unplug the cap. Don't need to remove the entire synchronizer. The oil will flow down the spinning pickup, past the bushings, and leak out from the bottom gear into your camshaft. It's kind of a pain to do this regularly which is why I just drilled a hole through the cap and plugged it. That way I can use a syringe filled with oil and inject.

 

[mx5miata]

I had a 1993 splash with the 3.0/auto/2wd very good truck just tired 143k on the clock and probably wasn't maintained often it belonged to a landscaper.

 

[Linctex]

My 1993 Ranger 2WD has 291,000 miles. It's been decent. Two clutches in that time.
Most of the truck is original, though..... I have been happy with it.

My dad had a 1991 model 2.9 XLT 4WD shortbed that ate the Mazda M5R1 at about 12X,XXX miles.
Other than that, it was a solid and reliable truck.

 

[WiskyBadger]

Thanks for bringing up the cam synchronizer. I’m gonna look more into that.

 

[tig1]

My 91 ranger 3.0 was sold with 354K and still ran great.

 

[ka9mnx]

"Bought a little Ford Ranger Edge. 2 wd 5 spd. It’s got the little 3.0 v6, Vulcan I think? Anyways says 5w20, will probably just use 5w30. Anybody have some good info on these? Nice little run around truck, hoping for 20 mpgs. 158k miles on the truck, with 27k on an engine rebuild. Thanks."

Longtime lurker. With this post I had to register!

First. This is a Vulcan motor. It DOES NOT have a cam phaser!

See my profile. I bought this truck new with the extended cab, 2WD and auto trans and used Motorcraft oil (5w-20) for the first 10 years of it's life. I was never keen on 5w-20 oil and spec'd this engine out from it's first introduction (1993). As far as I remember the only changes were block casting (to strengthen the block and reduce harmonic vibration), minor camshaft changes (to eliminate EGR), Head bolt design (to reduce head gasket failure, head design to reduce valve stem diameter and incorporate behive springs and piston/ring design (to reduce piston weight and drag. There were probably others but there were no changes to the main/rod bearing designs. This engine was originally spec'd for 5w30 and back spec'd to 5w20 (along with my 4.9l that was designed in the 60's and spec'd for 10w30!).

Mileage. The best gas mileage in my Ranger was 24mpg on a long trip (to Wisconsin). That was on Motorcraft 5w-20 and before I put on a heavy fiberglass camper top.

My hobby in this oil/vehicle business is long engine life and gas mileage. The Ranger has 85k miles and the other 3 over 200k and have never been opened up (except replacing the blown head gasket in the F150 when I bought it at 183k Miles.

I have been a M1 fanboy since it came out in the 70's. I tried M1 0w30, 5w30 and 10w30. 0w30 not needed in my climate. 10w30 too heavy. Made the engine sluggish. 5w30 seemed right. I settled on the HM oils for the add package and it, actually, runs the best in all 4 vehicles. After much (years) reading here on BITOG and my personal research I've lost all interest in API and ILSAC spec's. I look at oils for their ACEA specs. Remember, I have old vehicles. A3 for the older ones and A1,A5 for the Ranger.

Back to the original topic. I would run a 5w30 in your Ranger of your choice. It WILL NOT reduce your gas mileage. Makes my Ranger run smoother and quieter and gas mileage is actually up (and more consistent). Depending how you drive, with the 5 speed, you should have no trouble getting 20mpg. Gas mileage in these trucks is affected by hilly terrain, load and head winds.

Don't listen to the un-informed. These engines and trucks are very durable.

Sorry for the long post but I hope it helped with you question. And now everyone knows a little about me!

 

[WiskyBadger]

Originally Posted By: ka9mnx
"Bought a little Ford Ranger Edge. 2 wd 5 spd. It’s got the little 3.0 v6, Vulcan I think? Anyways says 5w20, will probably just use 5w30. Anybody have some good info on these? Nice little run around truck, hoping for 20 mpgs. 158k miles on the truck, with 27k on an engine rebuild. Thanks."

Longtime lurker. With this post I had to register!

First. This is a Vulcan motor. It DOES NOT have a cam phaser!

See my profile. I bought this truck new with the extended cab, 2WD and auto trans and used Motorcraft oil (5w-20) for the first 10 years of it's life. I was never keen on 5w-20 oil and spec'd this engine out from it's first introduction (1993). As far as I remember the only changes were block casting (to strengthen the block and reduce harmonic vibration), minor camshaft changes (to eliminate EGR), Head bolt design (to reduce head gasket failure, head design to reduce valve stem diameter and incorporate behive springs and piston/ring design (to reduce piston weight and drag. There were probably others but there were no changes to the main/rod bearing designs. This engine was originally spec'd for 5w30 and back spec'd to 5w20 (along with my 4.9l that was designed in the 60's and spec'd for 10w30!).

Mileage. The best gas mileage in my Ranger was 24mpg on a long trip (to Wisconsin). That was on Motorcraft 5w-20 and before I put on a heavy fiberglass camper top.

My hobby in this oil/vehicle business is long engine life and gas mileage. The Ranger has 85k miles and the other 3 over 200k and have never been opened up (except replacing the blown head gasket in the F150 when I bought it at 183k Miles.

I have been a M1 fanboy since it came out in the 70's. I tried M1 0w30, 5w30 and 10w30. 0w30 not needed in my climate. 10w30 too heavy. Made the engine sluggish. 5w30 seemed right. I settled on the HM oils for the add package and it, actually, runs the best in all 4 vehicles. After much (years) reading here on BITOG and my personal research I've lost all interest in API and ILSAC spec's. I look at oils for their ACEA specs. Remember, I have old vehicles. A3 for the older ones and A1,A5 for the Ranger.

Back to the original topic. I would run a 5w30 in your Ranger of your choice. It WILL NOT reduce your gas mileage. Makes my Ranger run smoother and quieter and gas mileage is actually up (and more consistent). Depending how you drive, with the 5 speed, you should have no trouble getting 20mpg. Gas mileage in these trucks is affected by hilly terrain, load and head winds.

Don't listen to the un-informed. These engines and trucks are very durable.

Sorry for the long post but I hope it helped with you question. And now everyone knows a little about me!

This is great stuff thanks, so what you’re saying is I don’t have to worry about the synchronizer? Sorry, this is only the second Ford I’ve owned. First being a 91 Ford Tempo with the 2.3 4 cyl and 5 spd. As for 5w30 I think I will go with Max Life and a Wix filter. I am still weary of Puro made filters. Then I will start going through all the other fluids. Thanks again to you, and everyone else.

 

[ka9mnx]

Nope, no cam phasers in the 3.0. It's an old school OHV with cam-in-block.

I like sticking with OEM filters. Things like bypass pressures are different for different engines. I'm not sure the generic filters take that into account. OEM's are cheap enough at WalMart.

Max Life sounds good. I'm not familiar with it though. Depending on the condition of your engine and how well it was previously taken care of you might consider 10w-30. Especially if it's on the "loose" side. Southern Wi 10w is probably ok in Winter. Northern Wi definitely 5w in Winter!

 

[JamesBond]

Originally Posted By: ka9mnx
Nope, no cam phasers in the 3.0. It's an old school OHV with cam-in-block.


I'm not sure what a cam phaser is but the 3.0 does have what is referred to as a camshaft synchronizer. Open the hood and look at the passenger/firewall corner of the engine, or just google.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: JamesBond
Originally Posted By: ka9mnx
Nope, no cam phasers in the 3.0. It's an old school OHV with cam-in-block.


I'm not sure what a cam phaser is but the 3.0 does have what is referred to as a camshaft synchronizer. Open the hood and look at the passenger/firewall corner of the engine, or just google.


Cam phaser is part of the valve train. The camshaft synchronizer is part of the ignition system. The simplest way to describe it is that a camshaft synchronzier takes the place of an old-school distributor.