Ford Ranger

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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.
 
I would also run 5w30 vs 20. Just regular maint and the truck will last a long time. Parts are plenty and inexpensive. Congrats
 
Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
158k miles on the truck, with 27k on an engine rebuild. Thanks.


Probably because of timing chains....?

Agree - run 5W-30
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
158k miles on the truck, with 27k on an engine rebuild. Thanks.


Probably because of timing chains....?

Agree - run 5W-30

Spun a main bearing I was told
 
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Ford Ranger 3.0 - "All the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V-8".


The 2.3 has the power of a moped... but it does at least get the fuel economy of a 4 cyl
 
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Ford Ranger 3.0 - "All the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V-8".
you ain’t lying, I’ve driven the 2.3s in our work Fleet. This is about the same lol. The work Fleet rangers all had well over 200,000 hard miles before they were sold/junked/parted out.
 
20 mpg on the highway maybe, these things are kind of gas hogs. The trans calls for mercon v but Pennzoil synchromesh works well. Make sure the coolant is clean and the rad cap is working and the overflow hose is clear and intact. The timing cover is prone to leaks but was probably replaced in your rebuild. I'd go through the rear brakes and parking brake cables and make sure they are cleaned and greased. There is also a cam synchronizer on these engines that needs regular replacement or it can trash the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Bxnanaz
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Ford Ranger 3.0 - "All the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V-8".


The 2.3 has the power of a moped... but it does at least get the fuel economy of a 4 cyl


True for the 2.3 Lima; not so true for the 16V Duratec.
 
5-30 for sure + change ALL the fluids unless it was done + documented!! i recently finished my 11 frontier's using all Redline products hoping for a bit more mpg's as advertised. almost bought a ranger + think 20 mpg's should be eze with 2 WD if you drive conservatively, good luck!!
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Originally Posted By: Bxnanaz
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Ford Ranger 3.0 - "All the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V-8".


The 2.3 has the power of a moped... but it does at least get the fuel economy of a 4 cyl


True for the 2.3 Lima; not so true for the 16V Duratec.


I have a 2002 16v duratec, it can’t get out of it’s own way.
 
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
Ford Ranger 3.0 - "All the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V-8".


The 3.0 is often refered to as the 3.slow.
 
Originally Posted By: jj51702
With all these comments I guess I'm not surprised it was discontinued in the US


Yes, we didnt get the nice diesel model or the global platform ranger here.


The 4.0sohc supercab was a nice combo.. although the manual equipped ones always seemed to lose the internal slave cylinder at under 100k miles.. and was a relatively bad pita to replace on 4x4 model.

the 3.0 and 4.0 got nearly the same fuel economy.. except the 4.0 was quick from a light(not fast).. esp the 2wd Manual transmission model.
 
Originally Posted By: jj51702
With all these comments I guess I'm not surprised it was discontinued in the US


I thought they were good trucks if you bought the right combo.

My friend had a 2001 Edge Supercab with the 4.0, auto, and 4x4 offroad package. It went 210k miles with little issue before he sold it.
 
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.

Next up is the timing cover gasket which go bad with time. I had to do that recently after discovering the coolant level was going down.

Lastly, apparently it's common for these engines to consume a bit of oil when they age. Bit annoying, but just check regularly.
 
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