4th Mar 2007, 02:19

Helpful information about Rangers... AFTER the fact! My buddy just left the navy here in the Persian Gulf. I bought his 2001 Ranger 2.4 liter, 5-speed imported from Maine. Great truck, but now I see unfortunate details: I also have the ping problem at 60mph (now I will try low-grade gas after the previous recommendation). I also have an occasional complete drop of power for no more than 3 seconds. Finally, in crawling traffic, the throttle seems to be either ON or OFF making my truck appear to be a bucking bronco! (I though Ford discontinued the Bronco, lol!). I took it to the local dealer for a diagnostic test and complete tuneup, supposedly no problem. I specifically requested an EGR valve test. But I think these Arabs don't know crap about Fords. Anyone have similar experiences?

PS: Oh yeah... the front rotors can't stay smooth. I am awaiting delivery of high performance rotors from JC Whitney to replace the old warped ones.

5th Mar 2007, 11:30

If you drive it til the wheels fall off, you'll have it a VERY long time!! I'm currently driving my 4th Ranger (my personal vehicle) and my family's 2 companies use Rangers as commercial vehicles. Some of them date back to 1993 and have around 300,000 miles on them. These things are TOUGH.

30th May 2007, 01:35

2004 Ford Ranger Supercab 4x4 a few minor problems covered by Ford, arm rest underneath is all cracked causing arm rest to pop off. Had this problem with my Bronco II and Ford came up with a fix, don't understand why it was re-engineer to fail again. Things just got worse at 44,000 miles and all service done by Ford while idling at a light my engine dropped a valve. My Bronco went 217,000 miles, I traded it away for some work and its still going strong. I'm shocked that at 44K I'm into a big repair bill.

20th Jul 2007, 14:10

I have a 2004 Ranger Edge (2wd) 3.0 Liter Auto.. and the best mpg I am getting now is about 14, has been to the dealer countless times and they say noting is wrong. Had a 1999 4wd 4.0 Liter Auto and could get as much as 26mpg on the highway... what is wrong with my new truck? This started at about 25k miles.. now has 47k.. any suggestions are appreciated.. Thnx.

29th Jul 2007, 18:27

14:10 That kind of mileage is what you get out of a Ford. A friend of mine bought a new Sporttrac (with a v-8, granted), but still, it gets barely over TEN miles to the gallon. Sell it and don't look back.

22nd Sep 2007, 10:54

Hey guys, just thought I'd throw in my two cents... I have a 2001 Ranger 3.0L V6, 468,000 miles on it, original engine, (I know, its hard to believe), I get 22mpg on the highway, uses no oil, runs and looks like new ;-)

8th Apr 2008, 17:39

I owned a 92 ford. It was like a toothless barbrawler... not many things worked on it but it kept going and going. The parts kept on breaking and breaking until I said enough is enough. I gave it to the junk yard and I do miss it. I got great gas mileage on that car 500km for $55.

2nd Jun 2008, 18:11

I have a 2004 Ranger 4.0 Edge with stick. The truck runs great and have no major complaints about the truck.

Hit a guardrail with it last winter after falling asleep at the wheel; held up like a tank, just a line down the drivers side of the truck where rubbed the rail, dent in the rear of the bed near the bumper.

My only question is that it tops out at 90mph, know I am not supposed to go this fast, but does not seem right for it to do; the driveline seems to shimmy when this occurs, and the stick shakes.

Any ideas of what is going on? Dealers of course are not going to test the truck up to 90 mph, but seems that something is not right if this happens. Any ideas, send them this way. Also the gas mileage is horrible, around 11-13 mixed driving...

Mike.

15th Jul 2008, 18:33

If you own a pickup, by putting your tailgate down, you will get worse gas mileage. By keeping the tail gate up the air inside your bed pushes up, allowing air coming down to leave more quickly with less drag. Doesn't anybody watch Mythbusters?

3rd Oct 2009, 22:13

I own 2002 Ranger off road pkg. I have 109,000 miles, and the only issue is tire wear. Just bought a lakeland truck cap! Great vehicle.

4th Dec 2009, 07:48

A faulty EGR valve can cause an engine to ping. The EGR allows exhaust gas to pass into the combustion chamber, which reduces combustion temperatures and lowers the risk of pre-ignition or pinging. However, my 87 2.0 liter Buick always pinged even after replacing the EGR, because the new valve still allowed too little exhaust gas into the engine. I had to modify the valve to allow more exhaust gas passage, and now I can use 89 octane instead of 93 with no pinging.

Also, excessive carbon buildup could, perhaps, cause pinging. Remove a spark plug and peer inside the cylinder using a high intensity flashlight. It should look relatively clean... no big chunks of carbon. Try opening up the engine to 3000 rpm before shifting each time you drive for a month or so, to blow out the carbon, and then repeat the examination.

4th Dec 2009, 21:05

I've owned 4 Rangers as personal vehicles, and our family company uses Ranger XL 4-cylinder models as fleet vehicles. Getting 300,000 miles out of them with only basic maintenance is typical. I recently sold one of my cars and am looking for a "beater" to use as a basic work vehicle. I looked at a nice Ranger XLT today. The mileage? 318,000 miles. All original, same engine (2.3L 4) and standard 5-speed it came with from the factory. What really shocked me was later in the day when I was talking with a good friend who is a Toyota fanatic and owns two Toyotas. I mentioned that I was looking at small used trucks and his instant response was "Buy a Ranger. Those things last FOREVER." He OWNS a Tacoma, yet he is recommending a RANGER because they "last forever".

18th Apr 2011, 17:16

Just outside the box that holds your air filter, you will see an electric plug. There is a unit attached inside the tube. It's called a "Mass Airflow Sensor" (MAF). Take off your negative battery post, then unplug the MAF. Remove the two torx head screws and pull the sensor out of the tube. Clean it with MAF cleaner only. Don't use carb or brake cleaner. MAF cleaner is about $6 a can at any care parts store. The MAF collects pollen, dust and dirt and even small particles that come off your air filter. When they are dirty, they cost you between 4 and 10 MPG's. The Mass Air Flow Sensor is delicate instrument that measures the air and gas ratio, sends the info to the brain box, which in turn sends the proper mix to your fuel injection system. Your MAF should be cleaned with the proper product every time you change your air filter. Be careful with it, it's fragile, don't drop it or bang on it, or stick anything inside it. Just spray it with the cleaner, let it dry and re-install. Read the directions on the can. It takes just an extra 5 minuets to do this, but it is one of the most overlooked items that you can do yourself that will save you money at the gas pump. Hope this helps.

3rd Feb 2015, 00:08

Fuel filter change, lug nuts too tight and lubricate your throttle cable. Been there.