17th Feb 2010, 16:13

Absolutely true. Manual transmissions are much more durable. They can haul more and get better gas mileage.

However, you should be able to trust an automatic transmission to perform what it was designed to do. These transmission's clearly have a problem.

Also, not everyone can buy a car with a manual transmission. A very good friend of mine is incapable of driving a manual due to leg and back problems. Engaging and disengaging the clutch causes severe pain in her leg. She learned of this when she was learning how to drive in her father's car, which had a manual transmission.

To say everyone here who bought a truck with an automatic transmission has made a mistake is way out of line. It's actually a bit offensive if you ask me.

28th Feb 2010, 15:01

I bought my 2004 Ranger in January 2007 with 69,000 miles on it already. It's got the 3.0 2WD regular cab EDGE with stepsides.

This truck was great except for a wire under the dash board that went out; mechanic's fault, he didn't check the fuel pump until after the new one was in.

After a few more trips to mechanics, he found the wire. Now I've got 178,000 miles on it, starting to misfire, but it's time for some service.

The two year old fuel pump has a clogged vent I'm told, 810 dollars for the dealership to remove the bed to fix this, how nice.

New plugs and wires, just a little acceleration hiccup.

Can't wait for the 2011 full size Rangers to come out, or whatever Ford has decided to do. Definitely getting another Ranger. I want the four wheel drive this time, but the wife is pushing for the Sport Trac, with the full cab being the reason. Time will tell.

In Michigan summer time, 21-24 MPG, winter 17-20MPG, Texas and Oklahoma, it always is around 16-18, because of speed or gas type I guess.

Only thing, manual tranny needs re-gearing, because at 70 on the highway, I get worse mileage due to the engine cranking at 3,000RPM.

17th May 2010, 14:40

I own an '04 Ranger Edge standard cab with the infamous 3.0L. The SOHC 4.0 would have been nice, but that's in the past.

With the odometer currently reading over 105,000 I have experienced my first check engine light. The ODB reader says "misfire on cylinder 4." And it only does this while idling. If I rev it up for a moment, the light stops flashing and all seems well. Until it idles for a minute again and the light begins to flash.

Also, I have seen a steady on engine light and the code reader tells me "misfire during startup first 1000 RPM." But it won't specify which or how many cylinders do this. I can clear the code and go for several days or a week without ever seeing the lights again.

Plugs are Bosch platinum +2, wires are Bosch and both have less than 5,000 miles on them. I've added Slick 50 during the more recent oil changes, the fuel filter has approx. 20,000 miles on it and occasionally I'll add some Gumout to the fuel.

Anyone else experience random misfires? Any thoughts?

22nd May 2010, 18:13

I bought my 2004 Ford Ranger Edge V6 about a year ago to tow behind a motorhome. I like the looks, pep and 5 speed. I don't like the mileage and especially don't like the ride. The suspension is way too tight, the vehicle sits too high for comfortable entry and exit, and the seats are way too hard for my old carcass. I've owned 10 Ford products over the years, and the Edge is my least favorite.

6th Jul 2010, 21:52

I have a 2004 WD 3.0 Edge, I got it a 70,000 it now has 95,000 miles on it and runs great. As lazy as I am, I only had the oil changed once and have had no problems. Now I'm thinking of taking better care of it since it took care of me.

14th Sep 2010, 22:40

I have a 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0. It has 140000 miles on it. I use it for a service truck to travel around town to do appliance repair. It is a great truck, I have only had to put 2 sets of tires on, 2 front brake jobs and 1 battery.

I love my Ranger.

20th Sep 2010, 22:12

I have a 04 Ford Edge. The truck won't start after a long day of driving, however after letting it sit, the truck starts right up. We have taken it to Ford, but they can't find the problem without dumping a lot of money to search for the problem.

9th Oct 2010, 09:33

I have a 2004 Edge. It's great except for 2 things. When it shifts from 3rd to 4th, it has a shudder. It doesn't slip, just shudders. I have heard that it could be the torque converter. Nobody seems to have come across this problem.

The other thing that just started is the gas pedal has gotten stuck twice. When I shift it into neutral, it goes back to normal.

Any ideas on these problems?

24th Oct 2010, 08:05

My friend has the same problem with Ford Ranger 4x4 XLC 2.5l diesel 2004. Has had the battery, starter motor and exhaust sensor changed at the dealership, and still has the same problem.

7th Dec 2010, 23:04

I have a 2004 Ford Ranger. I love my truck. It handles well, has lots of torque for a 3.0L. It's a little hard on gas, but if you're going to complain about the gas mileage you should have bought a car! Come on people, it's a truck. That's the price you pay to drive a vehicle as nice as the Ford Ranger! Did I say I love my truck? It's automatic and I drive it like it's a sports car, it has 160'000km on it no problems!

1st Feb 2011, 21:09

If you have a missfire, check your intake. They are plastic and often crack.

4th Apr 2011, 01:27

I bought a 2004 Ranger Edge for $3100 with 160K miles on it. I thought I got a good deal; the engine blew out two days later. Replacing the engine (used) cost me $2900. Ouch! After one week, the engine light came on. What a crappy deal.

5th Apr 2011, 12:13

The check engine light is the biggest money-maker the auto industry has ever come up with. Most people think it really MEANS something. In 99.99% of cases it simply means "give the dealer $500 to check me". As a mechanic I recommend that you run the code on the computer (Auto Zone will do this for free) and see what comes up. It is usually something that is either not a problem, or so minor you can ignore it. Most car manufacturers code the computers to turn on the check engine light at pre-set intervals to get you to bring the car in for service (thus making them a lot of money). The engine light on my Dodge came on at 40,000 intervals like clockwork. I simply re-set the code. The car was still running flawlessly when I sold it at 240,000 miles.

If you don't get an indication of a problem on your other systems (such as low oil pressure or engine overheating), keep driving for two weeks. If the car is running OK and your fuel mileage has not dropped, you can ignore the light. Fords are especially notorious for engine lights that come on for little or no reason. The light came on on my Fusion a year ago at 30,000 miles. I checked it and the read-out indicated the engine was running too cool. The heat gauge indicated a drop of 5-10 degrees in coolant temperature. Since running slightly cooler is actually BETTER for an engine (slower break-down of oil, less stress on parts) I have no intention of installing a new thermostat. My engine runs better than ever, and my gas mileage has actually gone UP.

You can re-set your check engine light by unhooking the battery cable for a while, but it will most likely come back on in 2-4 weeks (it's programmed to). The light on my wife's GM vehicle has been coming on for 4 years. I just gave it a thorough 100,000 mile check, and the car is just like new from bumper to bumper.

Dealers dupe millions of car owners out of billions of dollars by "fixing" things that don't need fixing. A typical example is brakes. I never change brake pads before 80,000 miles. I constantly hear people saying the dealer recommended new brakes as early as 15,000 miles. Our GM now has 100,000 miles on the original brakes and the pads are far from worn out. Car owners need to become more informed about their cars and learn how to diagnose their problems. Doing so could save the cost of a car in a decade or so.