What do I like about my Tacoma? Its not a Ranger.

For those of us complaining about horrible problems like we can't read the radio screen with our sunglasses on, or that we disassembled our bed and now its floppy, or that our mirrors aren't heated, read this excerpt from a Ford Ranger Forum. They should be so lucky to have our complaints!

I especially loved this quote: "My Ranger has a few good weeks last summer, otherwise things always breaking"

Why does everything break at once.

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The 2000 ranger just reached 130,000 miles and everything is broken or was broke. Factory fuel pump died, 2nd set of leaf spring bushings were destroyed, rear upper shock mount snapped off. I get everything fixed and now my alternator dies this morning. The truck has a brand new belt, belt tensioner and Battery so its gotta be the alternator. Okay, my rants over now.

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shit happens. I had a good few weeks with my 01 Ranger last summer, otherwise things always breaking. It’s a Ford.
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Quote:

Yeah, sheesh... can't keep up. I'm trying to find something original on this truck, but everythings been replaced alreadyl.

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Every single thing has been replaced on my 2000 truck now, and i mean everything, except the motor (knock on wood).

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I have replaced almost everything on my 1998 truck too... 134,000 miles
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98 XLT "Off Road" 4x4, Gutless 4.0 Automatic, Supercab

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I have the same problem right now with ‘98. Just put 1k into the front end, about $500 in the rear, I just found out one of my rear shocks has leaked most its oil out and the rest I can compress with one finger, trans has gotten tot he point that I am going to have to replace it very soon. The trucks been a money pit I just keep in mind that soon it will all be fixed for a couple of days.lol

Bass level knob in place of cigarette lighter

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I rebuilt the trans this summer on my 2000, all new ball joints, sway bar links, tie rod ends, tourque converter, brakes, shocks, leaf spring bushings, hangers brackets. alternator and starter. and im on my 3rd front driveshaft. But I think its worth it. Everything is waranted for life now.

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2000 Ranger XLT 4X4 4.0L Auto

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164K miles, and here's my ongoing list of repairs

Front shocks- Have em, need to do em.
Drivers side window- disassemble and replace everything and re-align on the track
Fuel Filter- old and needs to be replaced
Front main seal- leaks like crazy, but never I never see a drastic drop in oil levels (knock on wood)
Front pinion seal
Transmission cooler line- leaks
Transmission service, possible flush
Almost all 4.0L leak from the front timing cover seal. PITA to change without pulling motor.

the list never ends. It's a Ford is all I have to keep saying...

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geez, lol...it took me a minute to figure out there was more text, lol, had to highlight it to read it.

 

what happened to all the words?? why do we gotta highlight everything?? or is it just me??

 

Ford Ranger's forum formatting is almost as bad as the trucks themselves.

 

i had a 2000 ranger with 130,000 miles on it when i traded it in for my tacoma a month ago and didnt have any problems with it what so ever. if u take care of it it wont break down.

 

I have had a couple of Rangers myself and had minimal problems overall with them and with all of my Fords. My biggest complaint about the newer rangers 2003 and up is the comfort. After driving them for a couple of hours I was worn out but with my new Taco I am very comfortable.

 

I have a great '04 Ranger Edge that has been very good to me.

 

I have a friend with a ranger who brags about how much money his extended warranty has saved him. Around 10K worth of repairs have been covered.

 

lol, Is this said while you are driving??

 

I've been fortunate with my 88 s-10 with 253k on it. It has it's "quirks" of course, and every now and then I have to replace something on it, but it is 20 years old and hasn't always been driven with the utmost care.

 

One would think so but you were lucky. I had a '96 that had so many problems I can't remember them all: transmission (it was a manual and the whole thing was replaced), alternator x 2, numerous warped brake rotors/drums, master cylinder replacement, and other stuff. I've been taking care of vehicles for 20 years and never have I had an experience such as I had with that turd. My buddy had a '98 that was at least as bad.

I had an S10 once that had trans problem (fixed under TSB) but other than that, it was fine.

 

My 02 ranger with 126K on it threw a CEL, started idling like crap, stalled at red lights once in a while. Brought it to Autozone and borrowed their code puller. Guy at the counter said "it's the front o2 sensor. 70 bucks, replaced it. Light came back on before I got out of the driveway. Back to Autozone, same code. "Might be the rear o2 sensor". 56 bucks, light came back on.

Looked through a Hayes manual, code wasn't listed. Subscribed to AllData, code wasn't listed.

Took it to Ford, waited in their line to be told it was 100-something bucks just for them to hook a reader to it. Parked the truck, walked to their garage and asked a mechanic. He said he never heard of that code, but try the front o2 sensor. Told him I already did both sensors. He said to try the MAF sensor.

50 bucks off ebay, no fix.

Spent a couple nights on the internet and found someone who had seen that code before. He took it to his Ford dealership, where they told him it was the brake pedal position sensor! Their logic was the sensor wasn't telling the tranny to unlock the torque converter at idle speeds. He replace it, light came back on.

Bye bye truck. Toyota gave me 3800 bucks for it towards my Taco. They sold it two days later for 4K.

I'd bet they pulled the bulb out of the CEL in the dash and told the poor sap that bought it to go get it tuned up.

 

Same here, I put 150,000 on a 98 ranger with just a clutch going bad at 130k. I would might have got another ranger if they would have done a long overdue overhaul. basicly same interior since 94. My 4banger tacoma has more hp than my 3.0 v6 ranger and better mpg. Tacoma is the best mid-sized truck on the market.

 

all I have to say is that the truck I owned prior to my taco was an 05 ranger. I bought it brand new and it was a great truck. I had about 50k miles on it when I traded it in, and I was noticing my clutch going out and a few other things. But my Taco surpases my ranger by leaps and bounds. NO better truck in my opinion

 

It was mentioned when he showed up at work in his wifes car when the ranger was getting a new transmission.

 

my cousin thought i was crazy when i bought my 04 with 102,000 miles on it for almost 15,000 he went out and bought an 05 ford explorer with 70k fully loaded for like 13k he said. We'll see whose lasts longer. I had chevy before this and they broke every week like clockwork. They were at least extremely cheap to fix. I've had my taco for 8 months now and have not had a single thing other than maintenance need done to it. I will NEVER own a ford.

 

I think the older Rangers might have been ok. My Brother had a 93' Ranger. He knows ZILCH about engines and mechanical things. The only time that sucker got oil changes was when I'd visit- maybe once every year or so. I'd ask him when he changed it last. The answer was always the last time I was there. The oil, radiator fluid, transmission oil, and everything were always either empty or close to it. We changed the spark plugs at 150,000 miles. That was the FIRST time they had ever been changed. They were rusted to the block and when pulled, there wasn't any electrode left!

One day he called me up and said it had no power. The truck was only 98 HP, and was slow as hell. But I asked him is he had replaced the air filter. Nope! Never. According to him, the old filter was completely packed up with more debris built up in the filter box.

He had that truck until 170,000 miles when the transmission froze up because it had a leak and he never bothered to fix it. The fact that it lasted that long with that abuse is amazing.

I'll also say that if you want a retro truck, they haven't EVER changed the design of them. I saw one at the SF auto show. Boy what a throwback! It was like 1994 all over again because it was the same truck as I remember friends in high school driving.

 

I had A 95 S-10 that I beat on everyday of its life I learned how to 4wheel in it and I didnt change the oil in it for a year I got in a major crash in the front end never fix a thing and it held up pretty dam good I put a computer and u joints for the drive shaft a cluch some other thing but for the beating that truck got and the total lack of preventative maint It still see it driving around town.

 

+1 !!