My boss has a little ranch truck that Im thinking about buying for a daily driver while i build my other truck and also to save money on fuel economy. It is I believe an 87 ford ranger. I know the history of the truck and I know it hasnt had the best of care but it only has 77,500 miles original miles on it. A couple months ago it was running good and his moms care taker was driving it daily. Since then it has sat a while. I cranked it up with the battery pack and let it warm up. It was running rough and didnt rev up unless you wiggled the gas a bit then mashed it. It also wouldnt run without the battery pack. After a while it began to puke coolent everywhere so i killed it. Its a little rough but i plan to fix it up as i drive it. Right now the priority is to get it reliable again. What are some suggestions of things to check Im all ears?

Thanks, John

 

Find out why it's puking coolant first. Do a cooling system pressure test to see if it holds at least 20psig. If not, the "better" scenario is a leaking head gasket, which could also be a warped head. The worse scenario is a cracked head.

If it doesn't run without the battery, then there is something wrong with the charging system; the alternator is not supplying power to the engine to keep it running. Could be the alternator, regulator, or a bad wire.

 

Please for the love of god, dont buy the truck!!!!! It is most definitely the head gasket. I just junked my 1990 ranger with the same problem after trying like hell to get it to live again. It is not worth the headache. you will lose tons of money and sleep over this truck. As much as you want this want this truck, it wants to die and be left in peace. I tell you this for your own good. You will hate yourself if you buy it anyway. I did the head gasket and got less than a year out of it. It was not worth the $1300 I paid for the truck or the $900 for the gasket job. If you like your sanity the way it is, walk away.

 

I agree with moosey1981. Stay away from that truck. My brother had one with the same exact problem. Overheating, running roughly, blow head gasket. They are known for that.