There's a 91 4x4 xlt ranger that's been sitting at the storage yard where we keep our boat and trailer. I've had my eye on it, thinking the owner may want to sell. This past weekend when we went to pick up our trailer it was parked in front with a for sale sign. I took a peak inside and the interior looked great, which is usually a good sign. Asking price seems fairly reasonable at $1100.

So I called the owner today to get some more info. It's got 110k miles and the engine was replaced 25k miles ago with a 4.0L pep-boys crate engine. The truck has been sitting for a long time, last registration stickers on the plates were from 06. On the front seat were a box of head gaskets and head bolts and I'm being told it has a leak.

Should I even consider getting into this? There's a lot of things that aren't adding up here. My dads old aerostar with a similar engine had over 170k miles when he finally got rid of it and the engine didn't have these kind of problems. Best case scenario the heads get machined and put back on and the engine is ok. Worst case I'm buying a new engine.

This truck is potentially for my 15 year old son. We've been looking for a newer ranger, but the prices are pretty high around here. It's a great looking truck, just on the fence whether we should put the time and money into it or keep looking.

 

I think i would take a chance on it,,, but it depends on you,,,are you a pretty fair mechanic ??? ever replaced head gaskets before ????? if you answered yes to both these questions then go for it !! If I read right you said interior and body was in good shape,,, but that might be a little high for a 91 that been sitting for years,,,, and brakes and other systems need some TLC after sitting that long so be prepared to spend a few bucks and lots of elbow grease !!! waiting on others to chime in with there ideas ..

 

Well I've never done headgaskets before. I've built a few VW air-cooled engines over the years and feel pretty comfortable with this pushrod style valve train.

My truck for towing is a 6.0, the main reason I started coming to this site 6ish years ago. I've done tons of stuff on the 6.0. EGR Cooler, exhaust, turbo, full BPD air oil cooler and remote filter, gauges, all maintenance, bunch of other stuff. Luckily I haven't had to do headstuds.

I know there'd be a learning curve but I've probably got most of the tools I'd need and don't mind spending the time.

Are parts pretty easily available and relatively inexpensive?

 

If the owner is being truefull and it was a crate and only has 25 k on it and has a leak and a box of gaskets on the seat,,, then he is expecting the old gasket to be blown,,,if he is wrong it could be cracked head or block,,, but gasket is the problem most of the time,,, it is a gamble but if its just the gasket, you can pull the top end off motor right in the truck,,, replace head gaskets and intake gaskets and if it only has 25k i would reuse the lifters and push rods after checking them for wear ( making sure to put lifters back in the same spot they came out of )and rods for bends,,, not knowing the history of this truck change PCV,, plugs ,wires, air filter and change oil and filter of course,,, then there is the brakes that have not been used in years,,, more time and money,,,hhmmmm,,,just about to change my mind and tell you to back off this one,, years of settings can take it toll on a truck,,,, not to mention what mice and other wire chewing critters can do,,, its a gamble,,, feel lucky ????? and how well do you trust the seller,,,, how did gasket blow ( just normal driving or 4 wheeling threw the mud) and was it over heated bad after gasket blew ??? you probally have all the tools you will need (assuming you have a tourge wrench) and parts are easy to find at most parts stores and priced fair

 

Thanks, you bring up a lot of good points here.

From what he's telling me, white smoke is coming out the exhaust, but didn't find any evidence of water in the oil. I know there are a few different ways to confirm leaking headgaskets, but the white smoke could be coming from other places right? He bought the truck in this condition and never did anything with it.

Think I will make a possible parts list of things that will need to be replaced and see where that puts the price at. I'm guessing it's not going to be worth it.

 

It sounds to me like it's going to be a more trouble than it's worth. If the truck engine was replaced just 25k ago, and the head gaskets are already blown, then Pep Boys must have put a curse on it. Also be aware that anti-freeze in the oil will trash the engine. The anti-freeze chemicals inhibit the oil's anti-wear properties, so if it's been run for long in that condition, be prepared for what may have happened.

FWIW, the '91 Ranger that I used to own also had a cracked head. I seem to recall that the old 4.0L pushrod engine had a ongoing problem with cracked heads. That may be the source of the problem.

 

like the other poster said you have to ask yourself a question 'do i feel lucky' ?
well in all this excitement i would say i would pass ....

 

I think we're going to pass. Seems like it's not worth the risk. There are lots of these trucks around so pretty sure we can find a better deal.

 

You said you were looking, and prices are high in your area, more or less.

If you figured, worst case, a pair of re-man cylinder heads, gasket set, and some hours, you should be 'done' for a good long run. The 4.0 is a pretty good engine, and they go to and over 200k readily. With decent maintenance. The Aerostar pulled pretty well with a 4.0 in the '90 I worked on and drove a bit.
You could have a 'learning experience' with your son and get him a bit 'invested' in what things are worth, and his own truck(when legal..) by working on it together.
You should have good bodywork living where you do if the truck was always local. If you find a Minnetokka Ford, Bemidji MN sticker on the tailgate, give it some thought to salt damage. (check underneath before as corrosion is not fun)
Try a lowball on the offer, by doing some math. Show the seller the 'retail' value, then subtract having the cylinder heads replaced, parts & labor, and use that as a 'base' to start valuation from. Add in replacing calipers & wheel cylinders, (and labor) and the price might come down substantially, especially if there is no interest sitting at the storage yard.
If you decide to get it, you can do a sniff test of the coolant to see if it is getting Hc and *** gases pushed from the combustion chambers into the liquid. You can also do a pressure test cold to see if there's leakage and where it is. Annnnd you can pull the spark plugs to inspect for one or more that has been 'steam cleaned' by coolant coming in and turning to vapor. That might help localize the problem, if any. It is possible the owner does not have a problem, but just thinks so.
tom

 

I saw in your post that white smoke was coming from tail pipe,,, that smoke is water vapor i would guess ,, if truck has duel exhaust then that would tell you which side to look at,,,if not could be either,,, if it has duel exhaust and you know with side puffs the vapor then a plug check on that side would show a steam cleaned plug as Tomw posted,,, i would show him a long to do list then low ball him a price,,, but your call,,, a pass is a good option but it could be a good father son build !

 

I'm not trying to sway your opinion one way or the other but in my own experience, Pep Boys crate motors are not that good. But like others here have said it could make for a good project with your son, and be educational for him as well

 

I've decided we're definitely passing on this one. I look forward to working on a project like this with my son, but I feel like this truck has the potential to cost too much. I will post again with the next prospect. Thanks everyone

 

$500 might be a good offer then you will be within the realm of the thing if it does require some work. A used engine can generally be had cheap. My 4.0 has over 300000 on it and only reason head gaskets done is I had a leak at what I thought was the gasket. Turns out to have been at the water pump manifold to block area. anyhow with a son/dad project it could prove beneficial. Just look at the prices of running ones and then consider. I know out here in az a 2wd early 90's they are still trying for $25-3000. 4 cyls a little less but most of time bodies are trashed.

reman brake calipers are only like $20 each, so you could do a fairly complete brake job for just over $100, If its a manual, lifetime clutch kits avail from autozone for around $200, they also offer lifetime master and slave cyls. So parts are not that expensive.

But it is your decision as to how much effort you want to expend. I have a local shop that does stuff for around $200 per job. Thats clutch R&R, I provide the parts that is labor only. Leaks I had turned out to be valve covers, valley cover, oil pan. These are more than likely the leaks you have been told of?

 

The only leak I'm aware of is the head gaskets. It's good to hear all these parts can be had pretty cheap, but this truck is just not the one. It is a sharp looking truck, 4x4, automatic, xlt, power doors and windows, ac, aluminum wheels. But this isn't the one.

From talking with my son, he'd rather learn to drive a stick. I think it's a good opportunity for him to learn that. Originally I thought he didn't really care about stick vs auto, but that is now on the must have list.

We test drove a 2000 this weekend. Seemed ok at first, but the guy lied to me. Told me he was upgrading because it was too small for his family but the car parked next to it had an auto sales sign on the door and the title wasn't even in his name. The new paint, tweaked body panels up front, new tires up front seem to be an attempt at covering up some front end damage and possibly uneven tire wear. It shifted funny too 1st and 2nd gears which is not a good sign. AC did not work either.

It was a good experience for my son to see how people can be dishonest when selling something, especially a car salesman! This guy was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I had been told by a couple people I work with that the 3.0 was under powered, after driving this truck I totally disagree. I thought there was plenty of get up and go.

Thanks for the replies I'll let you know if we find something

 

Billbot the older 3.0 was a dog. cant tell ya anything about the newer (98 on). Friend had one and even Uhaul would not rent him a tow dolly for a chebby cavalier! They are ok if not pushed too hard I guess. Well wish ya luck and its good that the son wants a manual, but becareful there also as the older rangers had issues with leaking rail plugs and if run dry will cause transmission issues. Ive had mine rebuilt soon after purchase as the previous owner must have let it run dry. about 30000 later I had OD (5th) go out. Thats how I know about the autozone clutches. bought a name brand and a name brand slave and the slave went bad in about 20000. If you do get a manual, and it needs repair to trans R&R the master and slave at same time. The slave is inside the trans bell housing BTW so gotta pull the trans to replace.