I was at a dealer today and saw a clean 2002 Ranger on the lot. it has 32K miles. I have been looking to replace my 1998 3.0 4x4 which I always found lacking in power. Plus I'am tired of straining to put things in the back of the 2 door cab. This one has the rear access doors. I plan to go back Monday morning when they open.

It has a tow hitch so I guess that's what the owner bought it for.
So are there any particular issues with this year I should be aware of ?

It also has the neat plastic bedwall covers-but I would miss the stakeholes.-Can these 3 inch high covers be taken off-maybe the rails could be line-xed? So I have stakeholes and a spray-on protector?

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

MG

 

Welcome to FTE!

Sounds like you are looking at a real nice truck. Only thing I'd want to know is whether the 4.0L SOHC engine is making a rattling sound at about 2K rpms. This would be indicative of a timing chain rattle which is kind of a pesky problem with those SOHCs. It's probably something best fixed while it's under warranty.

 

Yes, watch for the timing chain rattle. You'll hear it in a cold engine, between 2500 and 3500 RPM. The dealer can fix this issue, and it sounds like that truck still has warranty - so no problem. Look to see if it has an aluminum drive shaft, if not ask them to run an Oasis report to see if the "drive line thump" TSB was done, again, not a big deal and easily fixed under warranty.

As far as the bed rail covers, they are easily removed. When I took mine off, I noticed they had scratched the paint, but the Line-X covered it up. If you so chose, they will fit back on with the Line-X.

The truck you are looking at sounds just like my 01. I've been really happy with it, and think you will be pleased as well.