I am looking at buying a Ranger for the first time. I have had many fullsize Ford trucks, but haven't looked at the Rangers until now.

This truck is going to be for my wife to drive back and forth to work 25 miles and occasionally will haul some light loads.

I have been looking at the Edge, but that is 2wd right? I need 4wd because she goes to work before the roads are plowed and we live in Michigan, so that is an issue.

What is everybody getting for gas mileage in these trucks? I was looking at the 3.0l V6 because I figured the gas mileage would be better thatn the 4.0l. Is it?

What are some of the common problems with both of these engines?

Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think you will find that the 3.0 does not do any better fuel wise than the 4.0. Seems that it will get around 17-18mpg, and a little better doing highway. The 4.0 may do a little better than that. Either one is a good truck. The 4.0 had a problem with the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets, actually O-rings, that were a bit too small. They had a tendency to shrink or settle at a smaller diameter when cold and allow air to leak in and make the idle rough. When warmed up, they swelled up and closed the leak. The Vulcan has no major flaws. The only think I have heard of it is the dealy in the block where the distributor was located. Some have had to replace it as it is apparently 'lubed for life' but starts to squeal. Again, no big deal.
tom

 

I did a lot of research on this before I bought my 4.0 truck. I think you will find that the 4.0 is at worst, equal to the mileage of the 3.0, and in some cases, slightly better.

I consistantly get 20MPG with 70/30 hwy/city. On long highway trips at 75mph I get close to 22mpg. I have 107k on the clock.

The 4.0 gives you a lot better performance than the 3.0 will.

 

I agree with the 4.0. I have the 3.0 in a 4X4 and it is underpowered. The 3.0 has a problem with the exhaust valves recessing in the cylinder heads resulting in misfires and needing to have the heads rebuilt or changed.

I like my ranger. I just wish it had the 4.0.

I think the Edge also came in 4 wheel drive.

 

The Edge is available in an AWD version, but is only rated for 17/23 MPG (that's EPA, not real-world). Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Can't say for 4x4, but my 3.0L 2wd gets around 19 in town and up to 23 on the highway. The 3.0L definitely won't break your neck but it gets around well enough for me.

 

I live in da YouPee and I say 4.0 4wd. A fullsize "might" go through an extra inch of snow or so, but the Ranger is an amazing small truck. It does pretty much what an F-150 can do, only cheaper. 20+ mpg is common for these truck although ymmv depending upon if you want to be the first to stop at the next red light or not [and winter fuel mix]. Unless your wife is familiar with a manual tranny then I would stay auto. there is a difference between the fuel economy between a stick and an auto. The x-cab is also a good thing in as much as it gives room for winter emergency gear and xtra leg room. And get the spare tire out from under the bed and into the bed before winter. Chisling a frozen spare free while laying in the snow isn't fun. Been there, done that.

 

I just bought a 99' Ranger with a 3.0 Vulcan. It had a small knocking noise in the engine which I thought to be a sticky lifter. I ran different cleaners through it to no avail and now have replaced all the lifters, push rods, and rockers but the sound it still there. It is real load when it is cold and a little less when warmed up but still very not right. It doesn't sound like it is in the bottom end but I don't know where to look next. Does nayone have an idea or how to figure it out?

 

First off yes you can get a 4x4 edge version. From what I've heard, in a 4x4 model, the 3.0 and 4.0 get about the same fuel econmy, so might as well get the 4.0. The newer 4.0's have a timing chain issue, commonly refered to as the death rattle. I have 87,000 miles on mine and have not had this or any engine problem at all. The only issues i have had are the front hub/ bearings going out, but I do a lot of mud and water driving so thats probably what causes that. The only other thing I can think of is the pinion seals tend to leak and I have a leaking power stearing line. Again these problems can be linked to off road hazards. Over all they are very good trucks. My first ranger was a 96 2.3l and I put 280,000 miles on it before I sold it. Truck still ran great and even dynoed at factory hp, and tq. I managed to sell it for 2,000. not to bad.

 

#7 his_son ... the sound you describe could be a collapsed piston skirt. It will knock when cold and be almost silent when warmed up. It would be a rap rap rap rap rap sound, kinda down in the engine rather than at cylinder head height.
tom

 

Is there anyway to find out with out tearing the engine completely down? Maybe compression test or something?

 

If you're looking to buy a new Ranger, then the 3.0 is no longer available. And if you want 4WD, I'm not sure if it's available with the 4 cyl. model (and if it is, then it's probably special order only). If new is your goal, you best study the Ford web site (or dealer)

 

The edge is no longer availble or the 3.0. The 4.0 is the only available engine for a 4wd in the new rangers. They dropped the 3.0 because it didn't do any better on fuel than the 4.0, but had alot less power. The newer ranger 4 cylinder is pretty peppy and can get up to 25 mpg highway, but is 2wd only.