Just bought a 2000 Ranger XLT SuperCab (4 door), flare sides, hard Tonnea Cover, Bedliner, 3.0V6, auto, 92,000 miles...After a lot of pricing and research I think I got a very good price at $4900 out the door. Based on my research and pricing I was expecting to pay about $7900 for this truck. I had good luck in that I happened to stop at a Nissan dealer who just took a Ranger in on trade that day. They hadn't even cleaned or inspected it yet. I test drove it and found a few minor problems.

When he told me he wanted $4900 since they've got nothing invested into it yet I about choked. Was expecting to hear somewhere around $7900. I also noticed their used cars start at $10 grand and go up from there, so this dealer probably would have moved the truck to a dealer auto auction to get it off their lot. I played cool like that wasn't a great price and said I had a long list of minor problems with the truck after test driving/inspecting it myself. He said he didn't want to put anything into it and told me to make him an offer. $4400 as is and he went for it! With tax/title/etc it still camed to $4895, but I saved about $600 by offering the $4400. Just checked on blue book values and more local used Rangers of same year and I was right...They go for about $7900 even with more miles and no liner/cover/flare sides like this beauty. She's clean with no rust.

Anyway, now that I'm done bragging, I've got a list of little fixes I found when I inspected it. First is the driver's seat doesn't lock it's back rest in place. Any quick fix for that or know where I can get parts if needed?

Emergency brake is all the way down and won't release. It's not locking up the back brakes or anything so that's good.

No dome light.

Door Ajar light won't go out and yes I re-closed all the doors. Doesn't look like the door jams have the old push button switch?

I noticed a unplugged socket in front of passenger front wheel near the bumper. Suspect that might have been for fog lights which this truck didn't come with? Front headlights and such work fine.

What's the deal with this thing saying "Auto" when I change stations? It's got the stock CD/tape player. Is there a music on screen info display for this radio or just time/channel?

Got the manual with this truck and found how to turn off the seat belt chime. That's today!

There are some other minor things to fix but I love doing this stuff anyway. Well worth saying 3 grand over typical asking price at other lights. Heading out to degrease/powerwash/spray on shine (CD2) the motor right now as it's dirty and I like a clean motor to work on. Going to give her a complete tuneup including total fluid changes/flushed and replacing with synthetic. Will be doing EVERYTHING that preventive maintenance includes on all my prior vehicles- cleaning throttle body, fuel injector cleaner, tranny fluid/filter, differential fluid, grease chassy/etc, clean MAF, remove IAC & clean plus EGR tube, Replacing 02 Sensor, Fuel Filtere, PVC, Coolant Flush, and so on. I'm very big on flushing/doing preventative stuff to get as many miles out of a vehicle before junking it. Going to shoot for half a million miles on this baby I think. Also taking her up to get rust proofed.

Any other problems with these trucks I should watch out for or specific tune up info that might now be common with other vehicles?

I just junked my 94 Ranger I bought new. She had 300,000 miles on her with the 2.3l engine and still ran great with no leaks or oil burning. The original clutch finaly went and she needed a master/slave too so I figured it was time to bury her as the body wasn't rotted but she was beat up in places. Best vehicle I ever owned. Just hope the 3.0 V6 can get just as many miles or more?

Thanks again for all the advice, input, and info in advance!

 

Good deal...looking for another one right now myself (and not finding much). Door chime/light. The switch is in the door latch...like inside the door itself not in the door jam.

 

Thanks. Yea, if was timing...The dealer had just taken in this truck on a trade a few hours prior and it hadn't been cleaned let alone inspected. All their used cars started at like $10,000 and went up from there and of course they also sell new Nissans. This truck would have been sent to the local auction among dealers to move it to a lower priced lot since they wouldn't have put it on their's. I'm betting they would have got around $4000-5000 for it at the auction so giving me that price saved them the trouble and any auction fees. Try to hit dealers like this and ask about any new Rangers that have been traded in. Chances are they are not going to sell them on their lot anyway. I even Kelly Blue Booked the truck listing all it's options (but not the bedliner/Hard Tonnea Cover) and it was just what I've been seeing this truck go for- $7900, and that's with more milage than mine.

I've been busy the last two days doing a complete and total tune up/preventive maintenance on this truck. Having fun since I like doing this sort of thing anyway. Cleaned the motor with degreaser at the local self serve power wash yesterday and then sprayed it with CD2 (Auto Zone) which is a no-touch engine detailer sort of like No Touch for tires. Really shines and protects everything including paint, rubber, plastic, metal, etc. Keeps all that water and salt from sticking or aging stuff. Motor looks BETTER than brand new now!

I looked at that door switch at the auto parts store and I don't think spraying contact cleaner into the door latch is going to help like I've read elsewhere. The switch is sealed. The only reason it might work is if it cleans off any thick/dirty latch grease that is keeping the switch from moving. Once apart you might be able to clean right around the switch's shaft button to unfreeze it but by the time you've taken the door apart to do that you might as well put a new one in. I don't think the dome light works with any door right now as I think either the buld is burned out, fuse is blown, or it might have some other issues. Haven't looked at that yet.

Only major problem is figuring out WHICH of the four doors (do the back ones have this switch too?) has the bad switch. Anybody have a quick way to find this out? I guess I'd need to use a multimeter and check each switch at the dash or wherever they plug in to route to the computer. Come to think of it, the dome light probably works fine but the previous owner took out the bulb so it wouldn't be on all the time with the door adjar light on?

If anybody has any other tune up tips for this truck that aren't comon for other vehicles let me know. I'm doing everything, including cleaning the throttle body/IAC/MAF and all the other more common things.

Not sure if this truck is the flex fuel or other V6? Have to figure this out so I know which fuel filter to install and an O2 sensor along with a few other things.

What's the best plugs for this truck that aren't going to burn a hole in my wallet? I hear Autolite double Platnums? I used to use the Bosch platnums in my 2.3l Ranger and liked those.

 

flex or not, just check the engine sticker where it lists belt path and such. Most 3.0s were flex. Be sure you are knowing what you are doing with the fuel filter. They are a little tricky and if you break the mounts on the fuel line you have to replace the whole line. Whatever you get, make sure its double platinum. There is some sort of system that either requires 2 different plugs for each side, or just get double platinum and use the same part number all around.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Yes, the previous owner might have pulled the dome lamp because it too can stay on when a door latch switch is sticking. Thousands of people have had success spraying the switches with WD-40 or something similar, you should at least try it.

The 8th digit in the VIN will tell you if your 3.0L is standard gasoline ("U") or a flex fuel ("V").

The unplugged sockets up front could be for DRL lighting.

Stick with Motorcraft or Autolite plugs, you can't go wrong.

 

Thanks again. I'll try WD40 before pulling the door apart. Spray it in the latch, right? Where exactly is the switch in there. I figure that will only work if the switch is gummed up with gunk causing it to stick in place because I looked at the part in an auto store and the switch is sealed.

Stay trying to find out a fix for the driver's seat back rest not locking into any position. I dug up some info but it was all about the lever being broken completely off (I think). My lever is still on the seat. It just seems that the back rest won't click into any position. Anybody have a link for that? Perhaps it's still the same problem I saw with others that had the hand lever (I think) broken off. They used a new bolt(s) to join that back to the rest of the mechanism, but I would think if mine broke in the same spot the lever wouldn't be attached anymore?

Got just about every major and minor tune up item done on this truck except plugs, wires, 02 Sensors, and tranny filter+fluid. I'll do those at my next oil change. Flushed all other fluids thus far and cleaned the MAF/throttle body. Used MAF safe stuff for that and then Sea Foam on the throttle body while engine was running. Can you use regular throttle body cleaner? Says don't do it but I figure that would just remove the teflon coating but wouldn't matter since I clean mine every 30 thousand miles or so anyway?

Oh, and still got to change the differential at next oil change. Putting synthetic in that as well.

Three 02 Sensors on this thing?! Wow, and I think they are like $40 a piece! Man, I liked to change mine every 40 thousand miles or so but that was only when I had one to replace.

Fuel filter is no big deal. Haven't done it yet but looked at it. Same deal as my 94 Ranger. Real easy. You'd have to be an idiot to break those fuel lines.

Also have to take off the IAC yet and clean that. If it's like my old 94 2.3l it'll be loaded with carbon in that little chamber. Just have to sort out if I can use regular throttle body cleaner if I don't care about the teflon coating?

Thanks again for any and all input and if anybody has any other major tune ups they like to do on this 3.0 Ranger let me know.

 

I also had the door switch sticking, dome light staying on and the WD sprayed in did the trick. Ever need it, I've got the Ford manual here.
Dave

 

Possible that the seat back is a sticking mechanism? A cleaning, lubing and inspection might be the first place I would go with it.