Hello,
My friend has a 1995 4x4 reg cab long bed ranger with a 2.3l and a 5 spd. He has had it since 2011 and it has been good to him. The frame has some rust but not too bad yet, the body is good, the interior is nice.

The other day he was driving it and it stalled out and he could not restart. He parked it and bought a new truck. He wants to sell it to me for $100 so I cannot really go wrong but I am wondering if anyone has any thought. it has 156,000 miles. Timing chain? fuel pump? ignition? is this a common thing?

Please advise.

Thanks,
Marc

 

I seriously doubt that it's the timing chain. It doesn't have one.
It could be the timing BELT, however.
I'd advise you to troubleshoot it before you throw replacement parts at it.

 

If it is a timing belt, will it need the head redone?

 

No, it's a non-interference engine. Just throw a new belt on and you're good to go. But start with the basics and check to see if the engine is getting fuel and spark first.

 

I bet .99 cents its the timing belt, I had a 1993 2.3l 5 spd that did that to me at 212k. Pissed me off to no end cause I was in the middle of town.

 

I lost the timing belt on a Ranger 2.3L back in the '80s, I put a new belt on it and it ran fine for about a month before completely grenading. I suspect the piston that eventually disintegrated and destroyed the motor was damaged when the belt broke but that is speculation on my part, I have never been inside one of these little lawnmower engines.

 

Could be. But we haven't heard of any troubleshooting results yet, have we?
Actually, a broken timing belt can be diagnosed just by listening to the engine while you crank on the starter on a non-interference engine. The engine spins faster and it "just sounds funny".

 

Just buy it for $100. Seems to me 1995 was the last year this powertrain combo was available, so there are a lot of people looking for something like this. Should be an easy fix even is the motor is toast.

 

I just picked it up today. After a closer look, it appears that there is no coolant in it. Possible overheat. I am not sure what is going on yet. I am going to try some basic stuff tomorrow then tow it to my buddies shop to take a closer look.