Less than two months ago I purchased a 2wd Edge that had minor front body damage. Other than that there wasn't a dent in it anywhere. However, the airbags did deploy. For less than $200.00 I purchased a new headlight, airbags, airbag module, and seat belt buckle tensioners. I did all the work myself. I just straightened all of the body parts that were bent.











I have two questions. (1) Does the 2wd Edge have the same rear end and front end minus the 4x4 than a regular Ranger 4x4? (2) The truck has almost 129,000 miles on it and I have changed breaks and most fluid. This truck has an automatic transmission and I forgot to ask the previous owner if the transmission fluid and filter had ever been changed. Just say it never has been changed. With 129,000 miles is it to late to change the fluid and filter? Or should I change them?


Thanks,


brc

 

The Edge model uses a completely different front facia over the XL and XLT....I believe you CAN install body/facia parts FROM an XL or XLT but it would have to be complete.....

As for the trans I'd recommend just dropping the pan, clean it, change the filter and refill fluid, I've never been a fan of flushing at any mileage.

 

Thanks for the info. I am going to change the tranny fluid and filter.

 

I agree it's probably a good idea to service the tranny fluid & filter, seeing as how you don't know how long the current fluid has been in there, or what kind of drive cycle service it's had.

If the pan deposits look light, or normal, no heavy sludge or varnish deposits on the valve body or in the pan, I'd consider opting for a Full fluid pump out.

Just dropping the pan for a filter change & pan refill, only gets about 30-40% of the old fluid out, so the remaining old oxidized fluid will dilute the new fluid base oil & ad pack & cause it to age/oxidize the base oil & ad pack faster.

If you find lots of sludge or varnish, maybe consider doing several pan refills over a shorter time, to have the new fluid detergents Slowly dissolve & ease the deposit removal over time, so as not to remove too much too fast & cause chunks to loosen up that might clog up something important.

I've always performed the full fluid pump outs posted here https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...-pump-out.html, at the bottom of the "Tech Info" thread located atop the forum index page.

I do this procedure about every 25-40K miles, depending on how much towing, or short trip stop & go it got.

Lots of short tripping stop & go, or towing, got the filter change & fluid pump out at the 25-30K point. Never found much in the way of pan, or magnet deposits when run to 40K & never have seen any sludge or varnish.

To date always used Motorcraft Mercon V fluid & Motorcraft/Filtran tranny filter, so can recommend them as being ok for my mostly long towing drive cycle, tugging my Bass Tracker over & through the Blue Ridge mountains 60 miles round trip to the lake & back the last 16 years.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know what you do, find & how the service goes.

 

Thanks for the info. on the complete fluid change and I appreciate the link you shared.


I am a person that is all about maintenance. The last brand new off the lot truck I bought was a 1997 Nissan 4x4. Today it still looks and runs great. I have a lot of strangers just stop by the house and ask if I would be interested in selling it. I ran into some unexpected health problems a few years after I bought the Nissan in 1997 and unfortunately some problems still exist today. But I believe in taking care of something. I am not a mechanic by no means, but with the internet at your finger tips today you can pretty much find all the info. you want on how to work on something.


My Dad has a 2001 Mazda B3000 (same as a Ranger). He has put close to 200,000 miles on his 3.0l motor and it is still running strong.


My Ranger has the 3.0l. With the proper maintenance how many miles can you expect to get out of the 3.0l motors. I have always drove Nissan Trucks.


Thanks,


brc

 

You might stroll through this multi-page thread on how many miles on your Ranger, to get an idea of many members mileage. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...nger-list.html
If you follow the owner manual severe service scheduled maintenance replacement items & use OEM parts & fluids, or ones that say in writing that they're licensed to meet or exceed Fords specifications, it'll likely last a looooong time & not cost too much to keep up.
Have a look through the "Tech Info" thread atop the forum index page, for all kinds of useful maintenance/repair threads & info links.

I'm still driving my 99 4.0L & it's still running good, still tight, no rattles & it has done without complaint, everything I've asked of it. It still brings a smile to my face every time I start it up!!! The 3.0L if taken care of to Fords scheduled maintenance specifications, will last a looooong time.

 

Well that makes me breath a little easier

 

Going to change the transmission fluid today. Going to just drop the pan. So, how many quarts does it take to filler back up? I swear don't laugh at this next question, but where do you put the fluid back in at? I have always have standard shifts. Where do you pour the fluid back in at?

 

You should plan on about 4 quarts of fluid to be replaced after dropping the pan and changing the filter.

You add fluid back into the dipstick tube, you'll need a funnel that slips into the tube....

No one here laughs at anyone, we are all here to help each other.......

Keep us posted.

 

Have a look in the owner manual for the tranny dipstick/fill tube location. If you don't have the manual, you can review, or download one at no cost, here. Owner Manuals | fleet.ford.com

Consider performing the complete tranny fluid pump out, as just dropping the pan to clean it, the magnet & change the filter only gets about 30-40% of the old oxidized fluid out, as most remains in the torque converter, valve body, cooler & lines to contaminate the new fluid & weaken it's base oil & ad pack, causing them to age much faster & not protect as well for wear or deposit forming putrids that can gum up the valve body workings & cause mischief.

We don't know which tranny you have, so different pan sizes will hold different amounts, so if your still of a mind to just do a pan drop, filter change & refill the pan, use a catch bucket with molded in fluid level marks, as suggested in the above linked tranny pump out tutorial I posted, to measure how much fluid is removed on the pan drop & refill with that amount & check fluid level, go for a drive to fully warm the fluid up, then check it again as outlined in the owner manual & top up, or remove some out the fill tube to get the Warmed up fluid level right.

 

Thanks for the info. from everyone. I thought you added the fluid back into where the dipstick is located. But for some reason I was thinking that the size of the tube was tiny. I guess I was thinking about the dipstick on my Nissan Pathfinder I just sold.


I managed to get it done. It wasn't to bad. I had planned on getting the rear brake shoes done today. But got one side done and decided to finish in the morning.


Thanks,


brc

 

Ok, did you do the full fluid pump out, or just the pan drop filter change & pan refill?
How did the fluid, pan & magnet deposits look?

 

I just dropped the pan and changed the filter and gasket. The pan looked good and magnet deposits looked ok as well. The previous owner (or someone) must have changed the before. Because I noticed the rear break shoes had been changed before b/c it was Bosch brand shoes not motor craft.

 

Also when I went to get the brake shoes they asked me if I had 9" shoes or 10" shoes. So, I took one of the shoes off (which I should Have done in the first place) and took it with me to the parts place. What does it mean when you have 10" pads. Does having the Edge Package have something to do with it?

 

9" and 10" refers to the diameter of the drums. Edge package I don't think has anything to do with it. Usually the 4 cylinder trucks have 9" drums, 4.0s have 10" drums. 3.0s can be a toss-up and have either one. Easiest way to tell which ones you have is to see if your drums have "fins" on them. Look at this link to see what I mean: Drum brake size. - The Ranger Station Forums