Ok, I own a Ford Ranger 2.3l, year 1985 has 225,000 miles on it, and I am going to be moving. My questions are as follows:

What can I do to prepare my pickup for this 1500 mile hike?
Is it even worth it or should i just sell it?

What do you guys think, it's not in that bad of shape, runs fine intown but highway speeds it loses some power, but I think the timing is off. I won't be moving anything real heavy, I have a cap/topper for it. It's a manual transmission. The reason I ask is because I bought it for $400, the guy I bought it from had to move and it was stuck in third gear. I got it home and pulled the WHOLE tranny out, only to find out that I could've taken the panel off the transmission to fix it It has four wheel drive, I replaced the muffler and cat on it with a flowmaster 40. So can anyone help or give me some opinions? Thanks.

 

Tune it up, time it, and go for it! (And unlock the hubs).

 

Hubs are unlocked and i forgot to add that the pickup came with 15" oversized tires/rims. Not sure if this will make a diff but I know for sure that they add weight. Think i should look for some stock tires/rims?

I'm looking into a tune up right now, Bruneel's has it for $69 just for labor, no idea if that is a good rate or not, I've replaced the rotor, distributor cap, wires, spark plugs, air filter, changed oil/filter last week, checked the PCV valve it's good pulled the PCV hose at idle could barely get it back on so much airflow... the only thing I have not done to it is do anything with the fuel acc. I'm not sure if I need an electrical check or not, but is it still worth it to have them go over it? I'm most worried about the timing and I am pretty sure that I should replace the fuel filter... but I don't want to take it to them and have them go through it and start replacing things I've done/don't need done. Any ideas? Still do it?

 

Heck sounds to me like you have the tune up covered by your own hands. Just get the puppy timed and maybe get a compression test done ($49 around here), if it all checks out...take her along for the ride.

 

You'd be crazy to get rid of a 4X4 truck for any reason. They are infinitely valuable unless you live in the middle of New York or something.

 

I hope so, I did all that myself I'm 19 and my dad is kicking me out so i want to get everything out of the way before he actually does I also forgot to mention that i replaced the water pump also, replaced all the belts, and flushed the coolant. I'm not sure if this is common, but it seems to run a little warm, the temp gauge is in the center of the ranges, and it doesn't really seem to change for intown/highway driving. It doesn't have a/c, the only thing I can do to keep it cool if I need to is to turn the heat on full blast. That knocks the temp down a lot but as soon as i turn the heat off it climbs. I've only noticed this when it's reaally hot out or it's under a load, or when I go up a 7% 8mile hill in third

When I replaced the timing belt after it broke I noticed that the radiator on this thing is soo thin! I was amazed. Has anyone swapped it out with a thicker one before? I would like to do that if it can be done, i'm pretty sure it can, you just need to work around the mounts don't you?

Anyways, looks like I have a go for taking this thing along. Oh yeah, can I get your guys' phone numbers so i can call you when i need a lift when the thing breaks down I'm just joking, it's in a lot better shape then that.

 

I just replaced my single row radiator and went with a two row radiator last week. It was a snap, although it was expensive...$205 for a new radiator.

 

Ouch, I think i'll pass on the new one for now. If i wanted to i probably could go used though, right? just an idea....

 

I wouldn't go with a user radiator, it does sounds like yours might be clogged, maybe a radiator shop could clean it out.

 

Well, I flushed when I replaced the timing belt and the fluid was clean...

Tomorrow i am having bruneel do a diagnostic on my pickup, the guys said it should be free as long as they don't go over an hour, which would then cost me $65. They are going to fix the timing also, and I'm going to be replacing the fuel filter also myself.

Also, when i first turn the ignition and start it the temp gauge for the oil goes all the way hot, then it comes back down to usual temp. Is this normal?