I recently had my '87 Ranger 2WD, 2.3L/Auto repaired.
If any of you may remember, I had a serious oil leak.
Well, I had a cracked oil pan, just above the starter.
Also, I had the rear main seal replaced, my transmission fluid
changed, along with screen cleaned, tailshaft seal, new pan
gasket, and the usual stuff.

While doing all of that, I also had the water pump changed,
as well as the timing belt. Over the last 6 months, I have literally
rebuilt this truck by replacing sensors (various ones on the engine
as well as the Oxygen sensor), starter, had the driveshaft rebalanced,
new tires, wheels, shocks, etc., etc. Literally rebuilt.

I also had it repainted, replaced all the door belt and sill weatherstrippings,
new rear tube bumper, new front chrome bumper, new emblems, etc., etc.,
and I now have a sweet, almost 99% restored Ranger.

I do however have a few minor issues, that maybe you might be able to
help me resolve.

1, is that now,only occasionally, when the truck has been driven for a while
and is at normal operating temperature, it will crank for about 5-10 seconds
before starting. Usually, before the major work (pan/trans), it started in
1-3 seconds. Always.

2, is that again when warm, when taking off from a dead stop, I get a low
grade knock from the right side of the engine, almost like a wrist pin knock.
It does not always happen, only 50% of the time, and only when warm, and only
for the first few seconds at low RPM. I switched to 5W30 from 10W50, still
no change. Also, I tried a few tanks of premium gas,to be sure it was not
octane/ping related.

3, I obtained a speedo/tach cluster from a '88 Bronco, and was told that the
tach is specific to the engine, 4cyl. vs. 6cyl., and that it would not work in my
vehicle. Also the flug is reversed from mine, the tab is oppisite the original
on the side by the speedometer.

4, I'd like to re-install the factory body stripes, but I have found them to be
expensive, and mostly unavailable.

Does anyone have any comments, suggestions or resolves for these few remaining issues?

Thanks

 

I am also interested in the "tachometer" question, I have heard two opinions on it, both conflicting. One says the same as you pointed out, the tachs are "engine specific", the other says tachs are guages which measure RPM's, and RPM's are the same whether tehy are in a 4, 6, or 8 cyl. engines. Perhaps it's just the plug that's different, as I understand, the signal the tach receives in a Ranger is an electronic pulse which tells the tach when the engine has turned a revalution, if tha's the case, I don't see how it would matter what the tach came out of.

On the starting problem, it could be the infamous Ford electonic choke. that was my problem in another Ford vehicle, the choke was turning itself on whenever the car started, regardless of whether it was needed.

Good luck to you, sounds like a sweet ride!

 

Now that I think of it, the old time tach and dwell meters had a switch on it to set for 4 cyl. and 8 cyl. (or was it 6 cyl.?)....remember? I wonder if the tach can be modified for use in a 4 cyl?

What electronic choke? I didn't know it had one......(fuel injection)

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-Jan-02 AT 10:34 AM (EST)]Electronic choke? duh... err.... uhh...

DOH!

You are correct! I was thinking of my old Tempo which wasn't fuel injected.
Brain Freeze, I guess... or Alzheimer's.

I still think your problem is something making the engine run rich when it shouldn't be. What could it be? Hmmm.. Catalytic converter, O2 sensor, ECU malfunction... who knows? My cousin had a similar problem on a car with shot-to-hell fuel injectors. Someone had run so much STP through them, they would dribble fuel into the cylinders while parked (after running), and took a little long to start, until the cranking purged the excess raw gas out. Sorry I can't be of more help on it.

I'm not sure about the tach either, as I said, I'm interested as well. I have been looking for a tach cluster to replace my non-tach, but I hate to give up my oil pressure and altenator guages. Did Ford make a "full instrumentation" cluster for Rangers? Mine has everything but the tach, the ones with a tach, that I've seen, have two less guages.

I think the old tach & dwell meters worked from the distributor, and on an 8 cylinder, you had two cylinders firing per revelution as opposed to one in a four cylinder. That was the reason for the switch. As I understand it, Rangers tach operates from a pulse generated by the ECU, signifying 1 rev, regardless of the engine.