Hey all,
I'm about to go look at a 1992 Bronco w/ 6 cyl and a 5spd manual. It's got 193k on it. The owner sounds like a decent guy and it sounds like the truck has been well taken care of. It had the clutch replaced along with the oil pan and oil pump. It's got a new battery and a new heater core.

So basically I'm wondering if there is anything to watch out for one this year/engine/trans combination...

It won't be a daily driver-I'm really only lookin for somethin to get me through bad snow days and maybe for occasional hunting/fishing/camping trips-light towing duty, etc.

I appreciate any advice ya'll can give!

Thanks,
Nick

 

sounds like a lot of miles. If I like the look and its not all rusted out. I would ask if you could have your mechanic look it over. The i would make arrangements to have a compression test down or do it yourself. That will tell you a lot and could sove you a lot of money in the long run. When I bought my 1991 - I got it from a dealer and the compression numbers they gave me sounded to good to be true. so I went and checked 4 cylinders myself at ramdom and the numbers checked with what they gave me. I feel i got a great engine and my truck has been pretty good.

But I learned with my wife's 1982 Bronco to carry a spare starter - ALWAYS. I have replaced hers- 4 times in 6 years. and mine once in 2 years. But we both love our Broncos. Great rigs. I know very little about the 6 cylinders but I understand they run longer and have more life. Maybe they dont have any starter issues.

Ritch

 

Read the contents of the red link in my signature or the link in the first thread in this forum. The most commonly asked questions and help topics related to the Big Bronco are addressed.

 

Thanks for the advice guys! I just got back from checking it out.

It is rusty, but it's not bad. Not compared to the other trucks in the < $1500 range I've been looking in. I really don't want to spend much more than $1000. I found some trucks in the $5-6k range that look a lot nicer, but I don't want to have to take out a loan for the beater.

The truck was prety solid mechanicaly as far as I could tell. The owner has replaced a TON of parts on it. There were only 3 things that I found that needed fixing. The windshield wiper blades were toast, there was a crack in the windshield and 1 of the cable for the emergency brake broke.

Wipers are cake, windshield is fine and emergency brake is cake too. Sounded liek she was running good and strong, pulled strong. Clutch was really stiff, owner said that's the way it has always been-even right after the clutch was replaced. Radiator is new along with the heater core. 4wd worked fine and made no weird noises.

No tach so that was sorta weird driving a stick with no tach. It has manual locking hubs. Tires have enough tread to make it maybe 1 or 2 more years depending on how much I drive it. The owner was asking $1500 but said he would take $1000-that's how much he said he put into parts in it in the last year, and he does have all the reciepts and everything.

I'm thinking as long as I can convince my better half that I'll go for it.

Any I6 dudes here know how long this engine should be good for? I'm going to try to get my hands on a leak down tester. The truck is located out in the middle of snow where parked next to a busy road so taking it to a mechanic quickly is difficult to say the least...

thanks,
Nick

 

i cant give you any solid number but the 300 I6 is a very strong engine. depending on how its been treated by its previous owners its not extremely uncommon for this engine to last well into the 200 thousands and possibly up into the 300 thousands with routine maintenence

 

I have seen people on this board that have gone over 400k with that motor. If the compression check comes back looking good, I would say it has a LOT of life left in it.

The 300 is probably the longest lasting, toughest gas motor ever made.

One thing that I'm surprised no one has asked is are the hubs auto or manual? If they are auto, plan on spending $100 to swap them out and put manuals in. The auto hubs are junk and will leave you stuck somewhere. Also, does it have an electric t-case or manual? As usual, manuals are more reliable.

The only caveat about the 5 speed is that it likes to leak tranny fluid out of the top. It won't leave any spots underneath it, either. It will just up and die one day. If you make sure to keep it full, you won't have any problems with it.

 

He said it has manual hubs

This truck sounds pretty good to me. After researching all different options, I picked the I-6 and the manual (M5OD) combo myself. No major repairs yet (knock on wood!).

My truck came with no tach too. And after looking at more manuals, it's not uncommon for them apparently! I added a cheap aftermarket tach to mine, it was a breeze to install

 

the 300 is a very strong engine. one reason being that it has 7 mains, thats over 1 main cap per cylinder. you cant ask for any better shaft support