I found a very clean 1990 ranger with 190,000 miles that is still running strong the body and interior are very clean! It is all original and there is no rust,dents,and it still has nice finish! I have never owned a 2.9 so I don't know what to expect as far as problems so what should I know??? The truck starts and runs pretty smooth with no smoke the guy told me that he had to add a half a quart in between oil changes!

 

well the best thing i can tell you is that if you trat it right and keep up keep it will last you forever. MIne has 500,000 on it and still gets 18mpg city. they are prone to ticking but if you ever have that problem just ask and we can help you narrow down to a simple fix to stop it . good luck and have fun

 

The 2.9 likes to crack heads if it overheats (any engine will crack heads/blow head gaskets when overheated, but the 2.9 seems to be a little more prone to cracking heads than others). Maintain the cooling system accordingly.
Valve cover gaskets like to leak oil.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply I have always kept up all my vehicals I do all my own maintanance! I usually change all fluids, plugs,wires,coil,fuel filter,pvc,air filter,and anything that is a wear and tear item when I buy a used vehical! I plan to start changing them all this weekend is there anything I might have forgotton about?

 

Yes I did notice the valve covers leaking oil after I drove it about 10 miles it was smoking after I shut it off due to the oil leaking on the manifold! The cooling sytem looks good and it seem to run pretty cool the temp gauge never went past the middle!

 

Change the Valve cover gaskets to the FelPro Blue. More expensive but well worth the extra cost. If your radiator ever gives problems change to the Explorer 4.0 radiator it's a two row heavy duty radiator.

 

I did change the valve cover gaskets and it was no fun! Their is no room to get the valve covers out of there! Their is to much stuff in the way but after a little twisting and turning I finally got them out!

 

yeah i have to remove the upper intake and tb to easly remove mine. Specialy if i have a sticky gasket.