Afternoon all,

I have an 1993 Ranger right now, love the ol' girl but she's getting tired. She needs a lot of suspension work and I'm thinking it may be time just to replace her.

I have a few questions though, I'd like to get a 4.0 V6 versus the 2.3L 4cyl. The 2.3L is pretty much gutless in all regards. How's the gas mileage on the 4.0 V6 stick? Are there any major problems with the 4.0 motor from around 96? There's one local to be for about $3,000, stick, mileage unknown. Pictures show the truck to be in good condition. Just curious how reliable the 4.0 V6 is.

Thanks all.

 

Granted that the 4.0 is more powerful than the 2.3 Lima engine. I have one that is only rated at 100 hp, but I would not describe it as gutless, even with 3.45 gears in the rear end and slightly oversize tires. With the 5 speed transmission which I try to use to best advantage, I find the performance, both in town and on the road, to be adequate. Sure, its no race truck, but the only time I have to work at it is on a long grade. Then I may have to downshift to 4th gear which is direct drive. All of this is without a heavy load on board. If I was doing a lot of heavy hauling or pulling a loaded trailer, then it might be described as "gutless."

If you are looking at a new Ranger, performance with the 2.3 Duratec engine would be better than what I have.

Something to think about as you consider a replacement vehicle.

 

there's a push rod 4.0L OHV and an overhead cam 4.0L SOHC. I only have experience with the SOHC. I like it. it has plenty of pep for the light weight Ranger and a 5 sp trans can get the rear end loose on the pavement in 2nd gear.

 

How's the gas mileage on that? I'm not expecting the whopping 30 miles a gallon I'm getting on the 2.3L, but right now its completely gutless when I toss all my DJ equipment in the back and attempt to do freeway speeds. Something needs to give :P

 

I'm getting 21.3 on the 2001 Ranger with the 4.0L 5spd manual and 21.4 on the 1999 ranger with the 3.0L auto. And that's written down, not a guess.

 

I have a 99 4.0L pushrod, in a 4dr super cab 4X2 with the 5spd auto tranny & 3.55L/S rear end & get 24.8 highway, 17-20 around town depending on time of year, 17.5-17.8 towing a 175 Bass Tracker in the mountains.
It has plenty of power to haual & tow anything I'm likely to throw at it.

The 5spd auto has been a mighty nice option for me & it's rated to to tow & haul more than the 5spd manual, so the auto tranny isn't wimpy. Maybe consider including it in your choice of options.

There is a long thread about mpg on various engines, trannies & differential combos, thats insightful. A mpg search will turn it up.

 

For towing I have my F150, so I'm looking for something with longevity, and to be completely honest, I find the manual lasts longer than many of the auto trans installed in the Rangers. Sounds like the 4.0 has similar highway mileage as the 2.3L. Considering thats 90% of my driving that's not bad at all.

Thanks for the info.