Tech Thread - Ford Ranger

Cooper · Postby **Cooper** » July 17th, 2011, 7:15 am

Just a little maintenance tip on changing the fuel filter on the WLT....

Passed by a mechanic the other day to collect a part for a car I was working on at home and I noticed that he was servicing a WLT engine and catching he a$$ trying to separate the fuel filter from the primer pump assembly. He had removed the entire setup from the mounting bracket in the engine bay and was trying to twist it apart on a table.

If any of you tried this before, you'd know that this is a bit of a headache to take apart and you could damage the in and out fuel lines on the primer pump assembly.

The easiest way to separate the primer pump from the filter is by using the mounting bracket in the engine bay to grip the primer pump.

As you'd may already know the top part of the bracket holds the primer pump in place with two bolts and it also encloses the fuel filter.

All you need to do is disconnect the fuel lines and water sensor and remove the two bolts holding the pump & fuel assembly in place.

Remove the assembly and flip it upside down on the mounting bracket and snug the bolts back into the pump assembly by hand.

*** If any fuel comes out the when you flip the assembly over, place it in a bucket to drain out before mounting it upside down.

Mounting the pump & fuel assembly upside down on the bracket, gives you a solid point that grips the pump assembly, making it much easier to crack the filter (and water sensor housing) loose.

DO NOT unscrew the fuel filter (or water sensor) all the way out...just crack it loose...or you're gonna end up with a big mess.

You can now remove the two bolts on the mounting bracket and take apart everything inside a bucket.

Sorry for not posting pics but the guys who do their own servicing will know what I'm talking about.

rx30 · Postby **rx30** » July 24th, 2011, 7:38 pm

Hey guys i need some help here; does anyone know if the clutch fan in the 2.9 non-turbo engine,is the same as the WL/WL-T engine???? Any feedback will be appreciated.

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » July 25th, 2011, 11:34 am

it shud be... the ford guys will confirm...

medalist · Postby **medalist** » July 27th, 2011, 10:42 am

one ques....im looking to purchase a 2005 Ranger 2.5WLT 4*4. Can anyone who has this vehicle tell me wats the difference in between the automatic and the manual..in terms of speed and torque?? and is the clutch in the manual hard or soft?
Please assist.

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » July 27th, 2011, 12:22 pm

^^the only advise i will give you is - do not buy the ranger - go with the hilux of similar age.... you will thank me later.

I dont know if this is a problem but i noticed when i switch to 4H on my dial thing - the dashboard lightup with the 4H comes on, and sometimes the lights comes off and on by itself. I still feel the 4 wheel drive engaged. But the Light will stay on if i switch to 4L. Is this normal or is it really a problem??

sliderz1 · Postby **sliderz1** » July 27th, 2011, 1:23 pm

^^the ranger is electronic transfer case?

medalist · Postby **medalist** » July 27th, 2011, 4:37 pm

civic minded, why shuddnt i buy the ranger?

sliderz1 · Postby **sliderz1** » July 27th, 2011, 5:10 pm

medalist wrote:civic minded, why shuddnt i buy the ranger?

not again......... :mrgreen:

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » July 27th, 2011, 7:31 pm

read the couple of pages within this same thread and you will realise why

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » July 28th, 2011, 7:19 am

medalist wrote:one ques....im looking to purchase a 2005 Ranger 2.5WLT 4*4. Can anyone who has this vehicle tell me wats the difference in between the automatic and the manual..in terms of speed and torque?? and is the clutch in the manual hard or soft?
Please assist.

The older model rangers (before 2006) came in both auto and manual trans, but both have the WLT engines (the 2.5 TDCI WLC engine came out with the 2006 model, and late 2007 they introduced the 3.0 TDCI WEC in the Thunder-package only - in 2009 with the current model they then started to bring the 3.0 TDCI in plain package).

In terms of speed/torque - not much difference at all.... it's the same engine so the output is the same.
The only real difference is the speed of shifting gears. Sometimes the auto transmission would hold onto a gear (esp when off-roading) and take long to up-shift.
Haven't heard any problems w.r.t. the automatic transmissions though, so if you find a used ranger with low-mileage and auto gearbox, you on like corn.

medalist · Postby **medalist** » July 28th, 2011, 7:35 pm

thx light..but that is of ah get low mileage most of dem doin close to 100K or over..once they kept doin there services shuddnt expect dem engine head to crack

dbaby · Postby **dbaby** » August 4th, 2011, 2:25 pm

Ok People I'm also the owner of a ford ranger 2.9 non turbo model "TBU" series doing just over 117 000km with no problems and the same plastic radiator from day one. My neighbor on the other hand owns a "TCF" model ford ranger 2.5 turbo same WL engine as mine doing just over 62 000km. Now my neighbor takes really good care of his truck changing oil and filter before 5000km, coolant filers etc each and every time. This vehicle never overheat neither did the temperature gauge ever past half. Recently he noticed that every morning the water level was low and when he start the truck it would rough idle for about 30 seconds and then its ok. From my experience my advice to him was to remove the cylinder head and have it pressure test and check for any warp or bends as some people say. To make a long story short we took the head to the machine shop and before we could even take the head out of my truck and place it on the counter the machinist said "if its a WL head buy a new one", confused, we ask but why but you did not even check it. After getting a tour of some WL cylinder at back of his shop approximately 10 we were amazed. The machinist further explained that this was not case with the 2.9 non turbo WL cylinder head. When we decide to ask mechanics in the area if they notice any problem with the WL cylinder head they all explain that in some cases 5 was changed by one and 3 by another and only from the turbo WL engines. WHY?

So people whats the verdict and could anyone give a logical explanation of why at 62 000km this practically new van that is being used like a private car have such problems.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » August 4th, 2011, 5:09 pm

It could be an engineering defect on the block, or a problem with the materials they used to forge the block.

Ford International don't have an official notice about it though... so there wasn't any kind of recall or anything like that.

Really sucks, cuz the Ranger is a tough truck, it's a shame that the engine is the weakpoint (and a diesel engine too eh.... diesels supposed to be tough!)

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » August 5th, 2011, 8:35 am

thats why i keeping a close eye on the 2006 ranger. Last thing i want to do is buy a block for it. So far so good.... *knocks on wood*

dbaby · Postby **dbaby** » August 7th, 2011, 12:02 pm

Nothing is wrong with the block the problem is the 2.5 4x2 wl turbo model cylinder head cracking at very low mileages. The 2006 model 4x2 non turbo 2.9 seems to be ok.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » August 11th, 2011, 10:40 pm

Just reposting the Ford/Mazda 2.5 WL & WLT engine service manuals, in case anyone missed it.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AUNFTTJ3

Feel free to download and enjoy.

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » September 7th, 2011, 7:40 am

Talk to a Padna of mines in the firm said that the new ranger, will be arriving on Trinidad - the first part of next year and will have some specials coming. The 2.2L starting at 218K and the 3.2L thunder start at 312K. Remember the thunder comes with everything and some new goodies the previous thunder model didn't have. What he told me is the 3.2L will be insanely fast- have in excess of 200hp, he can't confirm if they will be coming with the 5cylinder engine

nick009 · Postby **nick009** » September 7th, 2011, 6:54 pm

what would cause or where would a kinda squeaking noise be coming from in the front suspension? Do i need to underwash? or does it need greasing . I hear it when the van shakes up when i turn off the engine too

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » September 7th, 2011, 7:58 pm

yup - get some lithium grease - ask the guys from the firm where you can get it... every time i go in for service - i request them to grease up the joints.

nick009 · Postby **nick009** » September 12th, 2011, 8:33 pm

sprayed it up with silicon grease and no squeaks no more

nick009 · Postby **nick009** » September 14th, 2011, 7:20 pm

nevermind its back again. i gonna take it for a underwash and greasing yes steups

DooMRR · Postby **DooMRR** » September 25th, 2011, 11:56 pm

Couldn't find a Mazda thread, so I ended up coming here for help. I have a Mazda B2500 and it started giving me some problems. For some reason, the temperature would just randomly rise high up very fast and then drastically fall in about 2 seconds back to normal operating temperature. I managed to get a video of it. From what my senses tell me, the engine doesn't feel like its over heating (i.e. it doesn't smell like something is burning in terms of an engine).

Notice how fast it falls.

Earlier in the week, this also had happened before. The van began to puff out white smoke through the exhaust. When the vehicle is revving (around 1800rpm or more), it wasn't smoking like this.

A little while later (as in about 4-5minutes), it decreased until it had stopped. Later on in the day, it did it again, but a lot less. I not sure if it was my coolant that was burning because from the past, the coolant level was going down, but very slowly. Every two weeks, I would have to top up the coolant bottle from the "Low Mark" back up to the "Full Mark". I really hope it isn't the engine block cracking (because I know that is a problem plenty people have with the B2500) and it is just water in the Diesel.

It's been almost a week since it smoked white. The temperature problem only occurred yesterday.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » September 26th, 2011, 10:14 am

white smoke is a sign of having a cracked head... do like what droppa did... rip apart the engine and examine the head and block thoroughly.. as for the temp guage.. check your owners manual and see its says anything about that...

nick009 · Postby **nick009** » September 26th, 2011, 7:30 pm

hrm i underwash and grease and it still making the noise..... could it be something is broken or loose

Cooper · Postby **Cooper** » September 26th, 2011, 8:45 pm

DooMRR, speedaholic is right. It looks like you may have a cracked head. Coolant may be getting in the combustion chamber and it usually results in white smoke. Also, you need get the temperature sensor checked.

I'm sure you have a WL-T engine like mine and it's been well documented that the head is a major problem with these engines.

From what I've been reading on this forum, it usually occurs because of poor maintenance particularly in the cooling system or because of a fault in the head design....it's almost always the latter. My own research has singled it out to the alloy used in manufacturing a large batch of these heads....and unfortunately, we had a lot of them shipped to Trinidad.

Anyhow, try to put aside around $6000 (it's about the average cost to replace the head) and search this forum for diesel owners who have had their engine heads replaced at a good mechanic. If it's done properly, you won't have much to worry about after that.

Cooper · Postby **Cooper** » September 26th, 2011, 8:55 pm

nick009 wrote:hrm i underwash and grease and it still making the noise..... could it be something is broken or loose

The grease usually has to be 'worked into' the noisy joint. Take the truck for a long distance run and make sure you take it through some rough roads...just to give the suspension a work out to move the lube around.

...please don't try to break anything by hitting potholes at high speeds. Places where the you'll get a lot of suspension travel would help. (The 'Side-B' crew could elaborate on that last part :lol:

)

nick009 · Postby **nick009** » September 28th, 2011, 7:38 pm

man now i`m hearing a next noise and this one is coming from underneath the van.... sounds like a grating noise and i only hear it when i come off the accelerator going less than 30km/h. steups

DooMRR · Postby **DooMRR** » September 29th, 2011, 2:04 am

nick009 wrote:man now i`m hearing a next noise and this one is coming from underneath the van.... sounds like a grating noise and i only hear it when i come off the accelerator going less than 30km/h. steups

When you mash the clutch even while rolling, are you still getting the noise? I think it's the links in the drive shaft (someone mentioned to me something about the cross on the drive shaft) that needs grease. I'm getting a similar problem and it's bugging the hell out of me.

Cooper · Postby **Cooper** » September 29th, 2011, 11:31 am

The main prop-shaft/drive-shaft providing power to the rear differential has three universal joints (or crosses) all three have to be greased at regular intervals. If you are getting noise from these joints, have them replaced as soon as possible.

DooMRR · Postby **DooMRR** » September 29th, 2011, 7:03 pm

Right. Just went and got mine checked. 2 of my 3 crosses were seized. These are the prices:
Price for 1 cross = $295
Price for labor = $395 (Federal) to $595 (Ramsirs). Both located on Cipero Street, San Fernando.
I'm going to try and change them myself tomorrow and save that labor money.