Tech Thread - Ford Ranger

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » February 24th, 2011, 5:30 am

The wildtrak at M Rampersad is just an "upgrade package" to the Regular TDCi rangers (2.5 and 3.0 engines). Just like how M&E Motors has the "Hurricane" and "Thunder" upgrade packages. M&E has to stick to the regional Ford corporation's version of whatever vehicles they can sell here in Latin America and Caribbean, while M Rampersad are able to import any version of the Ranger with a Wildtrak upgrade without any regulation from a parent corporation.

They do it just for money anyway (just like how they import Hiluxes with all sorts of Vigo accessories, carryboy stuff, etc.) and bump up the price according to the level of blinginess.

If M&E could have done it, they'd have brought in even 4x2 hi-rider rangers and put on the Wildtrak upgrades on those too.

Shame though... I really wanted a Wildtrak at first.

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » February 24th, 2011, 7:36 am

i was at at M rampersad the other weekend, and they assured me that they are bringing down a set of 4x4 wildtrak - 2.5 and 3.0! people are booking from a side.

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » February 24th, 2011, 8:53 am

Steups..
why cant they stick to the bling out vigos and nav's.

Wouldnt mind a set of the wildtrack ford-branded 18'inch rims though...

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » February 24th, 2011, 4:11 pm

the wildtraks are not blingout like the navs and hilux, the Wildtrak they bringing are the ones like in the pic, with or without chromes.

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » February 24th, 2011, 4:13 pm

I think ford and mazda are the only two brands that escape - the Rice down look that the others are famous for.

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » February 24th, 2011, 4:33 pm

Yeah, didnt say they were blinged out

>> More 3.0 4x4 Ranger's on the road can never be good for our resale. Which was never good to start with..

Wonder if they can get them manual too.. Can only imagine how responsive that dam van will be..

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » February 24th, 2011, 6:44 pm

yeah u can get the 3.0 wildtrak in manual too.
Just have to pre-order.

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » February 24th, 2011, 7:44 pm

those 18" ford wildtrak rims are really bess tho!

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » February 25th, 2011, 12:06 am

x2
they really do match the ranger perfectly, even without the wildtrak package.

The regular 16-inch rims on the Wildtrak package just doesn't look good enough.

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » February 25th, 2011, 12:45 am

^^^ blehh....

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » February 25th, 2011, 6:45 am

that was the first thing i got rid off - when i bought mines - those ugly rims

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » February 25th, 2011, 8:33 am

they look god on the the low 4x2 rangers... not on the high 4x4's

Mr. Red Sleeper · Postby **Mr. Red Sleeper** » February 28th, 2011, 1:41 pm

I wonder how hard it is to get the padding on the underside of the bonnet..

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » February 28th, 2011, 9:16 pm

^^ yuh cud mek datt!

Postby **Team Loco** » March 2nd, 2011, 10:06 am

hello boys.....

yesterday i had the pleasure of viewing a SOUTH AFRICAN BUILT ford ranger, locally registered as a TCM 4x4. its slightly damaged and is for sale at Chineys wrecking at golconda.

besides trim diffrences, there was just something about the vehicle that looked different........more rugged. she had leather interior and the 2.5 WL had some extra piping and peripherals. he wants $95,000. she needs a bonnet and right headlamp, maybe a radiator too. factory colour is a seriously pale light blue, non mertallic

oh, she was also covered in mud..........lol

trinibajan34 · Postby **trinibajan34** » March 2nd, 2011, 12:59 pm

pics would be nice

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » March 3rd, 2011, 8:13 am

Team Loco wrote:hello boys.....

yesterday i had the pleasure of viewing a SOUTH AFRICAN BUILT ford ranger, locally registered as a TCM 4x4. its slightly damaged and is for sale at Chineys wrecking at golconda.

besides trim diffrences, there was just something about the vehicle that looked different........more rugged. she had leather interior and the 2.5 WL had some extra piping and peripherals. he wants $95,000. she needs a bonnet and right headlamp, maybe a radiator too. factory colour is a seriously pale light blue, non mertallic

oh, she was also covered in mud..........lol

Extra piping and peripherals yuh say...

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » March 3rd, 2011, 5:52 pm

are the doors - suicide?

Mr. Go Slow · Postby **Mr. Go Slow** » March 4th, 2011, 11:09 pm

Just wanted to give an update on my van, white 3.0 duratorq, auto, 4x4, Ranger, TCM, approaching 2 years old. 42,000 k on the odo or thereabouts ...

Problems thus far:

The lock on the driver's door got stuck once and a random guy in a garage popped it loose for free in 2 minutes.

My remote is FUBAR

My tires are bald as arse

That's it ... An fantastic trouble free purchase. Would buy again without hesitation.

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » March 5th, 2011, 7:39 am

^^wow - mines is a year old and i am now hitting 36K - and well - nothing yet - still works like the day i bought it. Ohh - i may need to change diskpads when i hit 40K

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » March 5th, 2011, 2:35 pm

Mine runs like a beyotch still.. 23K old.
The Toyo's and K&N were the best investments I made.

I changes disc pads a few times to get one that works without noise/dust.

The ride in the van is rough, but when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » March 6th, 2011, 4:27 am

^^^! i wish i cud feel d powah!! :\

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » March 6th, 2011, 5:27 am

^^ you could....
from the front passenger seat!!

when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

I know the feeling... but not in a ford

Mr. Red Sleeper · Postby **Mr. Red Sleeper** » March 10th, 2011, 10:12 am

^Then you CANT know the feeling...lol.

only problem thus far is that i had to have the discs machined. handled by warranty.

PariaMan · Postby **PariaMan** » March 10th, 2011, 12:50 pm

Jeremy Mohd wrote:Mine runs like a beyotch still.. 23K old.
The Toyo's and K&N were the best investments I made.

I changes disc pads a few times to get one that works without noise/dust.

The ride in the van is rough, but when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

So what brand pads you settled on?

GEAR_HEAD · Postby **GEAR_HEAD** » March 10th, 2011, 1:34 pm

Jeremy Mohd wrote:Mine runs like a beyotch still.. 23K old.
The Toyo's and K&N were the best investments I made.

I changes disc pads a few times to get one that works without noise/dust.

The ride in the van is rough, but when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

What difference did the K&N filter make, more interested abt mileage...

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » March 10th, 2011, 3:14 pm

PariaMan wrote:
Jeremy Mohd wrote:Mine runs like a beyotch still.. 23K old.
The Toyo's and K&N were the best investments I made.

I changes disc pads a few times to get one that works without noise/dust.

The ride in the van is rough, but when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

So what brand pads you settled on?

The original from the Ranger is the best.
In the firm it is 1300 + Vat for the 4x4's.
ROC has them in stock for less now I believe. (LH said 800 I think...)

At the time I was changing discs there were no originals in stock anywhere.

I tried the BOSCH/MINTEX/WAGNER - all crap.

Got GIC from Bobbys and that works best of all the aftermarket I tried.

I would suggest going with the originals though.

Jeremy Mohd · Postby **Jeremy Mohd** » March 10th, 2011, 3:23 pm

GEAR_HEAD wrote:
Jeremy Mohd wrote:Mine runs like a beyotch still.. 23K old.
The Toyo's and K&N were the best investments I made.

I changes disc pads a few times to get one that works without noise/dust.

The ride in the van is rough, but when you go through some mud/slush/steep hill/sand and feel the power this thing has... sometimes I feel like cryingg

What difference did the K&N filter make, more interested abt mileage...

Mileage-wise, it made no difference to me. I think it made my mileage a little worst if anything...

There is an immediately better airflow which you can actually feel. Almost like the original paper filter was stifling the engine.
My humble 2c is that because there is more available air, the ECU calculates that more fuel is needed to maintain the proper Air/Fuel ratio. Hence you might actually burn more fuel?
Combined with the fact that you now hear the turbo spooling very clearly from inside the van... which makes you want to floor it whenever you get the chance.

Cost: $595 + cleaning kit you will need to buy for 120-140.
I change my air filter at 10K, and would have spent the same by the third change.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » March 10th, 2011, 5:15 pm

^ agree x2 with everything above.

There are two schools of thought however on air-fuel mixtures:

1. Since there is more air available, i.e. More oxygen, the ecu will sense that less fuel is needed to be burnt, since the currently available fuel will burn more efficiently and completely with more O2 around. Hence it should give a leaner mixture.

But on the other hand...

2. More O2 in the air-fuel mixture means the ECU would think you need more fuel supply to match the mapped amount in order to keep the ratios levelled. But this theory is tainted by the fact that drivers will feel the power surge from the engine and would want to floor it more often (just like Jeremy said) - hence skewing the fuel-consumption data to a heavier bias.

Best way to test this is to just drive normally and at the same rate - both with a K&N and then with the stock paper filter. See how the average fuel consumption figures pan out and then make a deduction from there.

I'd try and do that experiment but as it turns out, I'm having too much fun flooring the accelerator and making my turbo-charged engine whistle for me