Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Ford Ranger III
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BTW, if anybody has any experience burning E-85 in their Ranger, I'd like to know how it does. It was one of the things about the Rangers that got me interested in them. I've always wondered how cars really ran on ethanol and what the long term effects were. Ethanol seems to have a lot of pluses as a motor fuel. From what I can gather, the problems people had in the 80's with gasohol (90% gasoline, 10% ethanol) were carbeurator materials and contamination problems, not a inherent fuel problem. I the fuel system is designed to burn it, you should have no problems.
Sad to see the manufacturers drop standard flex fuel support. Hopefully, when we get a new president(who ever it is), we'll get a *real* energy policy in this country.
Historical Tidbit - When Henry Ford first started building Model T's, the infrastructure of motor fuel supply was not yet in place. Ford sided with ethanol as the perfect motor fuel since it aided the farmers. All Model T's had a switch on the carbeurator to allow the owner to change the jets to burn ethanol or gasoline. Of course, the Gettys and Rockefellors soon sealed the fate of ethanol and we're all still burning gasoline. (A mixture of different weight hydrocarbons with octane as the chief component, with various chemicals added to improve emissions, fuel system cleaning, and anti-knock properties. Ethanol is a single chemical and has all these properties with no additives needed.)
http://www.therangerstation.cjb.net/
check it out, I have found tons of useful info there!
Anyone else experience poor gas mileage like this?
I would however document and keep all paperwork or letters to this matter. Ford will try everthing in their power to disuade you or forget you. Keep calling the service manager along with the area manager. Most states have lemon laws, try your state or local government. Keep the ball rolling, keep the pressure on.
The 3.0 liter motor has the oil filter right next to a motor mount and directly above the starter! The clearence between the end of the filter and the shielded brake lines is about 2". After the big socket is slipped over the filter, there is no room to insert the 3/8 wrench into the hole of the socket.
Some one from the factory has put that mother on so tight, that I can't get it off. I change oil in our other vehicles so I'm no newcomer to this stuff.
I've also found some things around the motor mounts that were just laying there...not connected to anything but look somewhat important. One of them turned out to be the battery terminal cover! The other looks like a (pvc?) valve/diaphram of some kind. I am really disappointed...
What in the world was Ford thinking of when they put this together? Force you to go to their place everytime you want the oil changed?
Also, on my 1998 Ranger Ford put in a very nice feature. I have a small funnel just under my oil filter. Attached to the funnel is a tube leading right to the ground. This has proved to be quite nice and cause a heck of a lot less mess. What year is your Ranger?
On all oil changes since the first, I just stuff rags up under the funnel and around the starter to avoid the mess. The funnel is a nice idea, but mine doesn't work. Still, some of the oil runs down the filter housing and makes it down the drip filter tube. Better than my previous truck, a 93 F-150, where it all runs down the cross member, most of it in an inaccessable area to wipe off. And better yet than a Porsche 944 Turbo where the oil filter is mounted *upside down*, so you use *lots* of rags sopping up that mess!
My factory original oil filter was tight too and I also like the ratchet style oil filter wrenches that mount as a cap over the end of oil filter, but as you say, there isn't enough room for the ratchet. I just used the old reliable strap wrench and lots of grunting. As a last resort, you can drive a large, long screwdriver through the filter and use it to turn the filter. Messy, but always works on the stubborn ones.
Oily in GA.
And, I'll take it to the shop and have them change the filter. I hope they don't charge me for their time...seeing how the factory put the first one on so tight!
They can also tell me what the little valve thingie is that I found loose under there is. They can also replace the battery terminal cover that fell off.
I still think, for a best selling truck like Ranger, that the person who allowed the filter to get situated in such an awful location should be hung up by their toes! I wonder how many persons have almost been shocked while farting around near that starter. I guess I may need to disconnect the power before changing the oil on that beast.
Ben
http://www.blueovalnews.com/
they have great up to the minute news about what is happening in the Ford community.
Ben
http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?vehicle_id=238&press_section_id=398 (bottom of page, towing capacity)
http://www.mazdausa.com (click on B-Series truck, twin of Ranger)
The Specs/Features pages lists the following specs for the new 2.3L:
140hp at 5050rpm
155ftlb at 4050rpm
This is vs. 119hp and 146ftlb for the current 2.5L. No EPA MPG figures yet.
I'm looking forward to test-driving a 2.3L 5sp in the spring.
As far as the 4x4 not engaging. The Ranger uses a pulse vacuum system to engage its front wheels. There is a solenoid involved in this circuit. I would be willing to bet either your vacuum system has a leak or the solenoid is sticky.
Allknowing, I really did a job on you didn't I? I must have deflated the "Toyota is god" bubble down to zero. I have not posted once in the Tacoma troubles room, why are you in the Ranger room? I would be willing to bet you didn't know half the things I told you about your Tacoma, the bad crash test ratings, inferior interior ratings, open axle, how useless the TRD system is on the Tacoma, how you paid way too much for some Bilstein shocks and springs and that sticker..
or here:
http://www.fordranger.com/offroad.html
I have not had the problems you talk about with my 99 XLT 4X4. Living in Colo too I take it up in the mountians often. Got mine in Aurora at Naughton Ford and thus far have been pleased.
The Ranger is a Truck, the Escape is a mini-SUV based on a car frame. If you offroad, tow, pull, haul, get the RAnger. If you just use light offroading, ski trips and so on the Escape will do just fine. If you have kids get the Escape..