'95 xl reg cab 4x4 5 speed 2.3l

[Tbars4]

..I've parked the Ranger..


...Everytime I go to put the grinder to it, it decides it's time for maintenance..I decided to give the Ranger a week to think about it so I put it in time out..:

 

[mounty71]

I've been feeling the same way recently. I'm ready to do some upgrades, but it seems like the truck is resisting! What's the grinder for this time?

 

[Tbars4]

..I still need t find the time to install the F150 shock towers and then sneak the Atlas into it..

 

[Tbars4]

..I drove the Ranger for the first time today after my offroad trip in the X and about a couple weeks...

..I had to learn to drive it all over again as it has gotten so different from my X...


..I also swapped out the rear disc pads as they were shot..The Ranger is all better for now...at least for a little bit...

 

[Tbars4]

..I forgot to put in here that I am using the Pro Stop pads this time..I've had these on several of my trucks and they have worked well but the reason I am now putting them on the Ranger is ease of finding them close to home and inexpensive price..

..I bought a set for the fronts this weekend and when I pulled the drivers side front wheel and the pads were at least 50% still..

..I threw it back together but later got to thinking I better verify the front right side too..I hope to do this this weekend...

..I think the short life to the rear pads were due to not getting the same pads as the front as where I got them from was out of the high quality stuff and I was left with their third choice for the rears..

 

[Tbars4]

..I had some free time yesterday to tinker on the Ranger which mainly consisted of doing a good MAF cleaning..

..A couple things I also noticed was the intake tube was loose at every connection except the throttle body..

..and when checking my fluids inside my radiator now needs a cleaning..Not only this but it appears the lower radiator hose and 3 heater hose lines have been leaking..

...and it's definitely time to chnge the oil..

 

[Tbars4]

..I swear they either use a roulette wheel or throw a dart to see how much my Ranger registration will be..

..Registration was $105 this year and I didn't have to do smog..

...I also just paid up my vehicle insurance and my AAA so I'm good for at least one tow of 200 miles...I might just have to take a small trip..

..:scratch:..Now where did I put that front drive-shaft and gear oil for the pumpkin?..:shifty_ey

 

[Tbars4]

..Still haven't found that front drive shaft yet but...

..I got to run the truck on highway hills today with head winds and the new gearing works out perfectly..It is so nice to be able to pass Semi's on these hills in the wind instead of having to fall in behind them..:biggthump

...and..:scratch:..If I were to take a little trip in the Ranger to go camping, I would have to find a cooler since the fridge got "built-in" to the "Project X"..

..Is a Waeco CDF-40 a good replacement for a Styrofoam cooler?

 

[Tbars4]

..I wound picking it up for a buck and a half and it has the Danfoss Compressor..

..Here are a couple pics from the original ad..

 

[4x4 Ranger 4Cyl]

...Hahaha...Apparently the pin-striping on the Ranger is a little more noticeable than I thought..

...I come out of an REI this afternoon and there is a card on my drivers door from a color sanding/scratch specialist...Normally I wouldn't think anything of it but when I looked around I noticed none of the other cars had a card on them..

...So I looked around again and for fun I found the nicest, fanciest car in the parking lot and I put the card on their vehicle...I bet the owner of that car is still in the parking lot looking to see if there is a scratch on his car...

Haha. That cracks me up.

Also, that White Lithium Grease is the jam. Great for noisey shifter linkages.

 

[Tbars4]

..I bet they are still looking for that scratch..

..and be careful with that lithium spray as it last on whatever you
get it on for a long time..I've got it on my bumpers and it's still there, both painted and chrome...I should probably try and wipe it off but I call it a test in progress..:

..And I had some time this morning to chase down my coolant leaks and repaired the issues..

..Write-up to follow soon on these repairs..

 

[Tbars4]

..Hopefully this weekend I can do some more constructive updates to include..

Moab trip 2013 with still somewhat stock suspension and height
The testing of a bunch of new parts while there(33 tires, the wheels, RA's, etc)
My Carnage at Moab
What I found needed improving

..it will also include some of the projects already underway since this I got home from this trip and hopefully I will get started on my previously mentioned write up..

..Stay tuned..

 

[Tbars4]

..Well, I got 21.17 MPG on my best gas on the Moab trip so I was pretty happy about that..

..With my current set-up it's kinda all over the map at home and it is really sensitive how I use the skinny pedal anymore..At home I range anywhere from 15.5-18.5 mpg..

The Moab trip was more of a clearance run to let the current setup do it's own self clearancing and also turned into a Bam fest on one of the trails as I landed on the tiregate about 8 times coming off some ledges..Thanks Brian1..:..

..Other than hitting both diffs lightly, (once each) I managed to miss every skid plate but I did land on one of my rocker panels..

..then landing on my driver's side RA, sliding down it a bit, and took a zerk out (my fault on having the zerk in)..

..and the rear tires stuffed alright but they chewed up the plastic fender clips both front and rear of the tire as well as redefined the sheet metal a bit..(a little worse in person)..

...so some current mods are in the works..
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=385851

..All in all the Ranger did great

 

[Maniak]

<snip>

..Other than hitting both diffs lightly, (once each) I managed to miss every skid plate but I did land on one of my rocker panels..

..then landing on my driver's side RA, sliding down it a bit, and took a zerk out (my fault on having the zerk in)..

<snip>

Are you going to just cut off the rocker panels and weld in some rectangle tubing? That is the idea I'm kicking around now for this off-season mod.

If you take out the Zerk fitting what are you going to put in there to keep dirt/crap from getting in the threads? So far I've been lucky and haven't caught my zerk fitting on the ballistic joints.

~Mark

 

[Tbars4]

..Until this trip I never really thought about trimming the rockers..

..If I do start to trimming and I probably will in the future, I will also trim the bed both in front of the tire and taper it up to the bumper at the rear of the rear tire..Then I will more than likely be adding the Trail gear sliders that are weld on's for Toyota's..

..as for plugging the zerks, I would use these (found at most any hardware store) with a little thread sealant to keep the threads clean and them in place for wheeling and between greasing..I'll start carrying spare zerks just for maintenance..

 

[Brian1]

I use set screws like you have pictured to plug the zerk holes in my driveshaft ujoint on my Jeep and they work great at taking the rock rash.

Confirmed that your rocker was straight at the TOTW overlook so it happened on the way back down.

 

[Tbars4]

..I think we both had some Bang on the way down from that Bang trail..


..And a Big Thanks to Randall's Wife as I now have a couple videos of the Ranger from the Moab trip..

..The "Car Wash"..


..and 'Jeep or Ranger ? - You Decide"..

 

[Tbars4]

..Before I forget, I had another issue arise when in Moab..

..This had happened before but always wrote it of that it was the front driveshaft rubbing on the cross member on full droop..The cross member is no longer there to rub on so that's not the issue..

..It appears that when the drivers side front droops, that axle shaft spins within the hub and it whir's..As if at full droop, it is actually pulling itself out of the hub as if the shaft is to short and possibly stripping out that hub..

..This is something I need to remember to look into..

Edit:..Now I'm wondering if perhaps it is the ARB up front (not on) that is ratcheting but if it is, it is pretty dang noisy..:scratch:

 

[Scott B.]

I don't think the driver's side axle can pull out of the hub.

However, the u-joint on the passenger side axle can bind. Perhaps at full droop you have maxed out the flex in the joint...

 

[Tbars4]

...Bite your tongue..:

...I'm hoping to get more travel both ways in the future...

..But it really sounds like a shaft spinning in an auto hub..