New To Me 94 Sport RWD Manual - First Things First

[blu_ray]

Hi All.

Was gifted a high mileage (210k) but garage kept 94 Sport RWD w. Manual Trans.

Looking for some advice on maintaining and improving such a beautiful high mileage machine. I'm partial to the stock look of it so lift kits etc aren't my thing. Mostly for city driving and occasional shorter road tripping, camping, etc. I'm eager to keep this running like a top (as it currently does).

Recent work done:
New Clutch plate.
New Wrangler Tires, balanced
Alignment
Plugs and Wires
Heater Core Valve
Fresh oil change to Full Synthetic. - this honestly has made the engine run much smoother and with easier hill climbing and cruising. The old oil was likely conventional and pitch black.
Replaced the driver seat cushion.

Work planned:
Front brakes, rotors, calipers & bearings. - Are the bearings necessary? Repack the old ones? They feel good.
Rear brakes (drums, hardware, pads)
Thermostat? - gauge has been fluctuating
Shocks - looking for recommendations for making this truck ride a little smoother over city bumps, potholes etc.
Idle Control - sometimes will die after the engine starts the first time, but is fine after the second start.
Fuel Filter
New Battery before winter.
Will eventually replace the motor and trans mounts.

Concerns:
Occasionally, getting into first gear is a bit harder than it should be. For example, the shifter will not engage smoothly and requires some 'finesse' especially once the car is warmed up and moving from a dead stop. Anyone have experience in this? Something I can lube up down there or is this a result of a larger issue with the clutch system?

The clutch pedal needs to be pushed to the floor. It was recommended I replace the whole assembly. I've heard common problems with bushings and rods, but i'm wondering if there's an ultimate solution for this. And the ease of the work. Interchangable parts from 1st Gen Rangers to Exp?

Power Steering pump whines but holds fluid

Very thankful for this forum as I've been cruising it ever since I knew I was going to be gifted this auto. Also have the Haynes Repair Manual.

Any other suggestions for this high mileage machine would be appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[kmack]

You say the "clutch plate" was recently replaced... was that the pressure plate AND the clutch disc? The fact your clutch pedal goes almost indicates that one of two needs needs to be done:
1) replace a worn out clutch disc (but depending on your answer to my first question, that may not apply)
2) the clutch master/slave cylinders may need to be bled

I don't know the process for bleeding the clutch system as I've only had one 5-speed a while back and never had to do that, but you should be able to look up the process fairly easily.

 

[410Fortune]

Welcome to EF!

Sometimes will die and then you restart and it is fine?
I would want to check fuel pressure when this happens. Is the check engine light on?

You may have an air bubble trapped in your clutch master cylinder
Check out this video:



Ranger uses same hydraulic system

 

[RangerX]

Hopefully a new slave cylinder was put in during the recent clutch work, AND that it was a quality brand and not a parts store brand. Do you know if it was?
A bad slave cyl is the number one and almost the only issue that these M5OD transmissions have.
Hopefully it’s just air in the line though, and 410s video post will take care of it.
Something else to check is if the pedal bracket is cracked or wearing away at the pivot point. I’ve had to replace my pedal hanger assembly because of that. Also, there are thin plastic bushings in that bracket that will eventually wear away. These two things can steal pedal travel, making it so there is not enough pedal travel to fully disengage the clutch.
Start by wiggling your clutch pedal in a couple directions and checking for looseness.

 

[Roadrunner777]

I would do a search for grease fittings, and there's a slip spline on the driveshaft that should be greased periodically. The sport version has a pretty tight wheelbase, which makes it a joy to park, but you will get more road bounce... and big bouncy tires make it worse. I put Rancho adjustable shocks on and it was better, but this will never have a Cadillac ride. I agree on the fuel pressure testing, and particularly a leakdown test, that is, run the engine, shut it down and see how well it retains pressure. I could see a fuel pump relay causing this too.

Power steering... possibly the wrong fluid was used, possibly driven with low/no fluid at some point. I think I might suck out the old fluid, fill with new proper fluid and see what happens. I'm sorry I don't know off the top of my head what the proper fluid is. Someone else will know, or it's in the forums somewhere.

 

[blu_ray]

Thanks all for the replies.

A little clarification:

A new clutch disc was installed before I received the vehicle. The clutch pedal and mechanism works fine, but I think it either needs to be bled or I need to look at the bushings and for any cracks. There's plenty of resistance and spring in it. Not sure if they looked at the cylinders while they were at it. I'll bleed it and hopefully, that'll resolve it.

No Check Engine light is on 410. What happens sometimes is that the engine revs up to about 1.7k on startup and then returns down so low that it just turns off unless I give it a little gas. If I start it again, it's fine and hovers just under 1k. The previous owner had mentioned I should probably replace the idle air control valve as it's given him trouble in winters past.

I'll look into the vast world of shocks soon.

Thanks

 

[MrQ]

Power steering pump whine is fairly common. Doesn't really hurt anything unless the pump is leaking. Standard power steering fluid is fine, in a pinch you can use ATF.

As for the issues with the transmission, it could have a problem with the 1st gear synchros. I have a little trouble with 2nd and 3rd in mine.
I have always had to press the clutch pedal all the way to the floor to disengage the clutch. 1st and 2nd gear are really PITA's about it being fully disengaged.

If you are going to get new rotors, you might as well get the ones with the races pressed in and change the bearings. They are cheap enough. I would check the drum wheel cylinders to see if they are leaking.

Definitely check fuel pressure with your idle issue; you need to be above 30 PSI at idle and over 40 PSI at WOT. IAC can also cause issues like that, especially if its stuck. Wouldn't hurt to pull it off and clean it.