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Ford Transmission Problems - READ ONLY

46 messages,  Last post on Apr 29, 1999 at 4:59 PM

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Messages Page 5 of 5

#37 of 46 stanford by stanford

Feb 03, 1999 (4:38 pm)

That sounds like a heckuva lot of money for an '89 Ranger. Down here, you can get a nice condition '89 F250 with a 460 for that kind of money. A Ranger would be much less.


Assuming that its an XLT with a LWB and the big engine, in perfect condition with every option offered, the Edmunds Used Truck Guide puts the maximum price (retail dealership) at $7630. A more realistic price (wholesale, ie: private seller) would be $5017, again assuming perfect condition with every possible option.


Over $2000 of that price is credit for low mileage, which puts it close to half the base price of the truck (unlikely). I wouldn't expect to pay more than $5000, and for that much it'd better be immaculate.

#38 of 46 workingman by workingman

Mar 11, 1999 (5:03 pm)

My Ford Ranger has been a lemon. Here's the
details: 1990 2wd XLT longbed. 4 cyl auto. Used
almost always as a commuter vehicle. Bought from
the original owner with 49K. Tranny went at 53K.
Rear end(!)went at 57K Tranny went again before
60K (rebuilt free). Fuel pump went about 70K
leaving me stranded and requiring a tow. Engine
went at 88K leaving me stranded and requiring a
tow. Paint begin flaking off the roof, hood, etc
at 65K. Tranny went AGAIN at 108K. Oil has been
changed faithfully at 3-4K (4K max). In addition
battery, brakes, tires, exhaust, ABS ($$$) module
all went. It is (I still own it) by far the single
most expensive vehicle I have ever tried to keep
running reliably. As a contrast - I bought a 1984
Mazda SE5 pickup new for about $6K and drove it
159K without even changing the clutch. Ford Ranger
again? No thanks! I'll get a Nissan or Toyota.

#39 of 46 diver by diver

Mar 22, 1999 (10:51 pm)

We currently have a 91 Chev 3500 Scottsdale Extra Cab 4x4. It has over 230k miles on it and is on it's third tranny with the first one being a factory recall. We have always been Chevy people but are now considering Ford. You don't find too may F-350's on the used car lots as opposed to the Dodges. Any advise and whether gas or Diesel is better? Truck is used for towing, contracting work, and will run about 50k miles per year.

#40 of 46 cdean by cdean

Mar 23, 1999 (2:49 am)

i would advise going with a Ford or Dodge diesel. I would also advise getting a manual transmission. For the amount of pulling you do and the amount of miles you put on, a diesel would be more economical, and a manual trans would hold up better.

#41 of 46 marty [formerly Gator6] by marty

Mar 24, 1999 (1:18 am)

Hopefully the "jump out of 3rd gear into neutral" dilemma is solved. Found a dealer,Santa Fe Ford, Alachua, Fl. that ran a diagnostic parameter check on my 94 F250. Found and replaced a faulty TR sensor for the trans. So far so good. No big test yet but overall feel of trans. is better. About $215. Worth it if problem is solved. Problem posted Nov. 14,1998 as Gator6

#42 of 46 re: ranger by impwizard

Mar 29, 1999 (10:27 am)

i had a 93 ranger XLT for 6 yrs, never had a problem. only an oxygen sensor and a switch connected to the head lights. Otherwise no problems.

#43 of 46 tcube by toan

Apr 07, 1999 (7:11 pm)

hi, I'm thinking about buying a new truck...I have a 1990 toyota truck now...and it's been giving me problems...(engine overheat when not moving...when moving then it's ok... also my transmission is slipping.) I'm thinking about a Ranger or Dakota..what do you guys think I should do??? Buy a new truck or fix the old one?

#44 of 46 rdrunner by rdrunner

Apr 18, 1999 (9:22 pm)

tcube,




   In 1998 I compared the Dakota, Ranger, Nissan, and Toyota trucks. Here's the BS I went through and maybe it will help a little with your decision.


    At first I used the sticker price when comparing the aforementioned trucks. All trucks were loaded as loaded could be except for the manual tranny (I hate driving automatics). All were extended cab 4WD as well. Anyway, the Toyota Tacoma was 27k, the Dakota was 25k, the Ranger was 23k, and the Nissan was about 20k (except they didn't have a V6 at the time).


    I wound up with the Ranger for the following reasons: I was able to buy it for less than invoice ($18,500), it drove very well, and the 4WD system is the nicest I've used. Other reasons were that the Toyota dealers were (all of them) arrogant, stuck up, and they wouldn't deal on price at all. I also found out that Toyota was, and to some degree still is, having terrible problems with head gaskets. I passed on the Dodge becasue it was over 4k more in cost (and the V6 4WD was a dog...a V8 is requisite equipment in this truck), and V6 or no, the Nissan is a joke as far as a truck is concerned.


  I ordered a Ranger the way I wanted it and it arrived with build quality similar to Japenese vehicles. That's where the pleasant experience ended. My Ranger turned out to be a piece of crap. It was assembled very well, but parts quality seems to be a problem. I owned it 6 months with the dealer having it half the time. Several clutch actuators had to be replaced, the rear brakes locked up anytime it rained or snowed, the tranny got hosed up after the second actuator replacement, it had interior material quality problems, and something that just plain blows up here in the northern climates is that ALL Rangers have a problem with defrosting the right side of the windshield. It would get so bad during heavy snows that I coulkd only see out the driver's side and the wiper would freeze to the base of the windshield. BTW, they never could fix the problems my truck was having, so I got rid of it.


  The short story is that I wish I had bought the Dakota. It appears to be a much better truck overall even thought the 4WD set up is stupid. Even though they say it's shift on the fly, the extremely short 4WD knob is on the floor under the dash. Try shifting to 4WD while moving and you'll be picking pedestrians out of your grill.


  The moral is they're all expensive and none are perfect. However, 90% of the people I know who've owned a Ranger have equated it with a form of fruit which is yellow in color..........if you know what I mean.


Good Luck!

#45 of 46 walshjp by walshjp

Apr 20, 1999 (2:38 am)

I just bought a 97 F150 XLT with a 4.6L eng. I get a slight vibration that feels like a timing problem. This happens in P,N,and D. The dealer gets no error code with a computer scan and they loosened and retourqued the engine mounts. Anybody had similar probs?

#46 of 46 Katmandu by Katmandu

Apr 29, 1999 (4:59 pm)

TCUBE - scrap the Toyota. They're great until things start going wrong. The repairs/parts will kill you. For the cost of an alternator you could make a payment on a new truck. I only buy american for just that reason. There is a percentage of vehicles (foreign and domestic) that are just LEMONS. Unfortunately some people actually plunk down hard earned money on 'em and get burned vowing to NEVER BUY THAT BRAND again. But in reality, they make a judgement off of ONE vehicle. My mom had a Bronco II (please don't laugh) and everyone she knew thought they were junk. Well 200K miles later, she traded it in on a new Crown Victoria. What's my point? Other than replacing the Auto tranny at 108K, she only did routine maintenance. That was a decent vehicle.

Messages Page 5 of 5

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