1988 Ford Bronco II XLT 4X4 2.9L

Summary:

Super truck with too many problems

Faults:

Water pump replaced X3

Engine replaced

Major transmission repair

TFI module replaced

Fuel pressure regulator replaced

E brake cable assemblies X2

ECU module X2

Ignition wiring harness

Muffler/tail pipe X2

Gas tank/low pressure fuel pump

Rotted brake line

Rear shock mount/ shocks

MAF sensor

O2 sensor

Heater core

Front U joint

A/C condenser

General Comments:

I grew very attached to this truck, it fit like a glove.

But the problems were overwhelming and many times I wanted to drive it off a cliff. I took care of it but it gave me grief, you could say it was a love/hate relationship.

I finally retired it when the second engine developed a head leak, possibly a cracked head and the heavy-duty bars leaks stopped working. If it had been more reliable I would have kept it to the grave.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd July, 2008

1988 Ford Bronco II XLT 2.9L

Summary:

Great little 4x4!

Faults:

Battery, clutch, power steering line, fuel sensing system, heater core.

General Comments:

Owned my Bronco II for 20 years now and it has always been my old reliable horse. Wish Ford still made them so I could buy another!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th June, 2008

1988 Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer 2.9L

Summary:

One of the best vehicles I ever owned... without a doubt

Faults:

I had the front rotors turned and new tires on this truck in the time that we owned it. I also had to change one of the automatic hubs.

General Comments:

This truck was one of the best vehicles I ever owned. We bought it 2nd hand with 225,000km on it. We brought our first daughter home from the hospital in it.

I was a bit hesitant at first, due to the high km's, but the price was good and the previous owners had obviously taken care of it. I looked underneath and didn't see any oil leaks or stains. My first thought was, "they just had it detailed." But none the less, there was very little rust and the interior was MINT. So we bought it. As it turned out, the truck really didn't have any leaks.

One of the first things I noticed was the fuel economy. It was great. 32MPG on the highway and 22MPG in town.

The only drawback to this truck came when our second daughter was born. On the passenger side, the seat folded all the way to the dash and made it really easy to get the car seat in the holder (which stayed in the vehicle). But on the drivers side, the seat only went forward a little bit making it very hard to manoeuver a car seat into the back. Not bad for me, but hard for my wife. Good for 1 child, but not 2.

So we sold it. I actually know the guy I sold it to and talked to him in October '06. He said he's had no problems with it and it now has 362,000KM!!! But I see it every now and again and it has a fair amount of rust around the front and rear fenders.

Looking back now, that truck was a great vehicle. Reliable, comfortable, go anywhere (it was a push button 4X4). One of my best vehicles. EVER.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th March, 2007

11th Apr 2014, 22:40

Not once has a Bronco 2 ever gotten 32 MPG, sorry.

22nd Jan 2015, 01:20

3.2 MPG maybe.

5th Feb 2015, 01:02

It's not far fetched to get 23, and not hard to reverse two numbers.

2nd Mar 2018, 14:39

He's Canadian and using metric (imperial) gallons. 32 MPG Imperial is about 26.65 MPG US gallons, which is still great for a B2.

17th Aug 2023, 20:34

Canadians use US mpg, unless they want to impress others and use Imperial mpg. As for the 32mpg, everything is possible if you drive it slower (or much slower). Drive it at 40mph and you may see those numbers.

18th Aug 2023, 19:29

As a Canadian we use imperial MPG, however I’ve become used to Litres/100km

1988 Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer 2.9 litre V6

Summary:

I love it, I hate it; I still wanna keep it!

Faults:

Auto transmission Over-Drive Gear non-functional.

Rear shocks are dead.

Passenger-side rear shock bracket rotted off of chassis. Driver-side, rusted on, cannot remove.

Front shocks were replaced.

Front wheel U-joints rusted/seized.

Water leaks in from I don't know where.

Alternator replaced.

Water pump replaced (before I owned it).

Inertia switch blew causing fuel pump power cut-off (currently bypassed).

Fuse-able link wires fried.

Fuel gauge inaccurate.

Battery replaced a few times.

Random stalling.

Random failure to start (especially after shutting the car off).

Thermostat replaced.

Engine gasket leak (onto exhaust headers causing smoke from burning).

Spark plugs and all distributer wires replaced.

Radiator leak.

Driver's side seat rear support bar broken on inner side.

Replaced tires a few times, currently on 235/75 15" A/T Radials.

Random fuses/lights/etc have burnt out.

I'm probably missing some others...

General Comments:

I have a love/hate relationship with this Bronco as of recently. I have optional sun-visor, hood visor, and diamond-plate running boards. Of course, two tone red/beige Eddie Bauer.

Originally I never liked the B2 series, but after purchasing it in 2003, I immediately got hooked.

It's a great little truck, and although it's given me problems and left me hanging a few times (mostly as of recent), I still have a soft spot for it.

It rides pretty bad due to suspension being totally shot.

Any bumps in road causes car to jump and steer in a undesired direction. (Due to the seized u-joints)

Car guzzles through fuel due to being bad on gas in first place and the Overdrive gear not functioning.

It drives very easily, but does not have much power... Although, my power has degraded quite a bit since first owning it 3 years ago.

Steering is VERY LOOSE. Initially a good thing, but when coupled with a shot suspension system and seized u-joints, it = DANGEROUS! I will NEVER drive this on the high-way again(unless I fix the front end and suspension entirely).

Good looking truck.. Has some rust, clear coat is gone. Paint is OK for age. Not embarrassed of driving it. Looks good when washed and polished.

Unique truck, don't see mom's driving their kids around in it! Looks like a truck. Manly.

Handles a sound system great. Completely re-worked the sound system and honestly it sounds killer. Holds the sound exceptionally well and ALWAYS get compliments on how great it sounds.

It has saved me a few times in snow! The 4x4 has been very helpful and fun! Although it's annoying to engage it (getting out of the car to turn the hubs), it definitely got me out of some situations where I was stuck. Cannot use it for normal driving though, with seized front u-joints, I risk busting the front axle.

Over all I like this truck... I loved it up till a few months ago when it started to fall apart... I'm now looking for a replacement daily driver, although plan to keep the B2 as a project car! I'd love to restore it and make it awesome, or into a 4-wheeler!

I can see where it runs for ever, if you are willing to put a little cash in it. It gets by on normal maintenance, but it can benefit from a little extra TLC! Considering it's an American vehicle and 18 years old? I'd say it's doing pretty good... I can see it lasting quite a bit longer if I can just fix what still needs to be fixed.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th October, 2006

1st Feb 2010, 17:38

I just bout a 1988 model with 104000 miles on it. It was parked 7 years ago because the clutch went bad, and I plan on restoring it a little at a time.

11th Mar 2010, 18:27

I've got an 88 Bronco Two. I would trust it anywhere, it doesn't skip a beat, but every Ford I ever had didn't skip a beat. If it ain't a Ford, you're very close to walking. Don't think I don't know what I'm talking about. I've driven all of them; nobody's even close, and I am a mechanic by trade.

13th Mar 2010, 12:46

"I've driven all of them; nobody's even close, and I am a mechanic by trade."

I guess you were able to keep your Fords running then?

17th Oct 2011, 04:15

I was with my grandfather in 1988 (I was 13), when he bought a new 1988 Bronco II EB edition with 3 miles on it. He gave it to me 2.5 years ago before he passed away. It's in great shape, 1 small rust spot (easy fix). It has all the trimmings on it. I am in the process of restoring it 100 percent. Are you still working on yours?

Chris

clane1975@gmail..com