1986 Ford Ranger sc 4x4 2.8

Summary:

1986 Ford Ranger 4x4 SuperCab truck is the best truck on the market

Faults:

Paint started to oxidize at 200,000 miles.

My Transmission went out at 250,000 miles.

My rear end went out at 310,000 miles.

General Comments:

1986 Ford Ranger 4x4 Super-Cab truck is the best truck on the market, I am the second owner. When I purchased the Ranger it had 86,000 miles on.

The first time that I had to tune it up was at 120,000 miles.

The second time I tune it up was at 250,000 miles and at that time the transmission went out and had to get another one. At a price tag of $1,200.00 for a factory rebuilt.

When the truck had 310,000 miles the rear end went out and I replace it with an 8.8 at a cost of $250.00. This truck would go anywhere, 8" of snow and only in two wheel drive and all of the other trucks in four wheel drive and some even with chains on.

I have had the truck bed load up with lumber from the bed to the top of the canopy.

I take the truck on a hunting trip twice a year, at a distance of about 300 miles one way.

That's hauling a trailer full of hunting gear (16'x24' army tent, poles, wood stove 30 gallons of water, 10 gallons of gas, tarps, shovels, chain saw, ax, and the back of the truck full of food and cloths).

The truck has lost some power that it use to have, but over all not bad for now having 351,000 miles. The original battery went bad after 13 years.

Rangers are the best.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2003

13th Mar 2003, 21:06

I have a 1987 Ranger with 186,000 miles on it and it is still running great with the original engine. It is amazing that you were able to get over 300,000 miles on yours.

9th Sep 2005, 02:14

I have an '86 ford ranger 4X4. It is in pretty bad shape. I am looking to fix it up, put all new in it. I need everything from carpet to a tailgate. Does anyone have any ideas or know of any good sites where I can get all of this?

Thanks

Jessica.

1986 Ford Ranger Extra cab 3.1

Summary:

Awesome truck!

Faults:

At 210,000 kilometers I replaced the starter.

General Comments:

When I bought this truck everyone laughed at me because of the year and because it was a ford! 4 years later I have put a whopping 50 dollars into it for a used starter! The body is rusty and that's my only complaint. I can honestly say that this is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned! It has 388,000 kilometers on it and it's still going strong!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th January, 2003

1986 Ford Ranger XLT 2.9 EFI

Summary:

Not something I would recommend

Faults:

The clutch went bad in the first month I owned it. This cost me over $400 including parts and service to fix.

The muffler and tailpipe needed to be replaced, but this didn't do much to quiet down the truck. There are many gaskets in the exhaust system and almost all of them leaked.

The cruise control didn't work. I could not find the cause of this problem, but didn't take it in to get it fixed as it wasn't of any importance to me.

The air conditioning didn't work either, but along with the cruise, I didn't get it fixed because it wasn't that important.

The shocks needed replacing which was relatively cheap and easy to do.

The front brake pads, lines and hoses all needed replacing.

The front side vent windows leaked.

The oxygen sensor needed replacing which proved to be difficult after it was rusted to the exhaust pipe.

The fuel filter needed replacing which took 4 hours to change and 3 O-ring gaskets.

The throttle position sensor needed changing.

General Comments:

The front seats of the interior were very comfortable, but the seats in the extended cab are small and uncomfortable. These are best left to small children.

There was a lot of interior wind noise due to the poor sealing windows. The carpet also isn't very well insulated and lets in a lot of exterior noise.

The truck has very poor traction without 4x4 in the wet or snow.

The 2.9L engine has good performance up through the first 4 gears, but fifth gear lacks power.

The 2.9L isn't a very fuel efficient engine. I observed 18-20 miles per gallon on the highway and 15 if I was very lucky in the city.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th February, 2002

26th Feb 2002, 18:45

OK I don't know what you think but we have a 87 and have had no major problems. I also think the 2.9 has good performance through all gears. Ours is a 2x4 and has pretty good grip in mud and snow.

11th Oct 2002, 10:44

The truck might have been a lemon. I suggest that you test drive the new rangers to see how you like them. They should do better than your older truck. I own a 1987 Ranger and mine does fine in the snow or rain and it is a 4 by 2.

1986 Ford Ranger XLT Ext Cab 4x4 2.9L

Summary:

Buy one!

General Comments:

Been an extremely faithful truck. It has provided good service, and still is liked by all my friends. It looks good despite the paint work needed. I would love a '00 F-150.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2000