Is the Ranger the Hilux we've been wanting?

[shade]

How about those old Toyota RV's!? Always thought those dually's were cool with the full floater axles.....

Custom 4x4 Toyota Sunrader Build

Here is our Sunrader Build. First picture is what we started with, second is close to complete! Build: Custom Dana 60 W/5:38s and ARB AIRLOCKER 1984 Toyota Solid Front Axle W/5:29 22RE with 5 speed manual ARB front bumper 9000LBS Warn Winch 2x Hella 50w Driving Lights Bushwacker Fender flares...

www.expeditionportal.com

Dana 60 rear axle, still running a 22RE.

 

[AbleGuy]

Yeah, I know, this story below isn’t about their trucks, but after reading yet another example of how this company deals with critical vehicle defects, how the heck can any of us have the confidence that buying the new Ranger won’t be more of the same? I’m shopping for a midsized 4WD and otherwise really like the Ranger, but....I’m more than a bit concerned that owning it might wind up being a similar experience to the complete misery I suffered when in 1986 I bought a new Ford 1/2 ton 4wd with the big 6 cylinder engine and a tranny that failed THREE TIMES in less than the first 12 months of ownership!!! Transmission reliability seems to be a too frequent, reoccurring issue here.

Another very sad story about Ford, continued known problems with their trannies...and their disappointing initial response to the issues.

Ford's Dual-Clutch Transmission Continues To Be A Disaster

(link to full story)
“Ford’s dual-clutch transmission, code-named DPS6 and used in its Fiesta and Focus, has been troubled for years. It’s the subject of a potential $4 billion lawsuit. It had Ford secretly telling dealers to fix it. Worse, Ford reportedly knew it was bad for years and failed to make fixes. Ford said today it would be extending warranties on some Fiestas and Focuses because of it, in what has surely been an utterly humiliating episode for the Blue Oval.”

 

[nickw]

Personally I think 1600lbs is fine for a midsize. That's similar to many full-size half tons. I just want it to hold up. I feel the Colorado and Tacoma wear out fast. The Ranger is to new to know. I am curious about Ranger mpgs with a 2" lift and 33s. My 5.7 Tundra gets the same milage as my 2nd gen Tacoma did with 33s.

Yeah, I know, this story below isn’t about their trucks, but after reading yet another example of how this company deals with critical vehicle defects, how the heck can any of us have the confidence that buying the new Ranger won’t be more of the same? I’m shopping for a midsized 4WD and otherwise really like the Ranger, but....I’m more than a bit concerned that owning it might wind up being a similar experience to the complete misery I suffered when in 1986 I bought a new Ford 1/2 ton 4wd with the big 6 cylinder engine and a tranny that failed THREE TIMES in less than the first 12 months of ownership!!! Transmission reliability seems to be a too frequent, reoccurring issue here.

Another very sad story about Ford, continued known problems with their trannies...and their disappointing initial response to the issues.

Ford's Dual-Clutch Transmission Continues To Be A Disaster

(link to full story)
“Ford’s dual-clutch transmission, code-named DPS6 and used in its Fiesta and Focus, has been troubled for years. It’s the subject of a potential $4 billion lawsuit. It had Ford secretly telling dealers to fix it. Worse, Ford reportedly knew it was bad for years and failed to make fixes. Ford said today it would be extending warranties on some Fiestas and Focuses because of it, in what has surely been an utterly humiliating episode for the Blue Oval.”

I'm not a fatalist and never get worked up over bad stories....everybody has had bad experiences with [insert vehicle make] being the worst. With as much cross pollination manuf. have these days, most, if not all current vehicles are pretty damn good. The new Toyota Supra for instance shares engine with BMW, so certainly couldn't lump that car in with the historic Toyota reliability since it doesn't share a common lineage with any of them...although I wouldn't question it's reliability.

The new Ranger is a risk, its a first year vehicle. I'd say it's a very small risk, which is why I bought one. The engine has been around 4+ years and raced hard, tune and abused, it stands up well. The Transmission is very closely related to the 10spd Ford uses in other platforms and has for years. They have a global ranger that's been out for several years with durability data they had to draw from. Based on what we do know like fully boxed frame, off the shelf Ford interior components, same rear axle as a Jeep Rubicon, manual E-brake, it leads one to believe it's at least built to a good standard.

How all those parts play is another story, time will tell, but relative to a newer super high tech rig with an unproven drivetrain I think the risk is really low.

I had a 1996 F150 1/2 Ton with the big 6 and 5 spd manual. Loved that combo. I am assuming yours was an auto?

 

[AbleGuy]

I had a 1996 F150 1/2 Ton with the big 6 and 5 spd manual. Loved that combo. I am assuming yours was an auto?

Naw, back in ‘86 it was a manual and I think only a 4 spd.

I know using only one sample size is a somewhat unrealistic statistical model for decision making...but I had such a horribly bad time with that tranny (supposedly it had plastic springs inside it that kept busting!?!) that I’d pretty much sworn off Fords since then (completely ignoring the fact I now own and love my F-350 Tiger).

But the tranny on that ‘86 POS completely broke down on me three separate times during the summer I bought it, on my first trip up to Alaska. I drove over 12,000 miles on that trip and by the time I got back home in Arizona (after my third breakdown in Everett Washington), the 12k mile warranty had expired so any further failures would have to paid out of my own pocket.

I sold that POS once back home and bought the funnest truck I ever owned...a sweet little, manual tranny 4wd red Nissan ex-cab, that for years took us without any problems all over crappy backroads in the woods in the Rockies, even on unplowed snowy roads. Reflecting on those fun days driving the smaller truck is what has me now shopping once again for a midsized 4wd.

(Oh yeah....the other big headache I had with this sad excuse of a motor vehicle was the straight 6 would not run properly on regular gas....the engine would knock like h*ll on hot days, and would rattle and diesel when shut off after a long day on the road. The only fix I could get to work marginally was I had to put 104 Octane boost in the tank regularly)

 

[nickw]

Naw, back in ‘86 it was a manual and I think only a 4 spd.

I know using only one sample size is a somewhat unrealistic statistical model for decision making...but I had such a horribly bad time with that tranny (supposedly it had plastic springs inside it that kept busting!?!) that I’d pretty much sworn off Fords since then ( ignoring the fact I now own and love my F-350 Tiger).

But the tranny on that ‘86 POS completely broke down on me three separate times during the summer I bought it, on my first trip up to Alaska. I drove over 12,000 miles on that trip and by the time I got back home in Arizona (after my third breakdown in Everett Washington), the 12k mile warranty had expired so any further failures would have to paid out of my own pocket.

I immediately sold that POS once back home and bought the funnest truck I ever owned...a sweet little, red manual tranny 4wd Nissan ex-cab that for years took us all over crappy backroads in the woods in the Rockies. Reflecting on those fun days driving the smaller truck is what has me now shopping once again for a midsized 4wd.

Fair, that sort of experience would ruin it for anybody. Those old 4spd trannies were supposed to be bulletproof....

I think the trannies in these new ones are the least of your worries. I have close to 10k on my Ranger all good, but I've also put 70k on a couple Audis, 60k on a newer VW, no problems.

My most unreliable rig was my FJ40, go figure, but it was the oldest too...

 

[Buliwyf]

I don't think the Focus woes are a fair example of the Ranger.

DCA's are very expensive. Adapting one to an economy car was a fools errand from the start. Possible, but way too ambitious.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Fair, that sort of experience would ruin it for anybody. Those old 4spd trannies were supposed to be bulletproof....

I think the trannies in these new ones are the least of your worries. I have close to 10k on my Ranger all good, but I've also put 70k on a couple Audis, 60k on a newer VW, no problems.

My most unreliable rig was my FJ40, go figure, but it was the oldest too...

The old 4 speeds are the stuff of legends, the Borg-Warner T19 was also used in Jeep and IH trucks. The T18 (same thing but unsyncronized first) in dad's '80 F-350 was a tank.

Ford truck manual transmissions and transfer cases are historically made by someone else other than Ford. Borg-Warner and New Process were big back in the day, late 80's they went to Mazda and ZF for transmissions and BW for t-cases. It was common for transmissions/transfer cases to be used by more than one make back then too.

 

[Hilldweller]

...

Ford truck manual transmissions and transfer cases are historically made by someone else other than Ford. Borg-Warner and New Process were big back in the day, late 80's they went to Mazda and ZF for transmissions and BW for t-cases. It was common for transmissions/transfer cases to be used by more than one make back then too.

I had a 2000 F-150 regular cab, short bed, vinyl bench seat, vinyl floor, crank windows, manual trans.
The thing was flawless the entire time I owned it. Trans was pure silk.
Whoever bought that after I traded it in got a creampuff.....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I had a 2000 F-150 regular cab, short bed, vinyl bench seat, vinyl floor, crank windows, manual trans.
The thing was flawless the entire time I owned it. Trans was pure silk.
Whoever bought that after I traded it in got a creampuff.....

I have the same trans in my Ranger, I pulled it out of a beat 04 F-150 Heritage in a JY. I almost walked when I saw the gooseneck hitch in the back but 4wd 4.2 transmissions are really hard to find so I rolled the dice since it took me two years to find this one. 3/4 shift collar was worn for some reason (an idiot put a gooseneck on a V6 truck) but the bearings and syncros looked new. New input shaft (part of the 3/4 shift thing) and 3/4 slider, a seal kit and I am very happy with how it shifts/runs.

They are not a super heavy duty trans (bigger trucks got the ZF) and not super sporty for racing but for a middle of the road transmission they are pretty nice.

 

[nickw]

I have the same trans in my Ranger, I pulled it out of a beat 04 F-150 Heritage in a JY. I almost walked when I saw the gooseneck hitch in the back but 4wd 4.2 transmissions are really hard to find so I rolled the dice since it took me two years to find this one. 3/4 shift collar was worn for some reason (an idiot put a gooseneck on a V6 truck) but the bearings and syncros looked new. New input shaft (part of the 3/4 shift thing) and 3/4 slider, a seal kit and I am very happy with how it shifts/runs.

They are not a super heavy duty trans (bigger trucks got the ZF) and not super sporty for racing but for a middle of the road transmission they are pretty nice.

Is that the 5 spd Mazda trans? If so I loved the one in my 96' F150...

 

[Hilldweller]

Is that the 5 spd Mazda trans? If so I loved the one in my 96' F150...

I'm pretty sure I had the Mazda.
No grinding ever and never a problem with that truck at all. 24 mpg with the six.
I used it for work as an electronics field service engineer; just the right size for parts and tools.
If it got dirty I just hosed it out and dried it with a towel.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Is that the 5 spd Mazda trans? If so I loved the one in my 96' F150...

Yup. 87-08ish F-150's all had the Mazda for a manual trans.

 

[Hilldweller]

My Jeep's manual is hideous...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My Jeep's manual is hideous...

What kind of Jeep?

The discovery that you can get a manual in a Gladiator peaked my interest in them enough to build one online and discover they don't all cost $60k

 

[Hilldweller]

What kind of Jeep?
...

2014 Wrangler Unlimited 6 speed.
I still adore the thing but it's really the worst manual I've ever driven.