Ford Ranger - Free doesn't really mean free...

 Welcome to a simple blog detailing my 2000 Ford Ranger, 5 speed, 4 cylinder build.

Free to me from family,  but as we all know, nothing is ever really free. If I were to try and run it as is just because it starts up, it'd be dead in short order. I want to bring it back correctly. If I spent $4000 on a used Ranger near me I'd still be looking at replacing brakes, suspension components, doing all maintenance items and fixing random interior items as these trucks are notoriously beat on. It's so hard to find owners who keep up let alone keep track of the maintenance they do. So "free" still means hundreds of dollars in parts a lots of work still. Let's see how solid we can make it. 

It does "run and drive", in fact, it made it from Las Vegas to SoCal in 2022. I'll detail what it takes to make this truck not just move but, hopefully, make it a solid, reliable, comfortable truck that I feel confident giving to my 16 yr old daughter to get her through high school. 

A family member had this Ranger for years, and it faithfully took him through life from OH to the CA, then AZ, NV and beyond. He kindly gave it to my 16 yr old nephew as a "first project truck" in 2022. I did initial work on brakes, upper control arms and rear shocks, and a junkyard seat foam fix. Unfortunately it sat as he lost interest in wrenching. Now in 2026 it caught my daughter's eye as a cute little truck for High School and beyond. 

After sitting or several years with occasional trips, it was dead. The battery was replaced, and it fired up. As we get ready to transfer title it needs to pass smog in CA. It will not complete the OBDII sensor cycles right now due to some engine needs, so that's where we'll dive in. 

So here is the rundown: 2000 Ranger, manual, single cab, fleet side, 2WD 2.5L. 250,000 miles!

It's got a good bit of typical wear, not an exhaustive list.

External: failing clear coat and paint on roof, hood and rails, spots of surface rust, deep scratches, hail damage, rust holes in driver rear fender, river door alignment issue, cracked windshield, Bent front bumper, missing bumper valance, frosty headlights, and random blinker issues.

Interior: busted armrest, missing carpet trim, ripped and missing driver seat foam, sticky locks, sticky steering wheel, loose radio, sloppy/rattling shifter, ripped carpet and rusty driver floor, door card pads failing, slow hard seatbelts. General dust and dirt.

Suspension: some rusted components and panels underneath, exhaust spliced together, tailpipe rusted off muffler and muffler hangers rusted to nubs, heat shield rusted through, all bushings bad, shocks bad, steel wheels missing center cap.

Engine: General dirt and oil crust, seems to idle well, Heater vacuum line broken, A/C weak, won't show temp on gauge, thermostat may be stuck closed, radiator fluid rusty, not sure if water pump is pumping internally, no heat, noise from belt pulley area like a bad bearing or water pump. Stumbles when throttle closes after revving then slowly comes to smooth idle. Wont come up to temperature, shows 140 deg on scan tool. Wont complete drive cycle on OBDII.

I replaced in 2022: - Front upper control arms, front brake calipers pads and soft lines, rear shocks, rear brake drums and shoes, (left cylinders due to rear lines stuck), changed oil and some fluids.

That's the basic rundown so far!