Ranger 4 liter

About 6 months ago I purchased a '97 Ranger XLT with the 4.0 liter
engine and 117k miles. So far the engine has run great, aside from a
cracked spark plug. I discovered this news group after buying the
truck, so I didn't have the opportunity to post questions before
buying. So I figure I will ask questions now.

What kind of reputation does this engine have for reliability? Can I
expect many more miles of service from it?

Thanks.

Jonathan

"NHYankBoy" <jscheuch.DeleteThis@labsphere.com> wrote in message
news:67c5f205-6edc-40ff-a02a-b58fed80b5f1@60g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
> About 6 months ago I purchased a '97 Ranger XLT with the 4.0 liter
> engine and 117k miles. So far the engine has run great, aside from a
> cracked spark plug. I discovered this news group after buying the
> truck, so I didn't have the opportunity to post questions before
> buying. So I figure I will ask questions now.
>
> What kind of reputation does this engine have for reliability? Can I
> expect many more miles of service from it?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jonathan

My 92 Ranger 4x2 had a 4.0. I when i got it, there were 56k miles on it. I
thrashed and destroyed that poor truck. I jumped, literally jumped that
truck constantly. My (then) new wife ran it off the road once and raked the
entire right side of a truck with a speed limit sign pole. My dog once got
in it and chewed the shift knob and steering wheel.

The truck would fly in more ways than one, and I'm embarassed how rough I
was on it. I did, however, maintain it well.

Long story short, the thing had 140k hard miles on it when I traded it in,
and I know for a fact that it ran for at least 5 more years after that,
because I'd see it driven around town.

I had the 5 speed manual transmission, and they're not the best in the
world. There are 3 rubber plugs at the back of the shift housing up where
they're hard to see. They tend to rot and then the trans will puke lube
until it scores the bearings inside. Just look for signs of leakage when
you change the oil, and check the level.

Still, I'd rather have the manual than the automatic. That's just me.

CJB