*UGH* (Please move post if you feel it belongs in another spot)

1996
XLT Ranger
2.3L


Ok............. I have seen some really neat mods/fixes and some really bad head scratching ones. The ones i have found on this truck are up there in the, "You have got to be kidding me division". Here is the list so far.


Exhaust: There was no muffler about 8 pieces of exhaust put together with self tappers to complete the exhaust. Decided to pull it apart and you would never guess what i found. 4ft of window screen in 6in sections rolled up. It does make sense how it worked, but probably not the best way to fix it. Missing CAT as well.



Hanger bearing (center support bearing): Just a little info for everyone. There are 23 different front driveshafts for 1995-1997 Mazda/Ford B2200/Ranger and 2 different sized hanger bearings for the 1996 2.3L Ranger. Yes, i am sure it is for quite a few different years as well. One is for the front drive shaft with a 1.250 OD where the bearing sits, and the other (MINE) 1.181 OD. Went to Oreilly's and bought a hanger bearing for my truck because it was vibrating really bad from 40-60mph. At slower speeds i could hear this tinking like a loose washer somewhere under my truck. Figured out the tinking once i climbed under and looked. Yet again another finding that was done with no common sense. Just so everyone knows the big washer looking thing that comes with the hanger bearing is actually a shield to protect the bearing from getting hit and protected from dirt, sand, ect. If it is not attached when you buy the bearing you have to take the bottom plate off, remove the bearing, put the shield on the FLAT side of the bearing (not the "v" side), and put it back together. This was not done because they thought it would get tightened up when you put the yoke back on. The bearing is installed with the shield facing the front of the truck for deflection.
All the information above was not known until 2-3 days after trying to install the damn 1.250 bearing on a 1.181 and found out that the bearing i purchased was the correct box, but the WRONG DAMN BEARING. Got the correct bearing, installed it, and OMG she drives like a new truck.

Firewall Forward: Truck has been wrecked. Tried adjusting the hood to where is is somewhat uniform, but done with no luck. Although it is better than what it was. Drivers side, from front of the door to the bumper is 1" shorter than the passenger side. Front drivers side of the front clip is bolted correctly to the frame, but......... oh yeah there's the but you were looking for. The passenger side is held together by? Can you guess what it is held together by?.........An............8............Inch....... .....Long..............3/4..............Inch............OD................. ..POST NAIL!!!!!!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me? Really? It is being used to pull the passenger side towards the drivers side to kinda make it look straight.

*Face Palm* Oh don't worry. I am sure i will have more for you guys. I am getting ready to change the shocks on this bad boy. Oh! passenger drive axle rim bolt face is bent. need to replace that as well. The reason I bought the truck is because it does not leak any fluids except for the steering fluid and the oil stays that nice semi-translucent brown like fresh oil, and the timing belt has been replaced.


Still having issues with the BRAKES clunking while going down the road. It is intermittent and doesn't do it all the time. Could be related to the bent axle rim face.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my fun adventure with this truck and stay tuned for more to come. I hope someone finds the information within the plethora of retardation useful.