So I bought this little Ranger for a daily driver in the Winter to save wear on my new Mustang, and to basically beat the crap out of hauling/fishing/hunting in the warm months...
It's a 99, 4.0, Auto, 4X4, 145K miles.
I'm the third owner, and I have no clue what the previous 2 did to it maintenance wise. I put a power steering pump on it, a new serp belt, a new battery, and have let it roll...
The only issues I have noticed are:
(1) From a dead stop, the takeoff feels weird...it's like it shifts hard and stutters a bit...but is absolutely fine once it gets up to speed. Shifts smooth and I really don't feel any issues. What's the stutter from a stop? Is it a slipping tranny or a torque converter problem? I'm not a gear head at all, so I really don't have a clue. Could it be something else?
(2) There is a bit of fluid on the rear diff, near the bottom...not enough to even drop much on my driveway...and when I check the tranny fluid it's full. Looking at it, it almost seems to be coming from where the driveshaft comes into the rear diff on the front side and weeping down to the bottom. Any ideas?
What should I do? Tranny flush and filter since I don't know if it has ever been serviced and see what happens?
Thanks in advance for any help!