Hello everyone. I'm posting for my nephew's truck. I posted in the welcome forum but now we've pinpointed a few things that need to be fixed and could use the wealth of knowledge from you guys.
A few weeks ago, we found a '99 Ranger XLT 4.0L, 110k miles with the flareside bed for a great deal. It was a bit rough around the edges but seemed like a solid truck overall.
Last week I went over to my sister's house with jack, stands and tools to work on my nephew's truck. We replaced the door lock actuators with new ones and programmed 2 remotes (the truck didn't come with any). I found it much easier to replace the actuators after I removed the latch and door lock and handle rods. After figuring this out, the passenger side was much quicker. Maybe 30 mins.
We also replaced the front rotors and pads. A straight forward job.
I read about the throttle cable but didn't bring any big zip ties so I used a 4" I had in my truck. It still made a pretty big difference. I'll probably replace it next time I go there.
The headlights were a bit yellowed so we wet sanded and polished them. They came out great.
There's a bunch of other things that still need to be done and I thought I'd run by you guys before ordering parts and/or tackling the job for comments, tips and suggestions
1) Oil dipstick. It's cracked where it seals the tube. Dealer part?
2) Rear drums and pads. Anything special I need to know specific to Rangers?
3) Rear shackle bushings. They're old, dried and cracked. What's the best replacement parts? OEM? Aftermarket (if so, brands?)?
4) Shocks. They probably haven't been replaced and the driver's side front is leaking. Any recommendations?
5) Instrument cluster bulbs. The one at the 65mph mark on the speedo went out so I figured we'd replace all of them while we're at it. Found a great write-up here (Thanks!)
6) Steering wheel. The stock wheel seems like the insides deteoriated and at a minimum needs a cover. I thought I could find a good condition used one but they're scarce. What years fit on a '99?
7) Fuel door rubber bumpers. They both fell out and they're $20 to replace. Any other way to fix this cheaply?
8) MAF. Does it need to be cleaned? I'd rather not take it apart if it doesn't need it. The engine seems to run strong.
I think that's most of it for now. Any comments, tips and suggestions are welcome (even smartass ones
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