Hey guys thanks for the add!
Just bought a 94 ranger last week after getting rid of my 2016 f150 ecoboost. This is kinda a project truck for me.

I need help figuring things out and i been searching and watching videos all over and i think this post will be the fastest way to gather the info i need.

First off thanks to all who help and 2nd im sry if im breaking rules im not exactly sure how the posting on forums go.

Ok so i got a 94 ranger regular cab 2wd automatic transmission with a 3.0 in it. Now im not sure what trim level it is becuz it doesnt say on the truck. Im thinking its a splash because i have the flareside bed but theres nothing on the truck that says splash. No xlt badging so i dnt know. Help figuring that out would be great. I tried looking it up thru the vin but that didnt get me no where either. Also the truck has burgundy cloth interior. The seats have electric lumbar adjustment and another one for the back of your legs, i forget what its called. Sadly I got a few more issues too.


The one im most worried about is the motor. Its making a knocking noise mostly only audible around 2300 to 3500rpms. My thoughts where rod bears, flexplate, lifters or accessories.

So far trying to diagnose the noise i have done the following. Load checked each cylinder by removing plug wires one at a time and when i did the knocking sound never changed.

I used my stethoscope and probed around the motor, pulleys, valve covers, intake manifold, oil pan and where the flexplate is. And the only place where i could really hear the knocking louder was near the water pump. I also removed the serp belt and ran motor and knock was still audible.

After that i drained 1 quart of oil and added a quart of lucus oil stabilizer. Removed oil looked clean, no metal particles i could see. Started truck and the knock has quieted. I have a endoscope cam i was going to stick in inspection hole to look around the flexplate but being that the knock quieted after thickening the oil i concluded that it wasnt a flexplate issue and must be internal engine issue.

2nd issue is the transmission. It shifts fine driving down the road but whats happening is it isnt going into 1st gear. Its like it starts out in 2nd. If i put it in 1st and give it gas nothing happends it feel like the torque converter is free spinning, you can feel it trying to engage but it never does.

If i put in any other gear the truck goes, but not fast like theres no power. But reverse has the power it should have so i know its not a power issue. I was thinking maybe a blowout in the trans valve body gasket but i watched a video with a guy who had the same exact problem and he changed his gaskets, fluid and filter and it didnt help the issue of engaging 1st gear so im not sure although he could have done something wrong.

Anyway thats what i need help with if anyone wants to chime in with their opinion please do and thanks. Sorry for such a long post i just wanted to be thorough from what i have concluded so far.

I never heard of someone getting rid of a new truck for one with bad problems. Sounds like you need to swap out the engine and transmission.

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