A few potential faults on the Ford Ranger

Are you the owner of a Ford Ranger 2.2, 2.5, 3.0 or 3.2? All in all only a few potential faults on the Ford Ranger can be highlighted, but do take note of these issues which may be experienced – apart from any other normal wear and tear and routine maintenance.

 

Rear Seatback Latch

Does your Ranger’s rear seatback latch assembly malfunction? Then your vehicle may be among the many that has the same problem. On some double-cabs the rear folding seatback latch spring may break, causing the latch mechanism to malfunction, potentially preventing the rear seat back from locking into the upright position. Have your vehicle’s seatback latches inspected if you suspect this being the case.

 

Air-conditioning, Seat Rails, Turbo Failure and Engine Crank.

Owners complain about the air conditioning and seat rails rusting out. The issue of turbo failure has also been reported and so too a few reports regarding engine crank bearing issues. Even though Ford suggests service intervals of 15 000 kilometres, experience has taught us that it is better to have your vehicle serviced at 10 000 km intervals. SAC is a leader in the commercial service industry; bring your Ranger to us for a quality service.

 

Rear Main Seal

The seal that fits around the rear of the crankshaft (to prevent oil leakage) has been reported to leak oil in some models. Why is this considered to be an issue? Well, the problem is that other leaks can cause oil to drip from this location. A leaking oil pan gasket or even a leaking valve cover gasket can drip down your engine and cause oil drips in this location. It is therefore important to have this checked.

 

Crankshaft Sensor

The crankshaft sensor in some Rangers has an intermittent fault that may cause serious issues. The crankshaft position sensor determines the position and/or rotational speed (RPM) of the crank. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) use the information transmitted by the sensor to control fuel injection timing. If the crankshaft sensor malfunctions, then the following may be experienced:

Slow or uneven acceleration – an inaccurate input from the crankshaft sensor will obstruct the ECU to make the necessary adjustments it should be making.
Reduced fuel efficiency – inaccurate timing information means that fuel injection won’t occur as efficiently as it should.
Engine misfires and/or rough idling
Difficulty in or lack of starting – If the crankshaft isn’t sending a signal to the ECU for fuel to be sent to the injectors, then the vehicle will have trouble starting.

If you experience any of these problems, then it may be time to have some tests done on your vehicle in order to confirm whether the crank sensor is the source of the problem or not.

 

Gearbox slip

There seems to be an auto gearbox issue in some Rangers that may feel like the gears are slipping between 2nd and 3rd and between 3rd and 4th. The sound will be similar to that of a clutch slipping in a manual gearbox (revs hunting up and down and feeling like you are in the wrong gear). This slip is not due to normal torque converter operation, as some may think. Such a slip may be the result of a failed valve assembly, but this – or any other cause – may only be established after having opened the gearbox. If you therefor experience this strange gear change slip, then you need to address this issue by bringing your Ford Ranger to a reputable service centre, such as SAC, for a thorough inspection.

 

Within the above article, potential problems, causes and fixes have been identified as founded on the experience of vehicle owners and repairers, online sources such as discussion blogs, technical service bulletins and SAC experience. This information is provided solely for reference purposes. SAC strictly instruct readers that only properly qualified individuals should carry out repairs and/or modifications on your vehicles. It should also be made clear that the number of times an item is identified within this discussion should by no way be seen as an indicator of a model’s reliability or the frequency with which they may occur. Two of the exact same vehicles, owned by tow entirely different owners, driven in entirely different ways and on different terrains, and looked after in their own unique ways, will each behave differently. As mentioned, this information is provided solely for reference purposes but we hope – in the process of doing so – to empower you with relevant information which may enable you to make informative decisions whenever you experience any of the mentioned setbacks.