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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / January 200998 Ranger 4x4 inop
A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 Ranger V6. When he got it back, it idled high and the check engine light was on. I looked it over and found an open vacuum port between the heads on the back of the intake. Plugged it and his running problems are solved. Then the next day he calls and his 4x4 is inop and his heater won't change modes correctly. At the time I plugged the vac port off, I looked for the hose that ought to be connected and couldn't find it. So, on Christmas day I was over at his place and we checked out the truck again. I found the vac line from the axle to the reservoir under the battery, and traced the lines from there into the firewall near the heater. I can't find a disconnected hose anywhere, and the Chilton's book he's got is next to useless in this case. The only thing I haven't checked was anything coming from the transfer case. I was dressed too nice to crawl under it in the dirt the other day. Anybody know where the vac line for the 4x4 goes from the intake?  SignatureOld Crow '82 FLTC 'Pearl' '87 FLTC 'Fugly' '61 F-100 BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM > A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 Ranger > V6. When he got it back, it idled high and the check engine light was on. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > under it in the dirt the other day. > Anybody know where the vac line for the 4x4 goes from the intake? So I have the '99 Ranger and have been looking through my Haynes manual - in case it is better than the Chilton one. It says that the thing that does the 4X4 function is the transfer case. Both it and the Chilton Manual tell me that the inputs to the transfer case are electric and mechanical only - no reference to a vacuum line or input anywhere. Not wanting to get slapped around too badly just now, can I ask whether you are certain that there is a vacuum input to the transfer case? Are you absolutely certain there is not an electric input that you have unplugged? Or is the '98 really tat much different from the '99 Ranger? The Haynes manual does talk a little bit about the electronic input to the transfer case, with some photos, and if it helps I am willing to risk prison for copyright violation by copying and making a *.pdf of the relevant pages (5) for your info - if you cannot easily get a copy of the Haynes manual where you are? H. >> A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 Ranger >> V6. When he got it back, it idled high and the check engine light was [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > H. Hell, no I ain't sure, that's why I asked. :-) I worked for GM for 18 years and I know a lot about them, but not so much about Fords. I do know this truck has vacuum hubs and they aren't getting any vacuum. I also know he had an open vacuum connection on the engine. On the S-10s there is a vacuum switch on the t/case that controls vacuum to the front axle actuator. I don't know if the Ford has anything like that. He took it back to the loser that he had do the heads and the guy just kinda scratched his head and said he didn't know. I don't know either, but at least I didn't pull it apart and put it back together without knowing. Does your book have a pic of the vacuum routing for the front hubs? That's what I really need. That and a dry floor so I can crawl underneath and get a better look. SignatureOld Crow '82 FLTC 'Pearl' '87 FLTC 'Fugly' '61 F-100 BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM > >> A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 Ranger > >> V6. When he got it back, it idled high and the check engine light was [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > what I really need. That and a dry floor so I can crawl underneath and get > a better look. Well, there are about three pages about the "Pulse Vacuum Hub Locks", and there is a picture of the hub locks with what might be a vacuum line at the top of the photo. Also it sounds like changing this thing is about equivalent to open heart surgery for the complexity of special tools required. However, if you are not changing the hub locks you might find something in the description that you would find useful? Maybe? (And according to Haynes, the hub locks are the same for the 1998 and 1999 4WD Rangers, so the information appears to be relevant to you.) If I want to email you, can I use the hotmail account that is shown on your header? (Assuming you want this thing, that is...) I hope it is not a dial-up connection, as the file may be big. H. if you dont mind I would really apreciate that info also, ive got a 2000 ranger with the same issue thanks in advance cracker_98@hotmail.com In article <0a905960-7f47-4743-9577-46543335bec8@e10g2000vbe.googlegroups.com>, > if you dont mind I would really apreciate that info also, ive got a > 2000 ranger with the same issue > thanks in advance > cracker_98@hotmail.com Not at all. According to my Haynes manual, though, the 2000 model Ranger was a cross-over. Some had the pulse vacuum hub locks and some didn't. If yours did, the information may be of use to you. HR. >> >> A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 >> >> Ranger [quoted text clipped - 78 lines] > > H. I gotta change that. Use walliscrow@yahoo.com I gave up on hotmail, just use it for IM. Thanks a lot. SignatureOld Crow '82 FLTC 'Pearl' '87 FLTC 'Fugly' '61 F-100 BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM > >> >> A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 > >> >> Ranger [quoted text clipped - 81 lines] > I gotta change that. Use walliscrow@yahoo.com > I gave up on hotmail, just use it for IM. Thanks a lot. This morning - after a good nights sleep so I was more alert and conscious - I decided to go look at my truck and see what was going on for myself. What I found was: 1) There are three lines connected to the inside of each front wheel. Two face front; one faces rear. 2) I am pretty sure that the one heading toward the rear of the vehicle is the hydraulic line with the brake fluid connection. 3) Of the two lines heading to the front of the Ranger from the top part of the front wheel, it looks like on is electric and the other looks like a hose - probably your vacuum line? (Picture your way entitled "Inside Front Hub from Front".) 4) I tried to trace the two lines. One goes to a point immediately in front of the tire and just inside the bumper and if you get on your back you can see that it appears to plug into a receptacle. I'd bet that is the electric control telling the hub to switch in and out of 4WD. The other one - the hose- as far as I can tell seems to go to a manifold or something that has cooling. This thing is located immediately below the pulley that is the crankshaft at the front of the engine, and seems to be mounted to the I-Beam or some other support structure? It has a cooler and I cannot find any description nor a photo in either the Chilton nor the Haynes manuals, but I see the vacuum lines heading for it and wonder whether it might be related to the vacuum system? My Ranger has the 4.0 litre V-6 with the standard 5-speed transmission and A/C, and I don't know what that cooler would have to do with anything else. The A/C rad seems to be in the main engine rad? Anyway, there is a photo on its way to you of this thing, entitles "What" I hope this helps. Good luck with the repairs. ( You will fond some specs on the amount of vacuum required to switch the hub \s in and out in the Haynes write-up. HR. >> >> >> A riding buddy of mine had somebody do the head gaskets on his '98 >> >> >> Ranger [quoted text clipped - 135 lines] > > HR. Sent you an email last night. Text seems to indicate a vacuum solonoid back on the transfer case somewhere. I'm thinking that there should be a vacuum supply line to that solonoid. and I'll bet that's what's unhooked. I'll have to go crawl under the thing, I guess. SignatureOld Crow '82 FLTC 'Pearl' '87 FLTC 'Fugly' '61 F-100 BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM I’ve got a 98 Ranger as well, which I bought with inoperable 4x4. I did a ton of research on the vac pulse system. I’ll try to summarize what I learned. 1) The system is junk. It debuted in 98 & was phased out to a live axle version for 2000 (2K was a mix/match year, could have either or). 2) Sometimes when the 4x4 won’t engage through normal use, driving in reverse for a while (we’re talking hundreds of yards, not a few feet) will get it to engage. 3) For a while it was very common for people to do live axle swaps from 2000, 2001ish (forget the year it stopped being a relatively easy exchange) to get around the vacuum pulse system. 4) After a while of #3, a company by the name of AVM came out with a manual locking hub for the 98-2000 ranger. They can be run in “locked” mode with the transfer case disengaged, giving you the same result as a live axle swap, with 4x4 engaging right when you engage the transfer case. This is nice because you can actually engage the 4x4 when stopped, (stuck) rather than having to anticipate needing it. If you know you won’t be using 4x4 for some time (say you’re not into 4 wheeling and it’s summer) you can switch to “free” on the hubs, getting slightly better gas mileage. I personally leave them on “locked” all winter and whenever I’m off-road, giving me instant- engaging at the transfer case. One more fuel conscious or who used the 4x4 less could leave them free all the time and get out of the truck to lock them when 4x4 was needed. 5) The hubs are very reasonably priced – from what I recall the pair costs about what 1 of the junk vac lock hubs cost from Ford. 6) The install is quick and easy. I installed them on my truck in about an hour for both. It was by far the best modification I’ve made to the vehicle to date. 7) The ranger station forum is a huge help for things like this, and has a ton more info on the vac pulse system and the AVM hubs. Personally, I can’t recommend the AVM hubs enough. On Dec 31, 9:01 am, "DanK...@gmail.com" <DanK...@gmail.com> wrote: > I’ve got a 98 Ranger as well, which I bought with inoperable 4x4. I > did a ton of research on the vac pulse system. I’ll try to summarize [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > has a ton more info on the vac pulse system and the AVM hubs. > Personally, I can’t recommend the AVM hubs enough. Here's a link showing how the hub swap works. Should give you an example how simple it is. http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/AVM_hub_swap.htm Also, that article mentions the center caps not fitting over the AVM hubs. This must be different depending on the type of wheel you have. My stock center caps fit over my AVM hubs just fine. I don't have a picture of my front wheels handy, but if you're considering this route and would like to see pics of the wheel, center cap and AVM hubs on my truck I could take a couple pics tonight for you. In the mean time I can tell you that my front wheels match my rears, and the rear can be seen in this pic http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J7-jdYhlR0Smqa--mO-N7w?feat=directlink or http://tinyurl.com/7qmb9l. I'd say if you've got a 98 with wheels that look like those, the center caps should fit fine. Also, you mention this is a riding buddy. Perhaps this buddy is into off-roading? The pulse lock hubs are particularly susceptible to mud. I have been running the AVMs for a couple/few years now, through all sorts of mud, buried at times, submerged in muddy water more times than I can count, etc. I’m not easy on my truck. At all. In fact, in the above linked pic you can see what I refer to as a “tree shaped body modification”, which I got sliding sideways down a snow bank into a tree in the woods. I’ve had failures of control arms, the drive shaft itself, CV joints, and tires. I’ve been pulled out of the mud by other trucks, and with my come-along and chain. I’ve not had a single hesitation or failure to engage 4x4 since I installed these hubs. On Dec 31, 9:01 am, "DanK...@gmail.com" <DanK...@gmail.com> wrote: > I’ve got a 98 Ranger as well, which I bought with inoperable 4x4. I > did a ton of research on the vac pulse system. I’ll try to summarize [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > has a ton more info on the vac pulse system and the AVM hubs. > Personally, I can’t recommend the AVM hubs enough. Here's a link showing how the hub swap works. Should give you an example how simple it is. http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/AVM_hub_swap.htm Also, that article mentions the center caps not fitting over the AVM hubs. This must be different depending on the type of wheel you have. My stock center caps fit over my AVM hubs just fine. I don't have a picture of my front wheels handy, but if you're considering this route and would like to see pics of the wheel, center cap and AVM hubs on my truck I could take a couple pics tonight for you. In the mean time I can tell you that my front wheels match my rears, and the rear can be seen in this pic http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J7-jdYhlR0Smqa--mO-N7w?feat=directlink or http://tinyurl.com/7qmb9l. I'd say if you've got a 98 with wheels that look like those, the center caps should fit fine. Also, you mention this is a riding buddy. Perhaps this buddy is into off-roading? The pulse lock hubs are particularly susceptible to mud. I have been running the AVMs for a couple/few years now, through all sorts of mud, buried at times, submerged in muddy water more times than I can count, etc. I’m not easy on my truck. At all. In fact, in the above linked pic you can see what I refer to as a “tree shaped body modification”, which I got sliding sideways down a snow bank into a tree in the woods. I’ve had failures of control arms, the drive shaft itself, CV joints, and tires. I’ve been pulled out of the mud by other trucks, and with my come-along and chain. I’ve not had a single hesitation or failure to engage 4x4 since I installed these hubs. Nah, that's riding, as in motorcycle riding. We do a bit of fooling around back in the National Forest during the winter, but we're not what you call serious off roaders. He'd just like the 4x4 to work when he's gotta go haul hay out of his back pasture. What with the uncorked vacuum port on the manifold, I guessing the "mechanic" who did the heads just dropped the vac line down where it can't be seen and forgot about it. The system worked fine before the engine repair. SignatureOld Crow '82 FLTC 'Pearl' '87 FLTC 'Fugly' '61 F-100 BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM > <DanK...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 83 lines] > '61 F-100 > BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM I figured riding as in dirt bike riding - myself and my dirt bike buddies tend to do some serious playing with out trucks as well. If it's a simple as reattaching a vac line, do it up and best of luck to you. If you do end up needing to replace a hub (as these things fail often) even down the road, keep the AVM swap in mind. It's an improvement on and off road. Best of luck, and let us know how it turns out. |
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