The Reason for this Blog

My old Ford Ranger is a 1995 XLT with the 2.3 liter engine and the 5 speed manual transmission. The truck sat in the driveway for a year and a half while I was between jobs. This blog is about my experiences replacing brake lines and replacing the clutch.

I always liked this truck even though it had some of those strange electrical issues. Like the dome light staying on and the door ajar buzzer going off for 30 minutes. Or the intermittent wipers spraying fluid at high volume and high speed for no apparent reason while passing with the sun in my eyes – that's an experience I'll never forget. By the way, the dome light / door buzzer issue seems to be fixed by spraying WD40 in the driver door latch assembly. Found this tip on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts site. It's strange, but it seems to work.

The engine runs great but I knew there was something wrong with the clutch as occasionally I couldn't get it into gear after driving it for 30 minutes. When this happened depressing the clutch pedal was very difficult. There was also a lot of slippage and it took forever to get the truck up to highway speeds. I started to look around for a good used truck to replace it, but I couldn't find anything better for cheap.

So I came up with the idea of pushing it into the garage and working on it as a winter project. It might give me something to do to ease the cabin fever that is my typical Michigan winter. I'm no mechanic but I'm fairly handy. I purchased a Haynes repair manual and most of the tasks looked like something I could do. How hard could this be?

My goal with this project was to get the truck running with a minimum of cost and time (isn't that everyone's goal). Just fix what needed to be fixed and don't make the repair more difficult than it needs to be. Just get the truck back on the road.

I got started by doing a lot of research with Google and asking questions on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forum (www.ford-trucks.com). As I researched the repair procedures I was compiling my own list of ideas. As I got started I decided to keep a journal of what I was doing. This is my way of keeping projects organized and also as an aid to stay focused. I attempted to detail my experiences and observations. I also took a crap load of pictures of what I was doing.

As I stated prior I'm not a mechanic, and do not have a lot of experience doing auto repairs. By I am fairly clever and like a challenge. Sadly I'm not a very good writer so you will have to be patient with me. My eye sight is also poor and Microsoft Word likes to change the spelling of random words on me.

I'll try to put this blog in chronological order. The whole project started in late December of 2009. I got the truck repaired and running again on June 1^st, 2010. I wasn't in any hurry and my rule for this project was fairly simple; I would work on a task until I couldn't control my anger any longer and started to cuss and swear and just short of the urge to throw tools around the garage. I would then stop for a few days to ponder what to do next.

Also, before you try to duplicate anything I did please read through the complete blog. Frequently I did something, wrote about it, but then found a better way later on. Sometimes I just made major blunders that I didn't realize until later.

The reason I'm creating this blog is a way to say thanks to all the great guys and gals at Ford Truck Enthusiasts (www.ford-trucks.com), and to Nate McCullough from Expertvillage. Without their tips and suggestions I couldn't have completed this project.

I'll try to get all of my entries posted within the next week or two. Hope this helps.

Just George

(the name is a spin-off from the movie "Jewel of the Nile")

Now for an Important Disclaimer… I am not a mechanic. There are a lot of safety tips that are detailed in the Haynes repair manual. My guess is that a truck on jack stands could slip off and kill you. With that on my mind at all times I was very careful to not have this happen to me. I bought new, stronger jack stands before starting. I felt that $30 was a good investment. Also, locating good support points in the front of the Ranger is a challenge. Unlike the rear of the truck, I just couldn't find locations that were solid to the frame. I kept my jack stands as close to the front wheels as I could. I also used 2 other stands placed in various spots as backup in case something shifted. I cannot guarantee your personal safety. Nothing in this blog should be considered a guarantee or approved method. Stay safe. Follow all shop safety procedures. Wear eye protection, dust masks and gloves and don't take chances.