Well gang, I recently bit the bullet and sold my trusty old 2005 Nissan Patrol (4.2 td), I really didnt want to, BUT I did.
I have since purchased a 2018 Ford Ranger Px Mk II with 67,000 kms on the clock and I must say immaculately looked after. Im told by someone who knew the owners that it has been nowhere and only used as a family vehicle.
Enough of that. Are there any persons here that have a Ford Ranger and can give me useful tips or hints about these vehicles. To me its like a Rolls Royce after the old, but very reliable Patrol.
I have some people advising me to get a scangauge (or similar) to keep an eye on some of the temperatures if using as a tow vehicle (which I will be).
If you dont want to tie up the forum, feel free to send info via PM
Cheers and enjoy yourself wherever you may be. Im currently as a place on the south coast NSW called South Durras
Another vote for the aftermarket transmission cooler.
There are a couple of things to look out for on the Ranger but you can get all information & advice from the forum at www.newranger.net
With any recent turbo-diesel that does heavy towing I think it's worth having an Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) gauge. I know that after many years of heavy towing I installed one and immediately found that the combustion temps were getting quite high on long steep hills, but I could easily reduce them by modifying my driving style slightly.
You can get very cheap EGT gauges which are fine altho I opted for the very expensive Redarc gauge as it has an alarm. The Redarc one also has a boost gauge (not terribly useful in my opinion) and provision for a transmission temp reading all within the one unit.
Cheers
Rod
The need for a transmission cooler is a solution for poor driving style.
As Craig pointed out S4 choice is the based on the correct gear choice, and that is the gear ratio closest to 1:1, many people spend money on addons like Tranny Cooler, Lockup kits, remaps etc because they prefer to just stick it in drive and leave it there. Or when they encounter hill they pour on more throttle to arrest the slowing speed to keep up with the traffic, shaving off 20kph driving up a steep is not a problem you may fing you are using less fuel.
Best solution is to learn an uderstand which mode is the best for your size van
The need for a transmission cooler is a solution for poor driving style.
While driving style may help a little, that is not enough to keep the system cool when you are really working it hard.
I have a PX2 3.2L Ranger and if travelling on a long trip, the rig is close to the GCM limit of 6,000kg. I do not have a cooler fitted. On the highway, ATF temperature has never been a concern. Ford thermostatically controls it to 100 degrees. On hot days, the temperature may climb to 105 degrees or so on hills, but quickly drops again.
It is only those long and very steep hills that risk overheating. In about 25,000km towing there have been a handful of occasions where the ATF was getting above my comfort zone. The Alpine Way, Talbingo, Dorrigo Mountain and Thunderbolts Way are the only ones that were a problem, and then only on hot days. All long and very steep.
I thought of fitting a cooler, but with such few occasions decided it was no drama to pull over for a few minutes. Some have limited opportunities to pull over, so plan ahead.
