Well I know I said I was going back to doing just Dodge Cummins. When you have @Honey Badger uncle asking if I can help him change a manual tranny in a Ford Range I thought is small and light should be easy.  Nope. What a pile. So much crap to remove including the front fender shield and the front tire to reach the bell housing, the though to pull the transfer case off... Nope you can get the top 3 bolts. Another time when ford made it so bad it would be better to remove the cab so you can actually reach all the bolts and do it much easier. Since I'm working in @Honey Badger yard it going to be a fun one to finish up. 

I always thought it be nice to have one of those Rangers, a small truck to run around in but, now I don't think so. Ford does weird stuff. Me I'd think about cutting an access hole in the floor instead of lifting the cab.

 Anymore I try to avoid working on ford's unless it's an older one and I know for sure the process for said repair. Ford likes to make things very difficult for us diy people. 

 For example, my daughter has 2 mercury mountaineers. An '07 and an '08. Neither one has a dipstick for the trans.

 We had to replace a leaking fitting on the radiator for the trans cooler. Of course then add some trans fluid to top it off. In order to do so we had to jack up the entire vehicle so it was level then remove a screw in plug to find a tiny dipstick (about 4" long) to add half a quart of trans fluid. To even do that it required a small hand pump that screws onto the oil bottle with a hose. No way you were gonna just pour it in, no room.

 Should have been a 10 minute fix. Nope, hour and a half later...... UGH

26 minutes ago, Doubletrouble said:

 Anymore I try to avoid working on ford's unless it's an older one and I know for sure the process for said repair. Ford likes to make things very difficult for us diy people. 

 For example, my daughter has 2 mercury mountaineers. An '07 and an '08. Neither one has a dipstick for the trans.

 We had to replace a leaking fitting on the radiator for the trans cooler. Of course then add some trans fluid to top it off. In order to do so we had to jack up the entire vehicle so it was level then remove a screw in plug to find a tiny dipstick (about 4" long) to add half a quart of trans fluid. To even do that it required a small hand pump that screws onto the oil bottle with a hose. No way you were gonna just pour it in, no room.

 Should have been a 10 minute fix. Nope, hour and a half later...... UGH

Do you think Ford deliberately engineers these important servicing areas so as to make it tough? I wonder since a DIYer could  spread some fast running news about how great it is to work on a particular vehicle. People would go out looking to buy them with news like that. How can they be so far removed from owners needs?

1 minute ago, JAG1 said:

Do you think Ford deliberately engineers these important servicing areas so as to make it tough? I wonder since a DIYer could  spread some fast running news about how great it is to work on a particular vehicle. People would go out looking to buy them with news like that. How can they be so far removed from owners needs?

 I absolutely believe they do that by request of the dealers. The service departments don't make money when we fix our own vehicles.

1 hour ago, Doubletrouble said:

 I absolutely believe they do that by request of the dealers. The service departments don't make money when we fix our own vehicles.

I can imagine breaking all time sales records if sensible mechanically inclined guys like those on this forum were to design and build a truck the way it needs to be. Just a dream but, cool to think about.

Last night I worked till the sun went down 5 hours just trying to stab the clutch but still haven't got the pilot bearing. Today I'm going back for my 3rd day hopefully get it stabbed and start bolting it up. 

 

Please if anyone sees me drive or working on a Ford please shoot me. Absolutely the worst vehicle made and sold in the USA. 

42 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Last night I worked till the sun went down 5 hours just trying to stab the clutch but still haven't got the pilot bearing. Today I'm going back for my 3rd day hopefully get it stabbed and start bolting it up. 

 

Please if anyone sees me drive or working on a Ford please shoot me. Absolutely the worst vehicle made and sold in the USA. 

Sorry about the frustration Mike. I know things like that go beyond anyone's patience. Sometimes it's best to step away from it for a day or so.

12 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Please if anyone sees me drive or working on a Ford please shoot me. Absolutely the worst vehicle made and sold in the USA. 

 That why I stay away from them if at all possible. Unfortunately, my daughter has the 2 and my niece has 1 as well. Fought with that one off and on for 2 weeks to find out that the cat was plugged up. It exoded 2 egr valves in the process and melted the tps and its harness. What a PITA.

 Good luck Mike, hope it starts to cooperate soon.

Well it's done. Transmission is all bolted out and driveshafts hooked up. What a pain in the . Unbelievable the amount of crap you have to remove to reach bell housing bolts. It was a challenge to get into the pilot bearing too. 4 days to swap transmission and transfer case. I'm taking a day off after 4 days of 12 to 14 hour work days in exhausted.

5 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Well it's done. Transmission is all bolted out and driveshafts hooked up. What a pain in the . Unbelievable the amount of crap you have to remove to reach bell housing bolts. It was a challenge to get into the pilot bearing too. 4 days to swap transmission and transfer case. I'm taking a day off after 4 days of 12 to 14 hour work days in exhausted.

🤣😂🤣👍👍👍I gotta laugh. I feel for you. You sound exactly like me when I did the work on the 6.0 my FIL "blessed" me with. Four 10 hour days laying across the radiator just to make it "reliable". Have I ever mentioned how much I love my 02 Cummins?

One of our camping friends, Dave, has a 4-cylinder Ranger, forgot what year, with 2 sparkplugs per cylinder.   He had a misfire and it set a code P0303 misfire #3 cylinder.   "Sure Dave, I'll just replace the sparkplugs and plug wires".   Right side wires and plugs took about a half hour with compression test.  Left side was over 3 hours to do, what a pain.

@Max Tune, your '02 looks just like my '01. Nice looking truck! 

 It really make one appreciate how easy it is to work on the 2nd gen dodge cummins trucks doesn't it. 

 Glad you finally got it done @Mopar1973Man, was a long tough battle but you finally prevailed. 

Yeah I did. Now Mark he's renting my guest house and he's doing brake job on a Ford car and he's cussing and throwing tools. He's all pissed off spending 2.5 hours screwing the rear caliper piston (driver side) in so can install new brake pads. He asked me to see if a local shop had the tool. Found one and still took him all day to do brakes on that Ford. He's now like me he doesn't want to work on Fords any longer.

 

Another one...

 

I was running up for the final day to work on the Ford Ranger. Turned off on Mission St in McCall ID heading for @Honey Badger place and Grandma in a Ford Explorer nearly rear end Thor (2006 Dodge 3500). FORD - For Only Retarded Drivers.

 

Another one...

 

I was heading up to @Honey Badger place to bring her down for the weekend. I was heading up Goose Creek Grade which is a 7% grade with a speed limit of 45 MPH. I'm cruising Minnie (1999 Dodge Grand Caravan) at about 40 MPH and run up on another Ford Explorer and the driver is cruising 12 to 15 MPH. Stacking up traffic.  5 miles of this bull chit. FORD - For Only Retarded Drivers.

Ya know @Mopar1973Man, I drive fir a living (Car hauler). And it seems that 90% of the time when someone does something stupid out on the road they seem to be driving a ford. I could give many many examples but I'm just waking up and haven't had my coffee yet. Lol

 Now that I'm waking up, I do have to admit......I own 1 ford.

 A 1946 (IIRC) Ford 2N with a Freeman 500 front loader. 

Nice old Ford tractor. I love that old Ford equipment. Back then they made good stuff that people could fix and keep going. 

Yes they did, it's a handy little tractor around here. I use it often even if it's just to pick up heavy stuff so I don't have to. I also pull logs with it to cut firewood. 

4 hours ago, Doubletrouble said:

And it seems that 90% of the time when someone does something stupid out on the road they seem to be driving a ford.

The other 10% are driving a Prius.

 

4 hours ago, Doubletrouble said:

I do have to admit......I own 1 ford.

   All is forgiven

I see no dents in it from flying wrenches, it must be good.

Lets go Branden must drive a ford, did you hear what he called Americans in his speech? I think he should resign as the man is clearly evil and I'm now convinced he is guilty of many treasonous acts. We already have the wild west in the cities, why instigate more. The guy is completely sick.

 I agree 100% ! So apparently if your not on board with their agenda now your an extremist. Most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. This administration is completely out of control and off the rails! 

 Then they keep driving government debt higher and higher and inflation is borderline recession but they tell us it's all ok and normal WTF! 

 Now taxes will go up to pay for all this crap and hurt the working class even more while the college idiots got a free ride and their student loans paid for so they can work at F'ing TACO BELL. 

 HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY ?!?!?!?!