2001 Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is a range of pickup trucks manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North and South America under the Ford Ranger nameplate. Introduced in early 1982 for the 1983 model year, the Ranger is currently in its fifth generation. Developed as a replacement for the Mazda-sourced Ford Courier, the model line has been sold across the Americas; Ford of Argentina began production of the Ranger for South America in 1998. Through its production, the model line has served as a close rival to the Chevrolet S-10 and its Chevrolet Colorado successor (and their GMC counterparts), with the Ranger as the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004. From 2012 to 2018, the Ranger model line was retired in North America as Ford concentrated on its full-size F-Series pickup trucks. For the 2019 model year, Ford introduced a fourth generation of the Ranger (after a seven-year hiatus). The first mid-size Ranger in North America, the model line is derived from the globally marketed Ford Ranger (revised to fulfill North American design requirements). The first three generations of the Ranger were produced by Ford at its Louisville Assembly (Louisville, Kentucky), Edison Assembly (Edison, New Jersey), and Twin Cities Assembly (Saint Paul, Minnesota) facilities; the final 2012 Ranger was the final vehicle produced at the St. Paul facility. The current fourth-generation Ranger is manufactured by Ford at Wayne Stamping & Assembly (Wayne, Michigan). Ford of Argentina produced the Ranger in its General Pacheco plant from 1998 to 2011; it replaced the North American–designed version of the Ranger with the current Ranger T6 for 2012 production. For the 1998 model year, a third generation of the Ranger made its debut. While visually similar to the previous generation, extensive upgrades were made to the chassis, suspension, and drivetrain. In line with the larger F-150 and Super Duty trucks, SuperCab Rangers gained the option of two rear-hinged doors for 1999, becoming the first model line in the compact truck segment to do so. Several variants of the Ranger were derived from this generation. Ford of Argentina introduced a crew-cab variant of the Ranger for South America in 1998; the Ford Ranger EV was the first electric vehicle produced by Ford in the United States. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac mid-size pickup truck shared its wheelbase (and some components) with the Ranger. The 2011 model year was the final model year for regular sales of the Ranger in North America; following a short run of 2012 production exclusively for fleet sales, the final vehicle was produced by Twin Cities Assembly on December 15, 2011; the 2012 Ranger Sport SuperCab 4×4 was the final vehicle produced by the facility.[10] Chassis specification The third-generation Ranger received a redesigned frame; replacing full-length C-channel construction, the frame rails forward of the firewall became fully boxed.[26] Coinciding with the larger two-door cab, wheelbases were lengthened, with the model line offered in 111.6 inches (two-door, 6-foot bed), 117.6 inches (two-door, 7-foot bed), and 125.9 inches (2+2 door SuperCab, 6-foot bed).[18] As with the two previous generations, a rear-wheel drive configuration was standard; on four-wheel drive, front-wheel hubs were vacuum-locked from the dashboard.[18] From 2001 onward, the vacuum-locked front hubs were replaced by front hubs that were permanently engaged to the front axle.[26][27] Following the 1995 Ford Explorer and 1997 Ford F-150, the third-generation Ranger abandoned the long-running Twin I-Beam front suspension, introducing a short/long-arm (SLA) configuration.[26] To further improve handling, recirculating-ball steering was replaced by a rack-and-pinion steering configuration.[18] Powertrain From 1998 to 2001, the standard engine for the Ranger was a new 2.5 L version of the Lima four-cylinder, with the stroke increased by 7 mm (0.28 in) over the previous 2.3 L unit. Additionally, a higher-flow cylinder head using narrower 7 mm (0.28 in) valve stems was fitted and eight crank counterbalance weights were now used instead of four. With the larger displacement and other changes it now produced 117 hp (87 kW). The optional 3.0 L Vulcan V6 and 4.0 L Cologne V6 engines carried over. During the 2001 model year, the 2.5 L engine was replaced by a 2.3 L DOHC engine (later also used by the Ford Focus). The same year, the Ranger adopted the overhead-cam version of the 4.0 L V6 (originally introduced in the Explorer). Following the 2008 model year, the 3.0 L V6 ended production, the Ranger having been the sole vehicle offered with the engine by that time.