2001 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 Automatic Transmission. 168,000 miles.
The engine head gasket is starting to fail. Noticed milky emulsion in the oil fill port when I recently changed oil. Surprisingly no water noticeable on the dipstick yet. Researching online forums it seems like replacing the head gasket is NOT the best solution, so considering a remanufactured engine.
Also, the transmission has an issue in 1st/low gear. It accelerates and changes fine, but going down hill at low speed in first gear, it does not hold back the vehicle. It just runs free as if the transmission is in neutral. Had significant oil leaks from front and rear shaft seals but from watching Scotty's Tube videos, I found AT205 reseal and that mostly solved the oil leaks, but no change to the low gear issue. So presumably that is not due to a worn internal seal.
Bottom line, is it worth replacing both the engine and transmission with remanufactured units, or is it time to let the truck go to rest in piece?
Fraser Engines and Transmission get good reviews. Does anyone have experience with their remanufactured products?
How's the rest of the truck? Body in good shape with little rust? Does it have alot of electronic issues? Suspension/ steering components?
Engine & trans replacement is a big job (and expense). But looking at the costs of vehicles today, its not a bad idea. Only if the vehicle its going into is in good shape, and someone who knows what there doing is there/ doing the work.
Thank you. When I bought the truck in 2009, out of necessity, it was clear it had a tough life on the Texas dirt roads. Over the years I've fixed a lot of issues on the truck. It is now in better shape than when I bought it, except now for the engine and transmission issues. But it has served me well over the past 14 years. The body work is still good and have no electrical or electronic issues. Only had to replace the key ID reader in the steering column around 4 years ago. In the years before that, replaced both strut assemblies, replaced all suspension rubbers and shock absorbers, rust treated the chassis, and more recently, replaced the radiator and water pump. All this just to say that I think the truck is in reasonable shape. For my application, the truck is great and saving wear and tare on my fairly new (2018) F150. But as you say, replacing the engine and transmission is a big job and expense, hence my hesitancy. I can do it myself but time is also a factor. Anyway, thank you all for reading and responding. Was just throwing it out there for either moral support or for someone to tell me I'm crazy 🙄 🙃 😀 .