Thinking of buying bronco ii with problem

1939trr

1939trr

Member
Just became a member not long ago and thought I would check here for some info.

I found a 1985 bronco ii 4x4 with 115,000 miles and auto trams.

The problem is it stalls at low rpm's. Car looks in fair condition from pictures.

Price is $1200 which seems like a fair price.

Any ideas on what problem could be with stall and what I should look for when I see it tomorrow.

Thanks You
 
Do yourself a favor and don't buy it, Ford quit building it for a reason, and it wasn't the Firestone tires that caused rollovers. That solid lifter engine was around for quite a while, but never seemed very gutsy to me. It maybe as simple as an egr problem, but then again?
 
It has an Meyer plow on it and would use to plow my lane.

Any idea of value with this type problem. Say body looks fair.

Hope to see it today.
 
2.8L V6, low power. Carbureted, so life of engine should be about done. I would say the same for the trans.

Stalling most likely vacuum leaks. Anything that starts and mostly runs is worth ~$1000, in my opinion. That being said, you are probably going to throw more money at it in the first year than you would have spent on a better vehicle. I would guess you will spend probably over $1000 on the first year and you will still have a vehicle at close to the end of it's life.

I would spend an extra grand and buy a less old, less used vehicle.

Just read it has a plow on it? For the time it was used to plow, you can literally triple the age of the drivetrain. For example, if it was used as a plow truck for 10K miles, add 20K more miles to the drivetrain.
 
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I worked on a brother n laws BII one time and it was not fun, hard to work on and the list of worn parts was enormous. About the same number of miles as the one your looking at. They are just kind of a disposable vehicle. And I agree about the plow, I won't even look at a truck that had a plow.
 
I have plowed for 30 plus years the wear and tear depends on the driver my last plow truck a 2001 expedition owned since new has 140,000 plus and still plows every storm without a hitch and still is a daily driver I also have a 2011 f 150 super crew that I use for the last 2 yrs with no problems as I said it depends on the driver both these trucks are maintained on a regular basis all fluids are changed and continue to run great.but if you do not know the history its a crap shoot
 
3-500 for the plow.

I owned a 1990 ranger with that same lowly V6. I can't imagine pushing any amount of snow with that thing.
 
I would look at it carefully for rust in the frame and damage where the plow hooks up. Take a mechanic with you if possible when you see it. And if you're not fairly handy, pass it up.
 
Not a good choice. Low power, hard to work on, a high maintainance combo, trans issues when used hard, (like plowing) rust issues, need I say more? If you really have to learn hard lessons and still want it, stay under $500 with the plow included. Also, the plows wear from use too, so keep that in mind.
 
GreenMonster48 said:
3-500 for the plow.

I owned a 1990 ranger with that same lowly V6. I can't imagine pushing any amount of snow with that thing.
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Believe it or not, by 1990 the 2.8L German V6 was 2.9L and had hydraulic lifters, but still not a power house or good fuel economy. I think they started the 2.9L in around '87 ?

Sal
 
I worked on one like that years ago. I replaced an EGR sensor and the vacuum motor that opened the EGR. IT was a great truck after that. If a WW11 Jeep could plow snow with that underpowered four, I would welcome a 2.9L V 6.
 
Thanks for all of the information. I decided against the bronco ii and now looking at a Ford Ranger 1988 xlt 2.9 v6 engine. Has 143000 miles also has Meyer plow.

Any thoughts on value of ranger and use for plowing. Wants $2700
 
Bronco II and Ranger are identical chassis wise except the Ranger is longer. A Bronco II has an amazingly short turning radius. I think by 1988 they had the 8.8 rear axle, much stronger than the earlier one. The fuel injected 2.9 is far superior to the old 2.8 carbureted job. You have low range for pushing heavy snow so power should not be a problem. If automatic, it's an A4LD, not the strongest trans. Just don't slam it into drive while still going backwards and only shift at idle. If it's a stick, it may need a clutch once in awhile. It takes a little RPM to get moving under a load or uphill.
Check for rust as usual. Put it up on a lift before you buy to check everything. Check the locking hubs for proper operation. They could be either manual or automatic.
 
scicala said:
Believe it or not, by 1990 the 2.8L German V6 was 2.9L and had hydraulic lifters, but still not a power house or good fuel economy. I think they started the 2.9L in around '87 ?

Sal
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That's right. It's been a long time since I thought about that stuff

My 1990 Ranger was in excellent shape, with a rebuilt motor. The guy I got it from thought the motor job was bad. I took it home for $500, noticed the firing order was off. Fixed it and drove it for a year and sold it for $1500. This was about 10 years ago, and to date probably the only time I've ever turned a profit on a vehicle :rolleyes:
 
I had an 84 ranger 4x4 stick back in the days of my youth bought it new got it home tore out the suspension lifted it 3 inches and then did a 3 inch body lift swapped out exhaust for headers and glasspacks and added 33 inch tires it had a v6 carbed motor it would spin the tires also didn't have 100,000 plus miles but fairly powerful for a small motor
 
Now I am starting to like your thoughts on the ranger. It does have plow but has 143000 miles.

My lane is 1/2 mile and gets cold sitting on my tractor when it is snowing.

$2,700 sounds like way to much
 
I think the biggest issue here is the size of the truck. A 3/4 ton with a plow on it could have 200K miles on it and would be 1. Big and heavy enough B. Equipped with a big enough powertrain to do the job.

If you are seriously thinking about a plow rig, look at a 3/4 ton that is much older. Parts will be cheap and a bigger truck will probably be lower miles and at least the miles it has on it would have had a much kinder affect on the truck.

I would start looking at late 60s, early 70s trucks, maybe pick up the needed plow from CL.
 
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