Ford May Keep Building Rangers

[MN12Fan]

Originally Posted by theoldwizard

No, I understood what you were saying (although my response was not clear). I'm fairly certain Ford could quickly ramp up production to meet the volume necessary to eliminate the 4.0L. I was surprised how fast they phased out the 3.0L Vulcan and now the old 3.0L Duratec. I'll bet that the Duratec 35 actually cost less to manufacture (it cost less than the old D30).

Do you understand my point about closing Cologne ? Germany has very strict "right to work" laws that would make it difficult for Ford.

I think I heard something about the Duratec 35 being less expensive than the Duratec 30; or maybe it was just that it has similar exterior dimensions in spite of supporting larger displacements. The Duratec 35 is cheaper than the 4.0L Cologne V6 though since it doesn't have to be imported. As for German labor agreements barring Ford from ceasing production of the 4.0L Cologne, I've heard of things like this before. In fact, I believe the Duratec 30 is being kept around in certain vehicles like the Escape for similar reasons. In spite of this, aren't other things produced at the Cologne facility? If the 4.0L V6 were the only thing made there then I understand how labor agreements could be a problem, but is this the case?

[MN12Fan]

Originally Posted by F14CRAZY

Thing is I really don't think the 4.6L would fit without some major re-engineering. The 2nd gen Explorer which is very, very similar under the hood to the Ranger had the 302/5.0L beginning in 1996. The F series (I can't remember if the E-series used it, don't think so), T-bird, Mustang, etc all had the 4.6L by then...logically, wouldn't Ford have used the 4.6L had it fit?

The 5.0L was used in Australia until 2002 (maybe '03, again can't remember) so Ford wasn't just cranking out three oh twos for the Ex. I once read a rumor though that it came out in the Ex to use up the supply (until 2001) but that doesn't make sense...they had THAT many parts/engines laying around to go for THAT long? I don't think so.



This famous photo shows the size difference. The Ranger has changed little since like '97 (I believe) where it got IFS instead of the old "Twin Traction Beam"

The 302 Windsor could fit and was used in the pre-2002 Explorer/Mountaineer. The Ranger's engine bay has similar space and I've read about people dropping 5.0s into them. The 4.6L V8, even if it isn't a DOHC version, is obviously taller than the 5.0. Even so, I don't think fitting it in would be a huge problem, unless the 4.6L V8 is also noticeably longer. Anyway, assuming that isn't a problem, the question is height. If a 4.6L V8 is no taller than 4.0L SOHC V6 then it'll fit. However, given how light the Ranger is, it may be that putting in a V8 was never thought to have been necessary from the standpoint of utility (ie too much power).