Got my first manual truck and

[Wolfdog91]

Ok so new farm truck in a little five speed 2wd Ford ranger . Dad just kinda bought it for next to nothing and said here learn to use it . Had to sell my Nissan ( money pit) and our GMC3500 is a bit too big to get to alot of places so yeah. Anyhow never drove stick ( no not in the army either lol, most everything was automatic except for the 88's but they had a automatic manual no clutch just slapped it in the gear you wanted and went )so I've been watching YouTube videos like crazy and I've gotten past having this thing smell like I lit the clutch on fire ( never ground any gears though so I got that going for me lol). Anyhow I think I'm good enough for driving on the pavement but off road is a little rough. Been practicing in the cow fields around the house everyday after work and I think ive got a decent grasp but still struggling.So couple of questions.
1. For a 2wd manual off road what gears should I be using? Been trying to mess around with 2nd and 3rd but honestly 1sr seems to do the best
2. Is 1500rpm too much to get my self going in first ? Seems my truck need that much to get moving good and not stall out
3. I was listening to a video on my way to work about driving off road with a manual and they where saying it's really good to have a manual modified so you keep it crawling with really low RPM's. Think there's was a jeep. How would a guy go about doing that ? Makes sense to me for the most part. Deal is I don't have anything thing like a low or high gear so not sure if it's something I can even do confused
4. Going up a hill in 1st giving it gas, get about 2000 rpm and it stalls out if I'm off the clutch completely. Is that normal ? I've played with working the clutch as I go up in rpms when I feel it about to stall out and that seems to work pretty good but I'm not 100% if that's the proper thing to do,as the first time I did it I really smelled like I did some work on the clutch lol . But only that one time , don't smell anything when I do it now
5. If I'm climbing a hill and stall out, any way I can consistently not go flying back down the dang thing? I mean it seems if I break before I stall out and stay in gear it keeps it's self there but if I wasn't on the brake and I stall it's game over and I'm flying. The break don't seem to help much with that either

I'll probably have some more soon but that's about it for right now. Sorry if these are kinda stupid btw but again never drove a stick much before this I'm self teaching and, and YouTube actually doesn't have a tone on How to off road with a 2wd 5speed lol .
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[missionary5155]

Good for you! Nice looking PU!
2000 rpm should not be stalling unless that is some steep hill. Our Samurai will go up most any hill in 2nd at 2000 rpm with a 1300cc 4 cylinder.
You wrote about the "88"... Tank retriever? I was Armor. 1971-74 M60A1's. We had 88's.

[Bazoo]

Unless you’re shifting, you shouldn’t use the clutch at all. When starting out always use 1st gear.

Some trucks had a bulldog first for starting with a load, and you could start in 2nd with no load. Your truck doesn’t have that.

I can take off on flat ground using 0 gas pedal. It’s about easing the clutch pedal out. You shouldn’t rev the engine over none-1000 when starting off on flat ground. 1200 maybe in a hill.

Start pedal down, When you let the pedal out, about 1/2 the amount of it’s travel is free (meaning it ain’t doing nothing to the clutch, just moving the pedal), then you have a short maybe 1/4 amount of travel (this is the most important part) that is beginning to engage/full engagement, then the last 1/4 is full release of the clutch itself but still letting the throw out bearing spin and then when off, the throw out bearing is at rest too. If you slightly ride the pedal your throw out bearing spins all the time and will wear out prematurely.

That 1/4 area of travel that the clutch starts engaging is where your control is. During the beginning of that 1/4 area of travel you let the clutch out very very slowly. The truck starts moving and or the rpms start lowering, you give just a tiny bit fuel. Don’t look at your tach go by sound and feel. You start moving as you let the clutch pedal into about half the distance of that 1/4 area of (clutch grabby) travel. Then you let off completely and you’re going.

That approx 1/4 area of pedal travel that you feel clutch grabbiness is the key.

When shifting gears during rolling, you don’t have to worry as much about it. Just do it slower than you probably been doing and smooth. That’s the easy part. Taking off smooth, without killing it and without doing a burnout is the hard part. Letting the pedal out during that 1/4 area of grabby section of movement is the key.

[JoeJames]

Stop light at the top of a hill is always a work out. After awhile it will get to be muscle memory. Light is red so you downshift to 1st - clutch engaged, with brake. Then lift clutch a bit while releasing brake when light is green and giving it a bit of gas. It is tough to do three things at the same time with just two feet. Hard to explain - I can still do it though - started legal in 1965 - 62 Comet with three on the tree.

[gwpercle]

Congratulations on your new truck ... Nice looking .

I thought I could help since I learned on and been driving standards since 1963 ...
... but all my driving has been on the pavement ... any off road stuff was an accident .

Telling some one how to work the clutch and shift gears is tough ... it's like kissing a girl ... you just have to do it a time or two and then it becomes second nature and you enjoy the ride .
Remember ... Practice Makes Perfect !
Gary

[waksupi]

For off road, 1st or 2nd gear will probably be best. Whatever speed that doesn't jar your teeth out of your head.
Just get out there and drive it, it will become natural within a week or two.
I've had two Rangers, good little trucks with low maintenance.

[dverna]

You will get the hang of it. My first car was a manual and I had never driven a stick before.

There are plenty of YouTube videos of starting on a hill. I had to learn the hard way...no internet when I did it.

[Winger Ed.]

You finally got a 'boys' version truck,,,,,,,,, What a hoot!
One thing about having a manual trans. at this point in history---- nobody will want to borrow it.

Awhile back, a buddy got a fancy, new, high end 'city truck'.
I asked him if he got the boys model or the girl's version. He said/asked, "Huh"?
I told him, "Oh yeah. They're like bicycles. Basically the same, but with slight differences".
He still looked confused. So I told him the girl's trucks all have automatic transmissions.
If I posted his reply, it would definitely land me in the penalty box.

I've had manuals for well over half of all the cars & trucks I've ever had.
I'm in a 2006 F-250 with a 6 speed now.

The best way to learn how to use it is find a old guy to ride along an show you.
Don't worry so much about watching the tachometer. In the old days, most cars didn't have one.
You'll learn to feel when you need to shift.

Remember: When balancing at a up hill stop light or something---- brakes are cheaper and easier to change than clutches.
If you run out of feet to use all three pedals-- use the emergency brake. Let it off when you start moving again.
Once ya get the hang of it, there's no reason the clutch shouldn't last at least 100,000 miles.
If not--- it's operator error.

[Bmi48219]

Suggest you stay away from steep inclines until you get the hang of clutch-accelerator coordination. It’s a balancing act. Most everyone stalls out a few times learning to drive a manual transmission, and grinds gears too. As others said the most important thing not to do is ride the clutch.
I’ve owned dozens of manual trans vehicles and driven many more, anyone can learn it.
At least you’re learning in a vehicle with a synchronized gearbox, PS & PB.

[Geezer in NH]

Just drive it forfet looking at the TAC. Go by feel you will learn quicker so you can stop on a hill nd take off again will mean you are getting it. 1985 boght the wife a Mustang manual trans she had never driven one. Only took 2 weeks she figured it out on her own.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Cant add anymore to what's been provided except to add that driving a manual is all about feel and listening, the truck/engine will let you know when you do too much or too little of something. Don't look at the tach its just a visual reference for those who feel they need to know the engine speed. After a while you wont even think about it and just go thu the motions.

When teaching our boys the first several outings were spent on the weekends in a large open packing lot starting and stopping in forwards and reverse over and over, We were also lucky that the open lot had a ramped entrance/exit for some hill work. They learned both the parking brake method and the clutch hold method to get going. They hated it and wanted to spend the "driving" time doing 70 on the freeway but later realized i was right. My first manual transmission experiences were with a 1970 GMC 3/4 ton without power steering on the farm... after that one pretty much everything else was a breeze.

Good luck and Have fun, that's a nice truck and you should be able to enjoy it got a long time. My son owned one, bought new, similar to that one but quickly traded in in when he moved back here to Virginia. The manual transmission and no A/C were not to user friendly up here in Northern Virginia just south of DC given all the traffic in the area.

[DougGuy]

OP ever notice how a big truck seems to just dump the clutch when taking off from a dead stop, bumper raises, cab tilts with the sudden torque? They do that to lessen slippage of the clutch. It makes the clutch last a LOT longer. Most modern manual trannys will upshift with no throttle quite easily, you will figure out the perfect engine rpm to shift, by letting off the throttle and pulling the shifter towards the next gear, it will leave the present gear and engage the next with just light hand pressure on the shifter, without using the clutch.

[rbuck351]

If your going up hill don't let the rpms get below about 1500. The rangers have a high speed low torque at low rpm engine and should not be ran at low rpm other than to start. If it stalls at 2000 rpm in first run going up hill you will have to run it at higher rpm. DO NOT run it with the clutch slipping except when starting and even then when you are taking off give a bit of gas and let the clutch out at the same time. Let the clutch out fairly fast to keep slipping to a minimum. Spinning the tires is cheaper than slipping the clutch.

[Beerd]

Nice pick-up!
Like others have already mentioned, forget the tach.
Listen to the truck (turn off the radio!).
..

[Winger Ed.]

A trick I use when stopping at a traffic light on a uphill grade:

The car coming up behind you will always want to stop about 2 inches from your rear bumper
and not leave much room to roll back a little when you take off.

When I see someone coming up, I ease off the brake and start to slowly roll backwards---
they'll see that,,,,,,, and leave you enough room to start off again.:bigsmyl2:

Another favorite trick is if there isn't anyone behind you, but a car beside you----
Slowly roll backwards.
They'll think they're going forward, and try to push their brake pedal through the floor.
Once, I did that once to a woman cop,,,, she about had a panic attack until she realized I was moving, not her.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm going to assume this is the 2.3 I4 engine. They are decent engines. One overlooked item on them is they actually have 8 spark plugs. Often the 4 hidden ones are forgotten. They aren't super fun to change, but not that bad compared to many vehicles. I recomend you change the plugs and wires, blow out or replace the air filter, and clean the MAF sensor. That usually takes care of most stutter or lower rpm issues on these. The MAF sensor cleaning can be found online. They make an aerosol MAF cleaner, don't use anything else. Those MAF's are old style designs, and are prone to damage and dirt, but they are easy to clean.

There's nothing reasonable you can do to that truck to make it even a decent off road vehicle. When people talk about off road gear ratios, one thing you have to remember is that a 4x4 truck has a transfer case with a low range. In a Ranger it gives you a 2:1 ratio, meaning you go half speed. A 2x4 does not have a transfer case. Changing your differential gears won't help much at all. A 2.3l 4 cylinder already has the lower geared transmission (lower 1st-3rd gear), and likely has a lower geared differential like 3.73 and likely 4.10. They are great gas mileage, general use, parts haulers. They do terrible off road, one of the worst vehicles I know of. Death traps on ice too. That's ok though, because cow pasture and dirt roads is not what I'd consider off road. It will do fine there.

Figure out the stalling. Once you do that, it will be easier. This engine is not a low rpm motor, but they shouldn't be stalling until under idle. It's not great every day practice, but you should be able to roll along at 800 rpm, and stomp the gas, and it should not stall. Since these engines don't even make 100 hp, you need to keep rpm up for hills and such. For putting around a cow pasture, you shouldn't need anything except 1st gear.

[farmerjim]

It is amazing to me how many people can't drive a vehicle with a standard transmission. When I rented a car in Mexico, I had to put my wife on as the second driver because her brother in law couldn't drive a standard. Wife learned how to drive on a jeep in an open pit mine at lunch time. Then drove it to the motor vehicles office and got her license.

[MaryB]

If you are running out of power going up a steep hill just downshift a gear... had a hill in the town I grew up in that many manual trans cars and trucks were down to 2nd gear before reaching the top!

[Bazoo]

What Ed says about rolling backwards go get room at a stoplight is 100% correct.

[quilbilly]

Nice pick-up!
Like others have already mentioned, forget the tach.
Listen to the truck (turn off the radio!).
..
What he said! As written about last week in the Wall Street Journal, car thieves don't like stick shifts. Those Rangers have an almost bullet proof transmission according to my neighbor who has a service manager at various dealerships and shops for many decades. I certainly miss mine having had four over the years. When they quit making Rangers for a few years, I bought a Nissan Frontier with a manual transmission and it was garbage compared to the Rangers'. The Ranger could yank a firewood log out of a ditch with aplomb with the 1st gear but no so, the Frontier.

[nicholst55]

When I taught my two sons how to drive a manual tranny, we first spent 5-10 minutes learning how to E-A-S-E the clutch pedal out with no throttle. The goal was to not stall the truck. After 1-2 stalls, both figured it out, and the rest was easy.

[Moleman-]

Had a black 93 extended cab 4x4 with the 4.0 and stick that replaced my 87 ramcharger with a 5.9. Saved almost enough in gas to make up for the car payment. Look up near the firewall, your clutch is hydraulic and has it's own little reservoir that takes brake fluid.

[farmbif]

When I taught my two sons how to drive a manual tranny, we first spent 5-10 minutes learning how to E-A-S-E the clutch pedal out with no throttle. The goal was to not stall the truck. After 1-2 stalls, both figured it out, and the rest was easy.

this is exactly how I taught others to drive stick

kind of like learning to squeeze a trigger rather than pulling a trigger

[tommag]

I haven't had a passenger vehicle with a standard transmission in 20 years. My freightliner is standard, but that's a different critter. I used to hold my foot on the brake as I released the clutch and as soon as I felt it beginning to engage, I'd move my right foot from the brake and GENTLY depress the fuel pedal as I finished letting the clutch pedal up.

[jsizemore]

I used to drive my mom's corvair on the dirt roads around D'Iberville when I was 9. If you can handle a sandy track you can handle the rest of it.

[elmacgyver0]

I had a 2wheel drive Ranger with manual transmission.
Great little truck until I ruined it.
I put in a Teflon additive to the oil, after time it breaks down and clogs the oil ways.
Stay away from oil additives, especially the Teflon coating ones.
I now have a year 2000 4x4 Ranger with the V6 engine, girls' model (Automatic Transmission). Love it!

[.429&H110]

I have a 01 tacoma, 4 cyl 5spd 210,000 miles. Original clutch, original brakes 'cause I rarely use either. I stalled it at a light last week, first time in a decade. Was a slight hill, light turned green, I let off the e-brake (three minute light) the 40 mph headwind blew me backwards. Fail. No harm done.

Taught my kids stick and the youngest fought with a Corolla shifter, until I taught him to use two fingers, gently move the delicate japanese mechanism, please, it's just little cables. Then he was fine.

The three in the tree service vans were shifted with one's palm, palm down 1-2-3-2, palm up 2-1. Or else they would jam. Then I would have to pop the hood, pry it apart with a screwdriver, and make new friends in the middle of the road. I knew they were friendly, they were all waving.

I prefer a stick shift, especially on ice.

[gwpercle]

When you can stop at a red light on a incline and then on green take off without rolling backwards into the fool who has ridden up on your rear bumper ... You Have Earned Your Wings !
Rolling back a few inches was the one thing my old Man would fuss at you for ... his driving pet peeve...
since he taught us how to drive he thought it was bad inflection on him ... so when he was in the car you had to get it right . He taught me on a
1953 Pontiac Chieftain , straight 8 motor , 3 on the column shift ... and think about this , it didn't have power steering or power brakes (no disc brakes either just drums) ... steering that big all steel car required a "suicide knob" on the steering wheel because you had to turn it around so many times to turn a corner and stopping required some leg strength and you learned the art of downshifting to help slow you down ... manual brakes and manual steering and manual transmission are a bear to drive with ... you stay busy doing something .
Gary

[Mk42gunner]

Hard to believe I have had five Rangers (3x88 a 91 and a 92) and a 92 Explorer. They aren't bad little trucks, but the early automatics were terrible. All of mine had five speeds except the Explorer, its tranny started acting up so it got parked before it left me stranded, then it caught fire when I was moving it to mow.

Funny thing is with the two wheel drive ones, the four banger got the worst mileage and the 4.0 V6's got the best. The 2.9 was in the middle.

If you ever have a heavy load on it, stay out of fifth gear.

Robert

[Gewehr-Guy]

I learned to drive a standard transmision in a 56 International grain truck, low geared and hard to catch second gear when you were loaded in soft ground. One thing that might help you is to take off your work boots, and drive with light shoes, so you can feel the clutch and gas petal better. On level ground you should be able to start in low gear with little to no throttle, then when moving, give it a little gas.

I used a '90 Ranger with a 4 cyl motor to pull a small silage wagon between farms, to feed cattle, and it had nearly 190,000 miles on it before I retired it, tough little truck. I would love to find a nice one like your's.

[megasupermagnum]

Hard to believe I have had five Rangers (3x88 a 91 and a 92) and a 92 Explorer. They aren't bad little trucks, but the early automatics were terrible. All of mine had five speeds except the Explorer, its tranny started acting up so it got parked before it left me stranded, then it caught fire when I was moving it to mow.

Funny thing is with the two wheel drive ones, the four banger got the worst mileage and the 4.0 V6's got the best. The 2.9 was in the middle.

If you ever have a heavy load on it, stay out of fifth gear.

Robert

That doesn't sound right. A 4.0 OHV gets 19-21 mpg on the high way, best case scenario. 17-19 is more common. If a 2.3 isn't getting 24+ mpg highway, something is wrong. They should get 25-30 mpg on an open highway unless there is a strong headwind. At least that's my experience with three 4.0's, and two 2.3's, as well as hearing from friends.

[jcren]

Too bad you aren't local! Good info here, practice slipping and balancing the clutch without giving it gas on flat ground and you will learn to stop letting off the clutch when rpm drops or it starts to shake a bit. Cheater method for hills is to use the hand e-brake to hold it still, give a bit of gas and ease off the clutch until it tries to move against the e-brake then ease the brake down. Works for foot e-brakes, but the hand brake lets you hold the release button in and feather it. Do not slip the clutch to keep from bogging once moving, the clutch will not love you for it!
Drove the wheels off 3 standard rangers for work before they went to Kia Souls (on my 3rd, also standard) and small 4 cylinders are a bit tricky but those little rangers are tough little trucks.

[john.k]

I got about the same year ,mine is a 2.5 TD ,been the best pickup Ive ever owned ......and Ive had just about every one of these little Fords since the first Courier in 1977........mine was down for a while with leaky head gasket,neighbour loaned me his gas model same year......I did not like the gas one at all......too much revs to take off ........the diesel idles off without any revs at all...clutches last forever.

[popper]

Nope, you go to a big empty parking lot. Go forward, stop and back up, repeat till you have it right. Then find a hill(preferably nobody around) and go half up, stop and start again. Use the third foot on the brake pedal. Don't pick a rainy day if the window wipers are vacuum operated.

[Texas by God]

Ford Rangers; I had the 8 plug 4 cylinder and 5speed in my first one. It was kind of a gutless wonder- until a trailer was hooked to it, then I guess the other 4 plugs kicked in[emoji16].
My second one was auto and V6. Great trucks; they are my pick over Toyota and Nissan easily- I've owned those too.
I learned to drive a standard in a Morris Minor pickup- the original small truck. My ever patient father just sat in the passenger seat and said "Try it again" for 38ish tries from me before I realized that the clutch let off in the last quarter inch of travel!

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[curdog007]

My Frontier has a quarter million on it (and it works hard) with the original clutch. Remember it is not a footrest! If your foot is not either right on it, or right off it, you are wearing something. If you are sitting at a long light, put it in neutral and take your foot off the clutch - this will save wear on the pilot bearing/bushing.
My in-laws cannot help themselves slipping their farm truck clutches all the time, and have to put new ones in every year - and they just cannot understand what the problem is. But what do I know? I taught my wife to drive a manual, and she has never hurt a clutch in several 100k.

[rbuck351]

I learned to drive a 1942 Jeep MB at about 14 years old. The clutch wasn't too bad but taking off on a steep hill was a learning experience. Dad was driving and stopped on a fairly steep hill, got out a switched places with me and said ok lets go. After a couple of failed attempts he said to hold my right heel on the brake and use my toe on the gas as I let out the clutch. The hand brake didn't work so it was no help.

It's hard to find a rig with a manual tranny anymore and I only have one now not counting my motorcycle. My stick shift is a 93 Jeep yj and I still prefer a stick.

[pmer]

5. If I'm climbing a hill and stall out, any way I can consistently not go flying back down the dang thing? I mean it seems if I break before I stall out and stay in gear it keeps it's self there but if I wasn't on the brake and I stall it's game over and I'm flying. The break don't seem to help much with that either

I'll probably have some more soon but that's about it for right now. Sorry if these are kinda stupid btw but again never drove a stick much before this I'm self teaching and, and YouTube actually doesn't have a tone on How to off road with a 2wd 5speed lol .
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That's known as riding the clutch and it's not good for the clutch but doing for a few seconds to help get moving is okay. But not once your moving. Your right the smell is bad and it's wearing the out the clutch when that happens.
Some vehicles have a L next to first gear and the L is like super low gear. If it's stalling in your lowest gear going up hill you just need to hit the steep part a little faster with more RPMS.

Keep at it it will be like second nature after you get used to it.

4 x 4 Jeeps and trucks sometimes have a second gear lever just for when you're off road. 4 low in first gear is like a slow walking speed till you give it a little gas.

[MrWolf]

Find a small hill on your property. Practice using the clutch/gas on that as if you were at a stop light. Gets easier the more you do it. You will get to automatically beingvable to balance the clutch/gas so no rolling backwards when the light turns. My Mom taught me in my Father's pickup. Just takes a lil practice. Good luck

[john.k]

My 2006 2.5 diesel has had one head gasket,four glow plugs,one clutch master cyl....and just now a brake switch ....not bad for 16 years

[JoeJames]

Find a small hill on your property. Practice using the clutch/gas on that as if you were at a stop light. Gets easier the more you do it. You will get to automatically beingvable to balance the clutch/gas so no rolling backwards when the light turns. My Mom taught me in my Father's pickup. Just takes a lil practice. Good luckIn my opinion your's is the best advice. I had a heck of a time thinking it through on the best way to describe it. I started out in @1958 learning to drive with a Mitey Mite tractor made about 1946. The clutch was operated by a long lever that stuck up on the right side; the drive train was in the open under your feet so you could see it engage when you moved the lever. It would not pass muster with OSHA now. I finally got a vehicle with an Automatic Transmission in 1997; so for me it was all muscle memory and hard to describe.

[Brassmonkey]

OP ever notice how a big truck seems to just dump the clutch when taking off from a dead stop, bumper raises, cab tilts with the sudden torque? They do that to lessen slippage of the clutch. It makes the clutch last a LOT longer. Most modern manual trannys will upshift with no throttle quite easily, you will figure out the perfect engine rpm to shift, by letting off the throttle and pulling the shifter towards the next gear, it will leave the present gear and engage the next with just light hand pressure on the shifter, without using the clutch.


Yeah but the gearing is a little different on a big rig if he dumps the clutch he's gonna bust the motor mounts bang up the u joints R&P kill the springs in the clutch and on and on.

Op set a few hundred aside for a new clutch.

spend a hour or two putting around in first gear stopping and starting on flat ground after that you'll know what works good smooth is good jerky is bad if the whole truck is shuddering that's bad you're in too high of a gear downshift. engines like revs humming along at 3000 RPMs it's not a bad thing.

is that the 2.3/2.5 3 L 4 L whats under the hood of that Danger Ranger?

[Three44s]

Knock a hole in the muffler so you can hear the engine! Then you can listen to it while you modulate your clutch release.

It’s truly “seat of the pants”!

Three44s

[45workhorse]

The more you "think about" what you are doing the more you will mess up, it seems you have the basics down, now just get out and drive it?

My 92 Ranger has turned over 3 times, so I have put some miles on it. Standard 4x4 extended cab 4.0L.
Son and daughter both learned to drive on it.

[lightman]

When I taught my two sons how to drive a manual tranny, we first spent 5-10 minutes learning how to E-A-S-E the clutch pedal out with no throttle. The goal was to not stall the truck. After 1-2 stalls, both figured it out, and the rest was easy.

Thats the way I was taught. Dad started teaching me to drive his '57 Ford truck when I was 9 or 10. Manual steering with lots of slack, non-synchronized 3 speed transmission, no power anything. The first 3 or 4 vehicles that I owned were manual shift. I miss my 1980 Ford truck with the heavy duty 4 speed and 300CDI 6 cylinder. It would climb levees in low gear at an idle. I could drive all over the deer lease in 2nd gear at an isle.

Practice easing out on the clutch until you feel it begin to engage then apply a little throttle. As to what gear to use, let the truck tell you. You don't want to lug the engine very much but you don't want it to be racing either. It just takes practice.

[1hole]

Ford was "UAW-Detroit" and in the 1980s they apparently couldn't make a decent small pick-up for less than $200,000. The original Rangers were simply rebranded Jap Mazda B-2000 4bangers and they were indeed good vehicles; wish they were still available.

Some people are indeed "drivers" and the rest are just "pointers". I have three daughters; they started out as drivers with several sessions in a '68 VW beetle. I had them start in an empty high school parking lot - forward and backward. - They learned to stop and restart - both forward and backward on a moderate slope. I would get them started around the track and then I got out to read a book so they couldn't jerk my neck while they drove - forward and backward, including stops on the slope - for 30-45 minutes a session. My girls never needed a girl's vehicle because they didn't roll onto a public road until they had mastered the vehicle itself in that parking lot.

Then they had to drive a couple of hundred miles on long, straight country roads before they ever had to deal with city traffic. They hated me for all that back then but now, in their 50s, they can still safely drive anything with wheels - forward and backward - better than their husbands and they thank me for their demanding but confidence building start.

Bottom line: Manual transmissions really aren't very hard to use, my little teenage girls could do it.

[Wolfdog91]

Intresting, well as usual it seems I've started learning some.t he hard way [emoji1787] yeah so this is one of the hills I've been practicing on for the last month or so. Will go up and down stop dead in the middle cut it off and tray and start and crawl back up with minimal back sliding.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220428/f1985dedc495fafd0a1e8cfbd9aa1d31.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220428/ece8d453427139ac0462e0f91d75d3b0.jpg
This really has been all I've been doing the last month. That and leaving to shift smoothly found up and down the road to the church. Actually took it out on the highway for the first time today after I got back home from work for a little 10mi drive to my parents and honestly driving on the highway is a piece of cake compared chugging along at 3miles an hour in these pastures.stalled out ones and that was in the drive way but all the way on the highway [emoji1745] egh easy peasy even had to deal with some hills and some road work just not half as hard as offroad. Will say though she don't seem to like goin past 55 too much lol

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[MaryB]

Ford was "UAW-Detroit" and in the 1980s they apparently couldn't make a decent small pick-up for less than $200,000. The original Rangers were simply rebranded Jap Mazda B-2000 4bangers and they were indeed good vehicles; wish they were still available.

Some people are indeed "drivers" and the rest are just "pointers". I have three daughters; they started out as drivers with several sessions in a '68 VW beetle. I had them start in an empty high school parking lot - forward and backward. - They learned to stop and restart - both forward and backward on a moderate slope. I would get them started around the track and then I got out to read a book so they couldn't jerk my neck while they drove - forward and backward, including stops on the slope - for 30-45 minutes a session. My girls never needed a girl's vehicle because they didn't roll onto a public road until they had mastered the vehicle itself in that parking lot.

Then they had to drive a couple of hundred miles on long, straight country roads before they ever had to deal with city traffic. They hated me for all that back then but now, in their 50s, they can still safely drive anything with wheels - forward and backward - better than their husbands and they thank me for their demanding but confidence building start.

Bottom line: Manual transmissions really aren't very hard to use, my little teenage girls could do it.

The Ford Mazda built trucks were the Courier. I had a 1970 4 banger 4 speed. Tough little truck. I flogged it commuting 60 miles a day fr 5 years before the rust got so bad it had to be parked. Since I got it used in 1978 it had a good life. Had 178k on it when the cab got so rusted I didn't trust it anymore. Sold it as part only. Guy that bought it decided to put it on the road. He fell asleep leaving the bar and hit a culvert. Cab popped off the frame and tumbled 5 times. Rescue squad said that saved his life, the engine was shoved back where his legs would have been. He tried suing me for selling an unsafe truck. I counter sued for damages. I showed the judge the printed newspaper ad saying "parts only! Not road safe!" and won on the spot. Cost him my 3 days off work, lawyer fees, and I hit him for an extra $1k in hassle fee.

[Mk42gunner]

That doesn't sound right. A 4.0 OHV gets 19-21 mpg on the high way, best case scenario. 17-19 is more common. If a 2.3 isn't getting 24+ mpg highway, something is wrong. They should get 25-30 mpg on an open highway unless there is a strong headwind. At least that's my experience with three 4.0's, and two 2.3's, as well as hearing from friends.
I figured it was gear ratios and available torque. The first 88 and the 91 I bought new, the rest were well used when I got them.

The 2.9 88 had gears in the mid three's not sure if it was 3.42:1 or 3.50. The 2.3L had 3.73:1, the 91 and 92 4.0L had 308:1 gears.

My current Ranger is also an 88, a 4x4 with 2.9/5speed and 4.10 gears, it gets around 17 just knocking around on gravel roads.

Robert

[Milsurp Junkie]

when i was learning to drive standard, my mom made me practice leaving the left foot pushed down, and tilt the right one up...and then push down with the right while tilting the left one up...harder to write than to see...but basically smoothly move from clutch foot down, to clutch foot up, while the accelerator foot moves from up to down.

My first nissan pickup went 185k on the original clutch, and i was a teenage driver (unfortunately, the timing chain stretched, which is just as bad for an interference engine)! It didnt have a tachometer, so I shifted by sound and feel.

[DougGuy]

I used to drive my mom's corvair on the dirt roads around D'Iberville when I was 9. If you can handle a sandy track you can handle the rest of it.

Hahaaaaa jsizemore D'Iberville... I learned to drive on the sandy roads of Gulf Park Estates (Ocean Springs MS) in a 66 Chevy Nova with a cam, headers, 4 speed and 2 4bbls. I drove sideways more than I drove straight. The trick was to go have as much fun as you want but oh boy get stuck in the ditch and then get caught out there oh hell no you won't get caught out there again!

[gwpercle]

Nope, you go to a big empty parking lot. Go forward, stop and back up, repeat till you have it right. Then find a hill(preferably nobody around) and go half up, stop and start again. Use the third foot on the brake pedal. Don't pick a rainy day if the window wipers are vacuum operated.

Almost Forgot about those ... vacuum windshield wipers ... the harder you accelerated the slower they moved ... Getting up onto the new Interstate Highway required you go fast up the the entrance ramp and build up speed fast to merge with traffic ... when it was raining ... the acceleration stopped the wipers ...here you was going full speed up the ramp and couldn't see squat ...foot off gas , flap flap flap , see where you are and back on the gas ...rolling down the interstate flat out and can't see nothing , driving in the rain on the interstate was sure exciting back then !
Gary

[memtb]

Congrats……. Nice ride! You’ll be the envy of many in Amite County.

Obviously we are from a vastly different era…..automatic tranny’s were an expensive option/anomaly when I was young! :-P

If it’s a 4x4, never hesitate to use 4 low when climbing a steep, off-road grade…..much easier on the clutch! :wink: memtb

[farmbif]

wolf dog sure is a go getter and a quick study too. Ill bet he will be shifting as good as a race car driver in no time

[MaryB]

I learned to drive a stick in the old farm pickup Grandpa had... old Ford with no hood or doors, a wooden bench where the seat used to be... we used it to run parts to the field or for the short 3/4 mile trip into town to get something. 3 on the tree speed shifting LOL

[Winger Ed.]

A life long friend's wife used to drive one of the 3 school busses in their town.

Naturally: The new person (her) started off in their oldest bus, which had a manual transmission.
When one of the two senior drivers quit, she was supposed to move up to a newer bus with a automatic.
She'd learned to drive in her Dad's old International with a 5-speed, so it wasn't a big deal at the time.

But she didn't move up when one of the other drivers quit........
When she went in and asked why the new driver got a newer bus-- they told her,
"In all the years we've had that bus, you're the only driver that doesn't burn out the clutch at least twice a year".

[GregLaROCHE]

That’s a nice little truck you have there. Having an experienced person riding along with you a few times will improve your learning curve greatly. Be careful with your clutch. Even with an experienced driver clutches do wear out. You said it was a good deal, so I assume it’s got a fair amount of miles on it. Take care of your clutch. Once they start slipping it’s all down hill.

[MaryB]

But the good thing is a clutch replacement is something you can do in the driveway and it is a good learning experience. I remember bench pressing a 4 speed several times while laying under a car or truck... yes I was a gear head!My 1974 Gremlin X tribute car ate clutches but I raced it. 401 V8 and a 4 speed, and he engine was NOT stock. It was pushed to the limits at 750HP and I blew it up a couple of times! Mid 9 second 160mph passes on the 1/4 mile!

[farmerjim]

But the good thing is a clutch replacement is something you can do in the driveway and it is a good learning experience. I remember bench pressing a 4 speed several times while laying under a car or truck... yes I was a gear head!My 1974 Gremlin X tribute car ate clutches but I raced it. 401 V8 and a 4 speed, and he engine was NOT stock. It was pushed to the limits at 750HP and I blew it up a couple of times! Mid 9 second 160mph passes on the 1/4 mile!

MaryB,
I replaced a clutch in my 1969 skylark in a motel parking lot in Pascagoula, MS. I had jack stands and my toolbox in the trunk. The grain elevator was not
working Sunday, so I got it fixed. I did not have a transmission jack, so I bench pressed every transmission back in place. I am too old to do them any more so I had to have a shop do one last year.