New To Bronco II's All Advice Welcome

[2TALL]

Hello everyone,

I just bought an 89 Bronco II Eddie Baure edition 2.9l with 5 spd manual trans and 4 wheel drive with 200k on it for 500 bucks. Guy drove it to work often and looks to be in pretty ok shape. Maybe a few oil leaks, but for 200k not bad. Motor runs like a champ no hesitation or misfire, I was impressed with this vehicle when i looked at it. Ok now to the point im completely new to Bronco II's first time ever even gettin in one, so what are some issues i should watch out for. Ive noticed some pidly stuff but am slowly getting into it. Also as soon i left work with title in hand on drive home, clutch not holding in 4th or 5th gear-since then ive got only 1st but i am putting a clutch in with a friend soon, any advice with that job would be great! I work on cars for for a living (mostly GM-in a dealership) im 23 with a wife and 7month old son, only one working so all repairs have to be kept kinda cheap, i was lucky she let me buy the truck now i just gotta get it on the road

 

[70roadrunner]

the clutch is pretty straight forward. to get the tranny out you will need to remove the exhaust crossover pipe and cat. i would soak the exhaust bolts in pb blaster every time you get a chance, makes it much easier. also, using a small wire brush on all exposed threads first makes a huge difference. i hope this helps

 

[fangotango306]

i have had almost no problems with my b2 that were not caused by myself or poor maintenance. (drove through a small pond and never drained and refilled the front diff afterwards) congrats on the buy man, if you love it it should love you back.

 

[Elutheros]

I'd recommend putting the 4.0 flywheel, clutch and pressure plate in. The cost is about the same and it is much more sturdy than the 2.9 clutch. You will have to get a starter from a 91-94 Explorer--but there are lots of them in the junk yards. It is all a bolt in swap. Also, do a search for bleeding the clutch master cylinder and slave--and also for removing the clutch hydraulic line before you start the trans. removal--it will save you a lot of headache to know about it beforehand. I was able to do the job without removing the exhaust crossover pipe---it is tight, but a little wiggling and the trans came out and wnet back in.

I've had my BII about a year and it is a great vehicle for excursions into the woods and frequent DD.

 

[Calloway]

Welcome to the world of B2's! They're great trucks and if well maintained like fango mentioned you won't go wrong. If it hasn't been done already I would do a "tune up" including plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, filters (air and fuel), oil change, check undercarriage fluids (differentials and transfer case), engine belts if needed, maybe run some fuel system cleaner through it. Essentially start with a clean slate. The only reason I recommend all that is because it's a used vehicle and hopefully was well maintained. All of which is on the cheaper end of the spectrum for the Bronco 2's. Seeing as how you are an experienced mechanic I'm sure most of this is common sense but I figured I'd share with others viewing the topic. As far as your transmission project goes be sure to put a new slave cylinder in there while your'e at it. Some future projects for it might include replacing the rear drive shaft if it is the CV style due to the fact that they are weak by design and can cause issues. Another thing is be sure to keep that engine cool! The earlier models had issues with cracked heads due to over heating, during the 89' and 90' model years they redesigned the heads which were better but have still had issues. I've never personally had this issue with my 90' but its just a suggestion. Other than that enjoy it! Great all around truck and will take you almost anywhere...

 

[2TALL]

Well thanks for the quick response guys, it is nice to have a forum where people are helpful. ive posted on other forums like handgun or conceal carry forums and get talked to like im a moron. but anyways besides that, i have noticed that the coolant temp sensor has been replaced (got to looking because guage never moved even after a 30 minute ride over the mountain the day i bought it) and i saw a scary sight had to share, ok so the sensor has a brand new wire coming off it, after tracking it about 8 inches i found a ball of masking tape, inside i find my new wire and the old wire just twisted together! AHHH come on man if you gonna do it do it right! o gets better, so the plugs and wires and all the good stuff has been done, however whoever did it (i suspect mr masking tape) has let the main wiring harness fall and lay on the exhaust! SOOO GLAD I found that before it turned out terrible. just my rant for the day, thanks again for all the advice and i can't wait to get this baby on the road, the more i look at everybodys pics on here and watch videos on youtube i get more excited.

 

[chazzone]

Welcome to the madhouse Can't reinforce what Elutheros recommended enough. The 4.0 clutch is definitely the way to go on these. Good luck.

 

[ronclark]

I'd recommend putting the 4.0 flywheel, clutch and pressure plate in. The cost is about the same and it is much more sturdy than the 2.9 clutch. You will have to get a starter from a 91-94 Explorer--but there are lots of them in the junk yards. It is all a bolt in swap. Also, do a search for bleeding the clutch master cylinder and slave--and also for removing the clutch hydraulic line before you start the trans. removal--it will save you a lot of headache to know about it beforehand. I was able to do the job without removing the exhaust crossover pipe---it is tight, but a little wiggling and the trans came out and wnet back in.

I've had my BII about a year and it is a great vehicle for excursions into the woods and frequent DD.

I'll vouch for this upgrade, well more of a update to me.

 

[hende]

Addicting run now or you will have a few forever lol

 

[wildbill23c]

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal. I picked up an 84 B2 in November and well lets just say the previous owner's lack of mechanical knowledge has caused me to have to have a lot of work done to mine. As other's mentioned the clutch deal isn't too bad, its more time consuming than anything. Bleeding the master/slave cylinder for the clutch is a PITA from what I've read and have been told.

 

[2TALL]

Ok guys its update time!! well after almost 9 hours on my back on a friends cold garage floor and with 2 "helpers" (on the damn cell phone more than helping), and a little disagreement about there being a cover under the center console to get the transfer case bolts out( not my idea mr knows everything swore by it) i now have a working and driving bronco2!!!:icon_hornsup: new clutch pressure plate, flywheel and slave cylinder! the hydraulic line wasnt too bad after looking up youtube video for removal-special tool included in clutch kit, and bleeding not terribe to do just very time consuming. so been driving it to work for 2 days now its 40 miles roundtrip, cluthc seems to be doing just fine, Now time for a few questions...Is it just me or do bronco 2's seem like the front end is very "floaty" or slack, it feels like im constantly floating between the lines? next the steering wheel sits to the right just a bit, i was gonna check the alignment after work one day and was wondering if its good with the steering wheel off can i just pop off the wheel and put it on straight? and last issue/issues for now the temp gauge is inop even with the botched wiring job fixed (looks like new sensor) any ideas?/ fuel gauge way whacked it will only read either way full or quarter tank-possible bent float ? i dont really want to pull the tank yet jsut out of laziness sake and i just put 50 bucks/14 gallons in it/ how many gallons are those tanks usually? thanks againg guys i really do appreciate all the info and help!:icon_cheers:

 

[wildbill23c]

Glad to hear you got it operational pretty easily. I didn't even bother trying to get the oil pressure, water temperature, or the amp meter working in my bronco 2 I just installed a 3 gauge pod under the dash which I find pretty accurate.

I don't know much about alignments so I don't want to try and even venture a guess on that question LOL.

As for your fuel tank you most likely have the standard 23 gallon fuel tank that I think was in all the bronco 2's. Usually when I hit about a 1/4 of a tank or slightly below I end up adding about 15-17 gallons of fuel, so that sounds about right at 14 gallons. It's just better to fill up at the 1/4 of a tank mark and be safe than run out of fuel, well I guess unless you are with your girlfriend LOL.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

There's a magazine article for steering that's very good at explaining the ttb system;
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

IIRC the wheel is not on a spline but has two flat spots on the shaft so will have to be fixed with the alignment. I made a tool with some heat and a chisel for adjusting the tie rods, works great.

If you have access to a spare truck, you can cut an access panel to get at the top of the tank;

Good luck,

Richard

 

[wildbill23c]

What holds the panel in place Richard? That's a great idea to cut an access panel, but can't see what holds it in place.

 

[4x4junkie]

Is it just me or do bronco 2's seem like the front end is very "floaty" or slack, it feels like im constantly floating between the lines?

This sounds like play in the steering somewhere.
Check all your steering joints under the hood (rag joints, etc.) and that all the ends on your linkage are tight.
Play in the steering gearbox is also a possibility, and may need to be either adjusted or replaced/rebuilt.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

What holds the panel in place Richard? That's a great idea to cut an access panel, but can't see what holds it in place.

Friction. I had planned on screwing it down with a rubber gasket in between but I'm using a rubber house entry floor mat on top and the spare tire on top of that.

Richard

 

[wildbill23c]

Friction. I had planned on screwing it down with a rubber gasket in between but I'm using a rubber house entry floor mat on top and the spare tire on top of that.

Richard

Ahh, good old gravity LOL. Have you thought about double stick foam tape? I wouldn't think you would need to get into that very often and the foam tape would kind of waterproof it back there, or is there any issues getting water in there with it setup like that?

 

[2TALL]

Thanks for the info guys, so i did check the alignnent and toe was way out with the steering wheel straight so i set everything and the steering wheel is straight and she feels like she is tracking alot straighter now not pulling me towards the ditch. so the guages that some people have suggested, ive never messed with after market guages before so do you just buy one from advance and run a wire from the sensor (coolant, oil pressure etc.) to the guage and it works? Richard i do like the idea of the access panel, however maybe im just having a blonde moment here but why would i need access to a spare truck? did you cut that with a wiz wheel or sawz all? also just a note to everyone, it is a PITA to get a rear facing car seat in and out of the back of one these trucks, guess i should have listened to the wife and took the car to the family get together this weekend, but i just had to show it off. p.s everybody in the family is jealous of my smokin deal, couldnt keep my uncle and dad away from the truck!

 

[superds]

You could probably do it without a spare truck, the panel you cut out just will no longer sit on top of the hole you just cut out so you'd have to come up with a way to keep it from falling through your new fuel sender access hole you just cut. I would probably just weld/glue some tabs on that make it wider or maybe some sort of rubber trim around the edge to prevent it from falling through.

Sometime with the aftermarket gauges you'll need to replace the sensor as well. I think the last aftermarket water temp gauge I bought came with a new sensor so I just took out the original and put the new one in place and ran my wire up to the gauge mounted under the dash.

 

[richard booth]

Hey 2 Tall, with 200,000 + your suspension components are most likely tired and Bronco2s have a very short wheel base (that's one of the reasons we love em) Check and adjust the steering gear and look for play in the steering, then work your way through the links. Bronco graveyard has pretty good prices on balljoints and tie rods etc. welcome to Broncodom.