Is it unusual for a 10 year old Ford Ranger to never have had the timing belt changed?

I bought my used 1996 Ford Ranger 6cyl. 4.0 in late '97. I've never changed the timing belt or transmission fluid. It's manual shift. Should I take it in to the mechanic ASAP?
Is it unusual for a 10 year old Ford Ranger to never have had the timing belt changed?
Absolutely get the timing belt changed,and changing the transmission oil would certainly be a good idea.
Is it unusual for a 10 year old Ford Ranger to never have had the timing belt changed?
It depends on how many miles you have on the truck. If you have a repair manual you can look to see what the recommended mileage is to have these items replaced.
yeah. if timing belt breaks, you got some serious issues. And transmission fluid needs to be changed to maintain the life of the transmission.
The unusal part is a Ranger lasting 10yrs. Your question depends on the type of engine ford uses. This will determine what will happen when the belt breaks, either the engine will simply quit (good thing) or the pistons will slam and bend your valves all to hell (bad). In the second case a new engine will fix it. I would spend the money to get the belt replaced.
I think it's a pretty good idea to get your timing belt changed. I don't know how many miles you've run on it, or how hard you've driven it, but to be safe it should be changed around 80K miles or 7-8 years, whichever is earlier. You're already past those milestones so it's probably a good idea to change it now.



Also replace the water pump at the same time, because it is easily accessible when the timing belt is replaced and because it will also fail around the same time.



Your car is a manual shift, so it uses a set of gears to shift, rather than transmission fluid, which is used in automatic transmissions, so it doesn't apply in your case. However, you should probably check to see if your clutch pads are still OK.
If the engine has more than 100K miles than change it ASAP. If the belt breaks you'll bend the valves and ruin the engine. When you do the work, have the water pump changed as the timing cover and belt need to be removed to change it anyway.

100K is also the manual trans fluid change interval also.
I have a Friend that has 365000 on his ford and has not changed the timing belt
does this motor even have a timing belt? i have a 92 ranger 4.0 and the motor has never been touched. it has a timing chain ,not a belt. I have had tranny problems though. but yours being a stick shift you should be OK. good luck.
I don't think the Ford, 1996 has a %26quot;timing belt%26quot;, I believe they have a %26quot;timing chain and sprockets%26quot;.

And manual transmissions do not have the problems with oil changes and filters of an automatic tranny, so as log as fluid, or grease level is correct, not too much to worry about.

Anyone saying to change the timing belt, doesn;t know anything about the Ford engines, as only those engines that have overhead cams use a timing belt, and Ford %26quot;V%26quot; engines are not overhead cams.
If it does have a timing chain your ok. Timing chains last longer than belts, they just stretch a little. You'll know when it stretches.
That engine does not have a timing belt, it has a timing chain. No need to peroidically change it as it should last as long as the rest of the engine. I'd say that it is due for a tranny oil change though.
Your '96 Ranger 4.0 has a timing chain, not a belt. There is no service needed. However, the transmission does not use gear oil, it uses Mercon, which is automatic trans fluid, and will break down much more easily than gear oil would. I would get the manual transmission serviced at your next oil change interval. Actually, Ford now recommends Mercon V for your transmission, so be sure thats what you put in it.

This info is per Ford's tech website, which I just looked up for you, and good luck with your Ranger!
I do belive your 4.0 has a timing CHAIN and depending on how you drive it is time to think about getting it changed.I don't know about the V-6's but the 2.3 4 banger is a non interference engine,meaning the valves won't contact the pistons in case the timing belt does break.(it's a belt in the 2.3) found that out when I broke mine at around 200,000,but deffinatley change the tranny and rear end fluid.I belive they both take regular ATF,my 99 does
I agree with the other person's answer, it all depends on the mileage...most manufacturers recommend having the timing belt replaced after 60,000 miles. If you have the owner's manual it should be listed in there as well as the recommended schedule of changing the fluid in your manual trans. You said the truck was bought used, if you aren't good friends with the previous owner...you have no idea what tortures it was put through. Is it a 4x4? It's always a good preventative measure o change the fluid in both the trans and transfer case.