Dear Tom and Ray:

I purchased a 1984 Ford Ranger, V6, 5-speed. The truck runs like a charm. My problem is when I downshift into second gear and accelerate, the engine pings very loudly and sounds like a diesel and belches out blue oily smoke (it uses about a quart every 200 miles). I have replaced the valve guide seals and the timing is supposedly right on the mark. I have plenty of power, and the engine is supposed to have only 40,000 miles. But I was misled about other things on the truck, so I'm not sure. I have been told by shade-tree mechanics that either the rings are shot, the catalytic converter is plugged, or a lot of carbon buildup is causing the problem. Hope you have an answer. -- Robert

Tom: We have an answer, Robert, but it's not the answer you want to hear.

Ray: Was the guy selling this truck wearing a mask, Robert? Because you got held up. This engine clearly has a lot more than 40,000 miles on it. The engine is shot. The rings are probably garbage.

Tom: You've got two choices now. If the rest of the truck is in good shape (let a mechanic check it out for you, since your automotive assessment skills are obviously in question), you can buy a junkyard engine and have a mechanic put it in for you. Then you just have to hope it's better than the one you've got.

Ray: Alternatively, you can start all over again. We just wrote a new pamphlet called "How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." You can get one by sending $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No.10 envelope to Used Car, PO Box 6420, Riverton, NJ 08077-6420. The pamphlet tells you 1) why you should buy a used car (vs. a new one), 2) how to find a good used car, and 3) how to check it out. It even includes a checklist of things that your mechanic should look at BEFORE you buy the car.

Tom: If you follow the procedures in "How to Buy a Used Car," you should do OK. At least you won't have to choose between throwing away a car you just bought or driving around with a 55-gallon drum of oil strapped to the roof. Good luck next time, Robert.

It's NEVER cheaper in the long run to buy a new car. Want proof? Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1996 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the May 1996 index