Keep or set her free

[MVCCC]

Have a ‘91 Bauer and it’s gotten me up to Alaska and back to Arizona towing a boat behind. Original 5.8l with 176k. Nearby stock.
It’s in good shape, solid frame, almost free of body rust (B pillars at the drip rail end) but the tailgate needs to be reskinned. All the interior is decent-good, except the drivers seat foam is pretty flat & the headliner needs replacement.
To get mechanically square will take fixing an exhaust leak and replacing the AC compressor (+ F/D ). Otherwise, it made a trip from the Yukon to the Sonoran desert in the current condition.

The bad news is that it was rear ended(?) in 1999 when a Bronco wasn’t worth a damn and it’s got a Branded title.

What’s it worth guys? And, should I invest anything into repairing it or sell it off to someone that wants a desert racer/crawler/mudder?

Let me know what you think it’s worth.

 

[Whipsaw]

How bad is the damage? Ford used the same tailgate for 15+ years, you should be able to find one salvage; I just bought a new shell and had the guts swapped over when I had mine painted a year or so ago. It's definitely worth fixing, either by you or the next guy. My headliner is starting to go, and I'm looking at new carpet at some point. Otherwise, I just put a new A/C system in it.

J.D. power says your vehicle is probably in the 10K range ( I lowered it from 12.9K due to the damage)

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/1991/ford/bronco/2-door-utility-4wd

 

[paul rondelli]

I will NEVER advocate getting rid of a Bronco

Especially one that has EARNED her spot in the stable. How can even think of letting her go? She got you halfway across the planet towing a boat!!

That is a epic adventure..... and worth keeping her around for not letting you down.

She has earned the spot as your forever ride .... yes some ****** tried to take her out ..... but that is just another chapter in her Epic story.

 

[miesk5]

Yo MVCCC,
Swapping (t'gate differences between the years); "...Amazingly throughout the number of body style changes from 78 through 96, the tailgate remained nearly the same. You can swap tailgates between all of these years taking note of the following: I've broken down the 3 major changes into their respective years. 78-79 Type A; 80-82 Type B; 83-96 Type C; If your swapping within the same type it's just a direct swap. If swapping A & B you have to switch the glass and glass support brackets; If swapping B & C you have to switch latches and striker plates; If swapping A & C you have to switch the glass, glass support brackets, latches & striker plates..."
Source: by Mike M (MRM) at his old medicine.wisc.edu site via web.archive.net

Al

 

[miesk5]

Yo,
Troubleshooting Synopsis; "...Be aware that: The tailgate latch switch on the driver's side seems to be a common problem, check it early. MIESK5 NOTE; "...The safety switch was moved from the tailgate handle to the left latch by 1983..." per Seabronc; It keeps the window from being moved when the tailgate is open, & if not latched right, it'll keep the window from working at all. Try pushing on the tailgate in while holding the button or key switch in the up or down position. If that makes it work, check out Steve83's How to align a Bronco Tailgate linked below. Ground for the motor connects up front, & at rest runs from there through both switches & both wires to the motor. When either switch is operated, 1 side's ground is disconnected & replaced by hot at that switch. Ground for the motor is not connected to it's case, but supplied through the wires. The 78-79 TG ckt included a 20 a Circuit Breaker @ starter relay & receives 12 v from Ignition Switch; whereas later years don't have the CB there; it is of course in the Fuse Panel or have 2 fuses in the panel; & Relay Location in 78-79; for the 78-9 People, for us, it is quite easy, under the dash behind the instrument cluster, there is a relay, that relay is to run the main constant power for the rear window when the key is on,by origin at FSB; Relay Location in 78-79; Behind the guage/speedo is a relay that powers the inside switch, check it, by Zebrafive at FSB; In other years after 82, there are 2 seperate power sources & 2 fuses/circuit breakers for positive. 1 for each switch. The same 2 wires are used throughout for both up & down (Polarity is reversed by the switches). When the tailgate is open, you have to close the driver's side latch for the window to operate. Remember to open it before closing the tailgate. Testing: Does it make any noise at all? Like the motor's turning, but the window doesn't move? If so, there are torque pins in the motor's drive gear that commonly break & aren't too bad to replace. See the torque pin, Steve83's & Adrianspeeder's links. If it makes no noise, then it's probably in the electrical system. Fireguy50's wiring diagram is linked; To test the electrical system, remove the access panel from inside the tailgate. Run test wires from the battery directly to the window motor connector After 79, (Yellow/r & red/y wires coming right out of the motor) to confirm that the motor works. To lower the window, it should be positive to red/y, & negative to yellow/r. Be ready for the window to move, keep hands & wires clear. Make all the connections but 1, then connect & disconnect the last wire quickly to see if it tries to go the right way. If it tries to go the wrong way, reverse the wires (This also makes it so that you can lower the window & get the tailgate open to continue testing). A- If it runs & the window moves when wired directly to the battery, perform the following tests: A.1- With both switches at rest & the latch switch closed, connect a tester between the positive test wire from the battery & each wire from the tailgate loom at the connector for the motor. Both should read 12v. If they do the ground is good. If they don't, refer to Fireguy50's wiring diagram linked above to trace it down, or tell us what you find. A.2- With the latch switch closed, connect the tester between the negative test wire from the battery & each wire from the loom at the connector for the motor. The red/y wire should read 12v when either switch is in the down position, the yellow/r wire should read 12v when either switch is in the up position. If they don't, refer to Fireguy50's wiring diagram linked above to trace it down, or tell us what you find. A.3- If everything tests ok, but it still doesn't run, there's a couple more possible causes to check: Sometimes the connector for the tailgate motor will test ok, but not make contact when plugged in. You might try backprobing the motor side wires with the plug connected. On mine I removed it & soldered the connections. It's possible for a damaged wire to carry enough load to show 12v on a tester, but not enough to operate the motor. Look for worn areas, especially in the loom between the body & the tailgate. B- If it runs but doesn't move when wired directly to the battery, in addition to your electrical problem, the torque pins in the drive gear are probably broken too. Run the electrical tests in section "A" above, & see the torque pin, Steve83's Tailgate Tech, & Adrianspeeder's links above for the torque pin replacement. C- If it doesn't run at all when wired directly to the battery, it sounds like it's time for a new motor. See Steve83's ...link ... & use the info for removing & replacing the motor. On my truck there were multiple bad connections, so it was hard to isolate the problem. Someone before me used a ton of crimp connectors . Basically I ended up removing them & soldering all the connections, & eliminating the corroded plug to the motor..."
Source: by ElKabong (Ken, El Kabong) at FSB

Troubleshooting Synopsis; "...The tail gate circuit is pretty easy to resolve with a meter. Attached is a diagram of the circuit. Note that there are two fuses which you may have already found out. One powers the dash switch which is powered only when the key is in RUN or ACC. The other powers the tail gate switch and that line is hot at all times. If the motor is definitely good, (which can be verified by using a set of jumper leads directly to the motor connector). Once it is verified that the motor works then the common problems are: 1. The Latch Safety switch in the left side latch, This is often a problem when the tail gate fails from both switches.(you can pull the connector and jumper it out, which many people leave permanently jumpers out). The problem can be as easy as the latch needs adjustment. So if the jumper makes it work then either leave it jumped, adjust the latching stud for a tighter fit, or replace the latch switch if testing indicates it is bad. The function of the switch is to make sure the tail gate is latched before putting the window up. I like it bypassed because it makes it easy to get the window out of the way when working inside the tail gate. I think I'm smart enough to put the window back down before closing the tail gate . The only suggestion if leaving it jumped is to support the window if it is in the up position with the tail gate down. Else it could be broken by someone leaning on it. 2. The ground return for the tail gate switch uses the same two lines the dash switch does, (the grounding point is under the dash. The dash switch changes the function of the two leads running to the tail gate window motor by grounding one and putting 12V on the other. The tail gate switch uses the two leads for the ground connection, (it requires the dash switch to be in the neutral position in order to work). Depending on the year of the truck there are 2 or 3 connectors involved that often get corroded, sometimes to the point that the wires break off the connector. In your truck, there is on connector behind the left tail light, the next common failing connector is the one on the left side of the rear frame crossover member, (it is gray, if you can still see the color, and just under and behind the bumper). So to make it short, if you can operate the motor with a set of jumper leads and the window goes up and down that way, then the problem is a connection or the Latch Safety Switch. If you can't get the tail gate open to work on it, crawl in the back and remove the tail gate panel and find the motor leads attached along the bottom edge of the opening. Disconnect them and use a long set of leads or another battery in the back with you to test the motor. Once the window is down you can open the gate to make it more comfortable to work on the problem. In the diagram you will see a black with white striped wire that goes to the tail gate key switch, you should have 12V there at all times. To get at it, you will need the window in the up position. The other two leads, (with the dash switch in the center position) should indicate that they are grounded when doing a continuity check of them). You can also check the entire path from dash switch to the tail gate key switch by using a meter and probing the wires the purple with light green stripe and the dark green with light green stripe. Have someone (with the key in RUN or ACC) moving the Dash switch from UP to Down while you check those leads for 12V. If you don't get 12V then the problem is in a connector between the two switches or a broken wire (a broken wire would most likely be where they transition between the body and tail gate due to constant flexing). The procedure would be; 12V missing on one of the wires, move back to the connector behind the tail light (missing there), move to the connector on the cross member (missing there) move back to the connectors in front, until you find where you have 12V on the line you are probing. Once you find 12V the problem is between the last point probed and where you find 12V..."
Source: by Seabronc (Rosie, Fred W) at Ford Bronco Zone

 

[johnnyreb]

Yo,
Troubleshooting Synopsis; "...Be aware that: The tailgate latch switch on the driver's side seems to be a common problem, check it early. MIESK5 NOTE; "...The safety switch was moved from the tailgate handle to the left latch by 1983..." per Seabronc; It keeps the window from being moved when the tailgate is open, & if not latched right, it'll keep the window from working at all. Try pushing on the tailgate in while holding the button or key switch in the up or down position. If that makes it work, check out Steve83's How to align a Bronco Tailgate linked below. Ground for the motor connects up front, & at rest runs from there through both switches & both wires to the motor. When either switch is operated, 1 side's ground is disconnected & replaced by hot at that switch. Ground for the motor is not connected to it's case, but supplied through the wires. The 78-79 TG ckt included a 20 a Circuit Breaker @ starter relay & receives 12 v from Ignition Switch; whereas later years don't have the CB there; it is of course in the Fuse Panel or have 2 fuses in the panel; & Relay Location in 78-79; for the 78-9 People, for us, it is quite easy, under the dash behind the instrument cluster, there is a relay, that relay is to run the main constant power for the rear window when the key is on,by origin at FSB; Relay Location in 78-79; Behind the guage/speedo is a relay that powers the inside switch, check it, by Zebrafive at FSB; In other years after 82, there are 2 seperate power sources & 2 fuses/circuit breakers for positive. 1 for each switch. The same 2 wires are used throughout for both up & down (Polarity is reversed by the switches). When the tailgate is open, you have to close the driver's side latch for the window to operate. Remember to open it before closing the tailgate. Testing: Does it make any noise at all? Like the motor's turning, but the window doesn't move? If so, there are torque pins in the motor's drive gear that commonly break & aren't too bad to replace. See the torque pin, Steve83's & Adrianspeeder's links. If it makes no noise, then it's probably in the electrical system. Fireguy50's wiring diagram is linked; To test the electrical system, remove the access panel from inside the tailgate. Run test wires from the battery directly to the window motor connector After 79, (Yellow/r & red/y wires coming right out of the motor) to confirm that the motor works. To lower the window, it should be positive to red/y, & negative to yellow/r. Be ready for the window to move, keep hands & wires clear. Make all the connections but 1, then connect & disconnect the last wire quickly to see if it tries to go the right way. If it tries to go the wrong way, reverse the wires (This also makes it so that you can lower the window & get the tailgate open to continue testing). A- If it runs & the window moves when wired directly to the battery, perform the following tests: A.1- With both switches at rest & the latch switch closed, connect a tester between the positive test wire from the battery & each wire from the tailgate loom at the connector for the motor. Both should read 12v. If they do the ground is good. If they don't, refer to Fireguy50's wiring diagram linked above to trace it down, or tell us what you find. A.2- With the latch switch closed, connect the tester between the negative test wire from the battery & each wire from the loom at the connector for the motor. The red/y wire should read 12v when either switch is in the down position, the yellow/r wire should read 12v when either switch is in the up position. If they don't, refer to Fireguy50's wiring diagram linked above to trace it down, or tell us what you find. A.3- If everything tests ok, but it still doesn't run, there's a couple more possible causes to check: Sometimes the connector for the tailgate motor will test ok, but not make contact when plugged in. You might try backprobing the motor side wires with the plug connected. On mine I removed it & soldered the connections. It's possible for a damaged wire to carry enough load to show 12v on a tester, but not enough to operate the motor. Look for worn areas, especially in the loom between the body & the tailgate. B- If it runs but doesn't move when wired directly to the battery, in addition to your electrical problem, the torque pins in the drive gear are probably broken too. Run the electrical tests in section "A" above, & see the torque pin, Steve83's Tailgate Tech, & Adrianspeeder's links above for the torque pin replacement. C- If it doesn't run at all when wired directly to the battery, it sounds like it's time for a new motor. See Steve83's ...link ... & use the info for removing & replacing the motor. On my truck there were multiple bad connections, so it was hard to isolate the problem. Someone before me used a ton of crimp connectors . Basically I ended up removing them & soldering all the connections, & eliminating the corroded plug to the motor..."
Source: by ElKabong (Ken, El Kabong) at FSB

Troubleshooting Synopsis; "...The tail gate circuit is pretty easy to resolve with a meter. Attached is a diagram of the circuit. Note that there are two fuses which you may have already found out. One powers the dash switch which is powered only when the key is in RUN or ACC. The other powers the tail gate switch and that line is hot at all times. If the motor is definitely good, (which can be verified by using a set of jumper leads directly to the motor connector). Once it is verified that the motor works then the common problems are: 1. The Latch Safety switch in the left side latch, This is often a problem when the tail gate fails from both switches.(you can pull the connector and jumper it out, which many people leave permanently jumpers out). The problem can be as easy as the latch needs adjustment. So if the jumper makes it work then either leave it jumped, adjust the latching stud for a tighter fit, or replace the latch switch if testing indicates it is bad. The function of the switch is to make sure the tail gate is latched before putting the window up. I like it bypassed because it makes it easy to get the window out of the way when working inside the tail gate. I think I'm smart enough to put the window back down before closing the tail gate . The only suggestion if leaving it jumped is to support the window if it is in the up position with the tail gate down. Else it could be broken by someone leaning on it. 2. The ground return for the tail gate switch uses the same two lines the dash switch does, (the grounding point is under the dash. The dash switch changes the function of the two leads running to the tail gate window motor by grounding one and putting 12V on the other. The tail gate switch uses the two leads for the ground connection, (it requires the dash switch to be in the neutral position in order to work). Depending on the year of the truck there are 2 or 3 connectors involved that often get corroded, sometimes to the point that the wires break off the connector. In your truck, there is on connector behind the left tail light, the next common failing connector is the one on the left side of the rear frame crossover member, (it is gray, if you can still see the color, and just under and behind the bumper). So to make it short, if you can operate the motor with a set of jumper leads and the window goes up and down that way, then the problem is a connection or the Latch Safety Switch. If you can't get the tail gate open to work on it, crawl in the back and remove the tail gate panel and find the motor leads attached along the bottom edge of the opening. Disconnect them and use a long set of leads or another battery in the back with you to test the motor. Once the window is down you can open the gate to make it more comfortable to work on the problem. In the diagram you will see a black with white striped wire that goes to the tail gate key switch, you should have 12V there at all times. To get at it, you will need the window in the up position. The other two leads, (with the dash switch in the center position) should indicate that they are grounded when doing a continuity check of them). You can also check the entire path from dash switch to the tail gate key switch by using a meter and probing the wires the purple with light green stripe and the dark green with light green stripe. Have someone (with the key in RUN or ACC) moving the Dash switch from UP to Down while you check those leads for 12V. If you don't get 12V then the problem is in a connector between the two switches or a broken wire (a broken wire would most likely be where they transition between the body and tail gate due to constant flexing). The procedure would be; 12V missing on one of the wires, move back to the connector behind the tail light (missing there), move to the connector on the cross member (missing there) move back to the connectors in front, until you find where you have 12V on the line you are probing. Once you find 12V the problem is between the last point probed and where you find 12V..."
Source: by Seabronc (Rosie, Fred W) at Ford Bronco Zone

Seabronc knew alot about broncos. . Thanks alot. How is your eyes doing now? I hope alot better.

 

[johnnyreb]

Have a ‘91 Bauer and it’s gotten me up to Alaska and back to Arizona towing a boat behind. Original 5.8l with 176k. Nearby stock.
It’s in good shape, solid frame, almost free of body rust (B pillars at the drip rail end) but the tailgate needs to be reskinned. All the interior is decent-good, except the drivers seat foam is pretty flat & the headliner needs replacement.
To get mechanically square will take fixing an exhaust leak and replacing the AC compressor (+ F/D ). Otherwise, it made a trip from the Yukon to the Sonoran desert in the current condition.

The bad news is that it was rear ended(?) in 1999 when a Bronco wasn’t worth a damn and it’s got a Branded title.

What’s it worth guys? And, should I invest anything into repairing it or sell it off to someone that wants a desert racer/crawler/mudder?

Let me know what you think it’s worth.

keep her !!!

 

[NotaVegetarian]

vote to keep

 

[miesk5]

My vision is slightly better johnnyreb.
Thanks you!

 

[ragtop69]

I have loved both of my Broncos, an '83 XLT i bought new and drove for 17 years, and a '95 XLT that I have now. Selling my '83 was the biggest mistake of my life. So, I'd vote to keep yours.

 

[MVCCC]

How bad is the damage? Ford used the same tailgate for 15+ years, you should be able to find one salvage; I just bought a new shell and had the guts swapped over when I had mine painted a year or so ago. It's definitely worth fixing, either by you or the next guy. My headliner is starting to go, and I'm looking at new carpet at some point. Otherwise, I just put a new A/C system in it.

J.D. power says your vehicle is probably in the 10K range ( I lowered it from 12.9K due to the damage)

https://www.jdpower.com/cars/1991/ford/bronco/2-door-utility-4wd

The damage was repaired previously but the bonds has since cracked and due to build up of dirt inside, there are some small holes rusted through on the outer sheet metal. Maybe I can find a whole shell and swap the guts, easier than all the bodywork…
How much did the AC run? Replace it all?

 

[MVCCC]

I will NEVER advocate getting rid of a Bronco

Especially one that has EARNED her spot in the stable. How can even think of letting her go? She got you halfway across the planet towing a boat!!

That is a epic adventure..... and worth keeping her around for not letting you down.

She has earned the spot as your forever ride .... yes some ****** tried to take her out ..... but that is just another chapter in her Epic story.

Thanks for the kind words. You make a good point, she kept me cruising along, just enjoying the scenery.
Yeah, it was a great trip! Definitely worth it and can be really affordable if you camp out the whole way. Highly recommend.

 

[johnnyreb]

My vision is slightly better johnnyreb.
Thanks you!

Well I hope it gets alot better. Keep lookin up.

 

[Whipsaw]

The damage was repaired previously but the bonds has since cracked and due to build up of dirt inside, there are some small holes rusted through on the outer sheet metal. Maybe I can find a whole shell and swap the guts, easier than all the bodywork…
How much did the AC run? Replace it all?

Replaced all the components to avoid **** incompatibilities, overall cost ~ $400 parts and $200 evacuate/fill. Check out this thread: https://www.broncozone.com/threads/...8l-air-conditioning-rebuild.29388/post-154088