Hi, I'm new here, just joined yesterday. On May 13, 2004 I bought my first Bronco. I have two F150's, a 1984 302 and a 1988 300 6 cylinder. I've been researching Bronco's for about a month because I have been pleased overall with my F150's. I bought a 1990 Bronco with a 5.8L with 197,900 plus miles for $900.00 from an individual. I ran a carfax and it came back good. The motor and drive train seem good based on my driving experience with the F150's. I'm trying to learn all I can about my Bronco. I bought it because I was having trouble backing my boat up to launch and I thought the Bronco would give me more control in getting my boat parallel with the dock. Here's what I know after a few days. The gas guage reads empty even when the tank is full. I'm not sure how many gallons it holds since it was'nt empty when I filled it up. The steering seems to have a lot of play in it. It has wider tires than my F150's, but 15 inch wheels. It's an automatic with overdrive and when I go to neutral and shift into 4 wheel,the dash light does not light saying 4x4 in 4 wheel hi. When I go to 4 wheel low, the dash lights up. I have 4 wheel drive in both settings. When I try to shift back to 2 wheel hi, it grinds when I go from neutral (on the floor) to 4 wheel hi. I had it inspected yesterday (NY) and they would not give me a sticker because the check engine light was on. They said I have to come back and have it put on the computer. The transmission has a cooling line to the radiator. What is the towing package if I use the ball on the bumper? This Bronco has been in Texas all but the last two years and shows very little rust. My boat/trailer is about 2500 pounds. I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks for listening to me. I'm looking forward to really enjoying my Bronco.
Learning About My Bronco
- Thread starter bluryeyes
- Start date
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Hi, I'm new here, just joined yesterday. On May 13, 2004 I bought my first Bronco. I have two F150's, a 1984 302 and a 1988 300 6 cylinder. I've been researching Bronco's for about a month because I have been pleased overall with my F150's. I bought a 1990 Bronco with a 5.8L with 197,900 plus miles for $900.00 from an individual. I ran a carfax and it came back good. The motor and drive train seem good based on my driving experience with the F150's. I'm trying to learn all I can about my Bronco. I bought it because I was having trouble backing my boat up to launch and I thought the Bronco would give me more control in getting my boat parallel with the dock. Here's what I know after a few days. The gas guage reads empty even when the tank is full. I'm not sure how many gallons it holds since it was'nt empty when I filled it up. The steering seems to have a lot of play in it. It has wider tires than my F150's, but 15 inch wheels. It's an automatic with overdrive and when I go to neutral and shift into 4 wheel,the dash light does not light saying 4x4 in 4 wheel hi. When I go to 4 wheel low, the dash lights up. I have 4 wheel drive in both settings. When I try to shift back to 2 wheel hi, it grinds when I go from neutral (on the floor) to 4 wheel hi. I had it inspected yesterday (NY) and they would not give me a sticker because the check engine light was on. They said I have to come back and have it put on the computer. The transmission has a cooling line to the radiator. What is the towing package if I use the ball on the bumper? This Bronco has been in Texas all but the last two years and shows very little rust. My boat/trailer is about 2500 pounds. I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks for listening to me. I'm looking forward to really enjoying my Bronco.Congrats on buying the Bronco, and welcome to BroncoZone!!!
As for the gas gauge, the sending unit inside the 32-gallon gas tank often goes bad and the gauge won't work. On your 90 model with EFI, the sending unit and fuel pump are in one assembly. At $120 and the labor of dropping the tank, most folks just live with it. You can figure 10 mpg and watch your odometer for when to fill up. The steering is the same as the F-150's, so check the usual items like tie rods, drag link, steering shaft and gearbox for wear. It sounds like you have the electric shift 4wd, and there is a good tech article on troubleshooting the system in the How-To section here. If you disconnect the battery for a few minutes, it will clear the code(s) that cause the check engine light to appear. It's still a good idea to have it checked first t osee what the problem is, as it may be something that affects the gas mileage like the IAC or TPS. The towing package consists of heavier rear leaf springs, tranny cooler, and possibly factory limited slip. No problem pulling the boat and trailer, just drive smart. The short wheelbase on the Bronco can be harder to control than a longbed pick-up. Good luck with the "new" Bronco, they're loads of fun!!! <
As for the gas gauge, the sending unit inside the 32-gallon gas tank often goes bad and the gauge won't work. On your 90 model with EFI, the sending unit and fuel pump are in one assembly. At $120 and the labor of dropping the tank, most folks just live with it. You can figure 10 mpg and watch your odometer for when to fill up. The steering is the same as the F-150's, so check the usual items like tie rods, drag link, steering shaft and gearbox for wear. It sounds like you have the electric shift 4wd, and there is a good tech article on troubleshooting the system in the How-To section here. If you disconnect the battery for a few minutes, it will clear the code(s) that cause the check engine light to appear. It's still a good idea to have it checked first t osee what the problem is, as it may be something that affects the gas mileage like the IAC or TPS. The towing package consists of heavier rear leaf springs, tranny cooler, and possibly factory limited slip. No problem pulling the boat and trailer, just drive smart. The short wheelbase on the Bronco can be harder to control than a longbed pick-up. Good luck with the "new" Bronco, they're loads of fun!!! <
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Shadow_D
Active member
Congrats on your Bronco Purchase and Welcome to the "B" Zone.
Just to be safe I would say after you fill it up about 150 to 175 miles between fill ups, you can figure your mpg with just that then you can get a better idea as to how far you can go before you run out. Do this about 3 or 4 tank fulls.
I fill up when my gauge is just under half and that is usually between 130 and 175 miles, that gives me between 8.5 MPG and 10.2 MPG
Just to be safe I would say after you fill it up about 150 to 175 miles between fill ups, you can figure your mpg with just that then you can get a better idea as to how far you can go before you run out. Do this about 3 or 4 tank fulls.
I fill up when my gauge is just under half and that is usually between 130 and 175 miles, that gives me between 8.5 MPG and 10.2 MPG
Gunner
New member
again congrats on the bronco and welcome to the zone. as far as towing your boat not a problem. if it only weighs 2500 lbs then you wont even know its their. my 302 bronco pulls my 3600 lb boat like its a jet ski. naw that is a little exageration but i dont have a problem at all pulling it other than my ****** ass brakes but is ok because my boat trailer has its own set of brakes to assist
Gunner
New member
oh but just a little suggestion at 198,000 miles a may think of performing an engine overhaul. just to be safe. or just by a remanufactered lower unit for almost $2000 and comes with a three year 30,000 mile warrantee.
