Ford Ranger / B-Series :: Truck Almost Dies And Starts Sputtering - Spark Plug Caps Pop Off
Jan 24, 2017
My 2003 2.3L used to run bad... it had a lot of lag to it when i would try to accelerate. The check engine light was on so i got it checked, and the reading said o2 sensor high voltage or something like that... anyways, i purchased a new sensor (i researched, and found there is only an upstream o2 sensor), replaced it, and the truck ran WAY better, no more lag during acceleration, it was crisp. As i was driving home one day, i was accelerating up a hill, and at about 4000 RPM, the truck almost dies and starts sputtering.
The check engine light started flashing, so i new it was serious, but luckily i was able to make it back to my house. When i got home, i looked under the hood and noticed that #2 & #3 spark plug caps had popped off the spark plugs. What I don't understand is what would have caused that to happen in the first place.... Is it a clogged Catalytic convertor, or is the o2 sensor bad.... Ive read different opinions and technical diagnostic possibilities, but man, i don't want to throw a bunch of money at a truck that I'm really going to have for a few more months. but I need to get it fixed in the mean time.
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I'm getting tired of the same problem about every 6 months. Plug #4 keeps going bad. Its been doing this for years. It starts with rough idle when first starting up that clears up quickly then eventually it leads to a misfire when accelerating. Every time this happens I replace plug #4 and its good to go. Just recently (roughly 6 months ago) did a full tune up and all new injectors. About a week or 2 ago it started its rough idle at start up and just the other day it started misfiring again. What would keep causing this??
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So, last weekend the GF said she had been hearing a tick in her 2006 4L Ranger. I crawl up under it and see the right rear spark plug and wire vibrating and could tell it was loose. I jack it up, take the right front tire off, pull the liner back, and finally get a socket on the plug to tighten it. I tighten it by hand first the then the finale snug down with the ratchet.
I notice it snugged up but I just felt it was trying to slip so I stopped. Well, it lasted two days and now has fallen out again. It appears the head is stripped. I am going to pull the plug out tonight and see if I can see where the threads are stripped. I assume I will find material on the threads of the plug.
My question is, is there anyway for me to make a temp fix till there is time to pull the head and repair it properly? I saw NAPA used to have a kit for the Triton engine but when I went to their web site I couldn't even find that anymore.
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I have a 2005 ranger SOHC 4.0 new rebuilt engine It starts then dies after a few seconds then doesn't start at all unless it sets for a few hours or over night and will do same thing. It has 60 psi on fuel rail, good spark I'm starting to think my PCM is causing all this?
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Ole girl finally let me down, or I let it down at 224,000mi. Started just fine one early cold morning and in about 30 seconds started stumbling and down for the count she went. Acts like it wants to run but will only stumble.
Checked inertia switch (ok) and all vacuum lines/caps appear to be fine. I was kind of due for new set of plugs/wires and a fuel filter. Replaced all didn't see any problems with the old when pulling. She will run for a few seconds, but stumbles and not smooth while running. Checked fuel pressure KOEO 40psi steady. I can hear fuel pump charge system per as usual.
Seeing as it is super cab checked for chafing on wiring to fuel pump under cab. Looks fine. I've heard tell could be alternator, which seems odd to me. Wondering if it would be worth pulling it off and taking it in for a bench test? Maybe I missed something. I know the intake gasket is suspect.
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I've got an issue with my 92 2.3 ranger.... sitting at idle for 30 or so seconds it starts to chug and sometimes dies.... I can hit the throttle and its fine for another 30 or so seconds.... while cruising on the freeway after about 30 minutes it starts to cut out badly... let out of throttle for a few seconds and it clears up and drives fine...
Here's the part that has me confused... pulled codes yesterday using a innova scan tool...
koeo were 4, 10, and 538...
koer were 111, 10, 157, 158, 181, 327, 328, and 334....
How does it give me a 111 pass code and then still come up with all the other codes? I am thinking my ecu may be screwed.....
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The problem : I bought a 2004 Ranger truck and after two days it started to hiccup, or stall or die while driving, then because the truck is manual, just start up and keep running. It was the strangest thing.
I gave it to a shop, and after checking the electrical, the ignition, the fuel system, the drive train, and ten hours of troubleshooting, they came up without an answer. So they gave me the truck back.
Answer, a few days after taking it back:
I had told the shop that it had been sitting for 6 months, May till January, but when I told a mechanic friend a bit later, he still suggested 2 bottles of gas line antifreeze in the tank, before the next tank fill. I did that, and there was some improvement.
Next, When I replaced the balding tires with new Nokian Winter tires, the tire shop, (Kal Tire), told me that the air cleaner was incredibly dirty, and asked me if I would like them to replace it. I said yes, thinking that it might just do the trick, as no one in the forums I read, had mentioned it.
Success! No hiccup or stalling and it has not died since.
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1990 Ranger 2.3L 4 cylinder. The truck idles so rough it dies. It runs fine going down the road it just seems to "load up" at idle. I know there are hundreds of things that it could be, I just hate to start throwing parts at it. It is definitely running rich at idle.
It is one of those trucks that we have replaced a lot of parts. The scan tool said something about setting the timing??? Is there a way to set the timing? There is no distributor, and it is the one with 2 coils and 8 plugs.
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'02 Ranger XLT, extended cab, 4X4, 4.0L SOHC, 5-speed manual, 114K miles.
Problem has occurred twice. After extended run time and engine fully heated, when I get home and shut it down, then attempt to restart within a short period of time, the engine starts very briefly, then begins shuddering violently and dies within a few seconds. Re-attempts to start result in a very shuddering attempt to run for a couple seconds, and then it dies. After a couple of re-attempts, it doesn't even attempt to start; just cranks over with no results. Has to sit about 7-8 hours before it will restart.
No OBD II codes; Passed, no codes shown. I purchased a crank position sensor, but haven't installed it yet: just a stab in the dark after hearing other people's experiences with other vehicles.
First occurrence followed a lengthy trip in heavy stop-and-go traffic. Shut it down when I got home, then attempted to re-start after a few minutes to run a short errand. Sat for two days without any re-attempts; then restarted and ran fine on first try a couple days later.
Second occurrence followed a couple hours of hitting yard sales with the neighbor, in which time I did not shut the truck down; just left it idling while we perused the sales, for fear it wouldn't re-start. Reckon it's a good thing I did, 'cause when we got home and I shut it down and attempted to leave again shortly thereafter, it malfunctioned as described.
Retries failed after sitting 4-5 hours, but after eleven hours of sitting, it started right up and ran normally.
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85 2.0L Dura Ranger.
All of the Idle control wiring and box and sensors have been removed; all else is original. The truck ran just fine after the removal of the above paraphernalia (years). The truck simply quit, no spark at the coil, cranks just fine. All of the wiring has been checked for continuity. The Following components have been replaced with new:
Ignition switch.
Coil.
Dura-spark Box.
Dist coil.
Starter solenoid.
Rotor & Cap.
Plugs and wires.
Correct voltage is present at the coil & D-spark box side of the connector.
Coil tests close to what I think is correct for resistance and the engine ran with it.
I have tested both sides of every connector. I'm not sure what the output side of the D-Spark box (blue tab) voltages should be, and I am unable to test the trigger signal at the coil, however with no output and power in I'm guessing that is the problem...
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Couple days ago, hop in the truck to go to work and belt starts squealing. Belt was old and it had been raining, so I figured it was a little wet. Turned on the defrost, and squeal gets worse. I then smell a burning. Opened the hood and saw the belt dragging on the a/c pulley, so I figure the compressor clutch is shot.
Looked at it today. I was wrong. Took off the belt and the a/c pulley spins fine. I can turn it's front hub by hand as well. I look around and see the crankshaft pulley isn't lined up. It looks like the outer pulley portion separated from the rubber. This caused the belt the jump and ride on the rubber part, cutting grooves in it.
Here's some pics:
From top driver's side:
From top passenger's side:
From bottom passenger's side:
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I have a 2000 Ford Ranger, small v-6, automatic, no AC, windows, door locks, this has a heater and radio. This truck runs fine until I try to climb up the mountains (Colorado) and at app. fifty mph the engine starts sputtering and losing power. More than just an engine ping. When I run on flat ground while pulling a fifteen hundred pound load it runs fine with no sputtering or loss of power. Mechanics here are stumped.
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When I'm driving it starts to cutout (but it never dies) and it won't stop cutting out until I floor it and then it's fine for a little bit and it starts doing it again.
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Last weekend my number 4 spark plug blew out while on the highway. The truck stayed on long enough for me to get off the highway and pull over before it died. I towed the truck home. Last night I repaired it with a helicoil and replace the spark plug and coil. Now the truck cranks but won't start. I noticed that my theft light flashes fast and doesn't stop after a few seconds or during cranking. I still haven't tested relays or fuses because it was late after the repair. I will be checking those tonight.
I will be reading and taking suggestions and posting my results tonight while I'm working on the truck. I will be checking the fuel pump and PCM relay tonight. I will also try 2 different keys and checking the Inertia switch on the fuel pump to see if that tripped. The truck is a 2001 F-150 Lariat Supercrew with 150k miles on it. 5.4 liter engine.
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Background - I just got done changing a few things... Exhaust Manifold/gasket, battery cables, valve cover gasket, oil cooler gasket and hoses, power steering pump and hoses, and ball joints. Most of this has nothing to do with the issue that came up as I am driving it back to return it to her.
While out on the freeway, I initially notice subtle power losses and surges. These quickly escalate into almost total power loss with back firing, sputtering and much more noticeable surges in power. The check engine light was turning off then on a few times before pretty much deciding to stay on.
So I nurse it back home on back roads due to its inability to maintain freeway speeds. I proceed to check everything I touched paying special attention to the exhaust manifold and surrounding area. The new manifold came from the j/y and was barely used so I had initially just stuck with the O2 sensor that came with it; I changed this to the one the vehicle had previously been employing as it was not exhibiting these symptoms until after the job was done. I also double checked all the hoses, intake tube, wires and connectors; everything is connected.
From here, I research the method of pulling codes on OBD-1 vehicles by making the check engine light flash. It flashed a 111 and a 172 at the same time; the information I could find said the 111 means everything is normal, and the 172 suggested O2 or MAF. I am reasonably sure the O2 is not the problem so I focused on the MAF. Disconnecting it while running seemed to improve the way it idled so via the process of deduction, which also included the consideration of typical symptoms of MAF sensor failure, I proceeded to replacing the MAF sensor which amounted to little improvement.
At this moment in time the check engine light has not returned but it is clearly not in a drive-able state of being. It actually seems to have ever so slightly improved though.
Additionally, the symptoms only exist when the engine is hot and has been driven; it drives normally for 5-10 minutes until it gets to operating temperature then it starts to crap out. After changing the MAF sensor, I let it idle for 20 minutes and it was fine until about 2 minutes into the test drive.
Speculation - I am thinking spark plugs could also be a culprit as its has been forever since a tune-up but the sudden onset of this condition make me doubt this a little; it also has 8 plugs so even if one or two crapped out it should still run better than this I would think.
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'86 Ranger, 2.3L, Automatic transmission.
Been having a sputtering/rough running situation once warmed up, replaced every so often with open loop smooth running. Lately, have had several occasions where the truck stalls and will not restart after a hard right turn (fuel pump powers up, tho) After 30 or so minutes of repose, truck will restart and run.
Recent History:
During the last 1-1/2 years, had cylinder head rebuilt and reinstalled. Had to run it all winter w/o EGR tube attached because of bad fitting at exhaust manifold. Replaced the fitting last spring and replaced cat back exhaust system. Had manifold hole plugged with pipe plug all winter. Have had a diagnosis of poor compression in the past, have not rechecked compression since head rebuild, but did have a noticable increase in power.
Have checked base ignition timing and it is correct. Valve timing appears to be as it should be. Have not had the opportunity to check for spark during one of the breakdowns, since I had no tools and it was night time.
The codes:
Early in Fall, got 14, 21, 24, 34. The 14 particularly interested me, as it suggests ignition problems.
Just before pulling the distributor, I checked codes again; 14 had disappeared as did 34 (EGR issues I resolved above) but I still got 21 (coolant temp out of range) and 41 (no HEGO switch) So I left the distributor alone and replace the HEGO sensor and cleared codes.
Last code check, just got 21(coolant temp sensor voltage out of range) and 24(air charge or Vane air temp voltage out of range) There is very little heat on cold days, full radiator and I've "burped" the cylinder head on an incline more than once chasing trapped air.
I'm suspicious of the TIF module, since the stalling is after warm up and self corrects. It was replaced once perhaps 12 years ago.
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My 2000 Ranger standard 4.0 4x4, started spitting and sputtering the other morning just when i was gone up hills then it would quit doing it. The other evening it got to where it don't idle, missing very bad, and wouldn't even pull itself up a slight grade, and the wife said there was flames and sparks coming out the exhaust. Now it wont even try to start, it just turns over. I put a different coil pack, wires, and plugs, and still nothing. I pulled the gas line off the frame fuel filter and its shooting gas out, and I got gas to the check port on top of the engine.
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When I try to crank the truck , it starts and immediately dies. This happened several times. The last attempt I began patting the accelerator when I turned the key. The truck cranked and I was able to keep it running by feathering the throttle. it ran rough. At higher RPM it ran ok. When I let it idle it idled rough. After engine warmed it idles and runs fine. Engine started without trouble when warm.
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I have a 94 ranger and all of a sudden it started sputtering, i can hear a vacuum leak behind the intake manifold found what appears to be a pcv valve not hooked up is that the way it's supposed to be?
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Truck has no spark except when you first turn key on it sparks or right when you let off from cranking it will give one spark. You can be cranking it and nothing and when you let off it kinda acts like it wants to start for a millisecond.
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1990 ranger 2.9 ... I have put about everything new on this ranger. It has no spark, ran fine til i went across a set of railroad tracks, it died 6 months ago and never started again .. Many dollars and many hrs has gone into this thing and still no spark. It will spark when you turn the key on. Crank it and 3 more sparks and thats it. Every electrical piece has been replaced. I've checked and bought relays ,fuel shut off, new distributor pickup coil, rotor, cap, wires, plugs, coil and still no start?
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