Ford Ranger / B-Series :: 1997 4WD - Cylinder Misfires On 4 And 6
Jul 16, 2012
Besides being spark plugs and wires and/or a bad coil pack, what other things could make it so i have misfires on cylinders 4 and 6? going to replace the plugs and wires later today when they get to my house but i just want to know what other things i could be so I can evaluate the potential repair cost and should the wires for cylinders 4,5, and 6 be under or over the intake manifold? I bought my truck used and they are currently under the manifold i think it would make more sense to have them over personally.
I have a 1997 Ranger 4WD with the 6 cylinder 4.0L engine. I can't remember the codes that it tripped at the moment but i think one might have been the 304 code not sure though.
I tripped the 300,304, and 306 code but don't know about any others i remembered what codes i tripped the other day when i had it scanned
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Posting this on behalf a friend. He has a '97 Ranger 2.3, 5 speed, 2WD, no A/C or power steering. No trouble codes.
The Problems:
It has an erratic random misfire at idle. Just runs very rough at idle. The misfiring goes away once the engine speed is up.
It has absolutely no power while driving, it's foot the floor all the time. On a straight piece of road it will top out at around 65-70 MPH. Above ~2700 RPM or so and it will start getting severe detonation, by 4000 it's really bad.
Along with the no power issue, it also does not like to rev. 4300-4500 RPM is about the end of the world for this thing, and it really does not want to spin any faster in any gear. It just stops pulling.
What we've done and checked: Complete tune up, 8 new spark plugs, 8 new wires, new fuel filter and cleaned the MAF. Fuel pressure seemed a couple PSI low, so the regulator was changed out as well. No change in operation.
We have access to a scan tool with live data, so I checked some things out:
The O2 sensor reports a rich condition while wide open throughout the entire RPM range, so it's not a fuel delivery problem.
Fuel trims are normal, +/- 5-7% or so.
Calculated load was at 100%, pretty much from idle to 4500 RPM while wide open. This is very odd, as it usually takes a very high-strung N/A engine to hit 100% load at any RPM, let alone the entire RPM range.
Other things we've done:
We checked the reported ignition timing advance on the scan tool to the actual timing with a timing light, and it matched up perfectly, so no issues there.
However, I noticed that the timing light was flashing erratically at idle, and behaved slightly differently when clipped to the rear coil pack vs the front. Once the revs were up, the timing light flashed in a consistent manner.
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The key cylinder is basically not engaging anything. The key rotates all the way from auxiliary to start but there's no resistance anywhere, just sort of flops back and forth. I put in a new cylinder just now and luckily it engaged the starter just enough so I was able to get the car home from my wife's work but of course once in my driveway the key would not turn the car off. So if the cylinder is good then what should I check next?
On a side note, what's an easy way to turn the car off next time this happens? Disconnecting the battery didn't work, then I couldn't find an inertia switch. I finally disconnected the alternator with lots of sparks but it did shut the engine off.
It's been a rough night already and I still need to figure out how to get the Ranger I left at my wife's work. The Bronco's got no insurance and my wife can't drive a stick anyway, same issue with the motorcycle. Thinking I'm in for a 10 mile bicycle ride.
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2001 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6... Okay so I bought my truck last September with 100K on it. Ran perfectly fine. No problems for for the first two months and then it started to misfire when at idle. Check Engine Light came on. Scanned and got a random multiple misfire code. I then changed the plugs and wires. Had to repair the threads for cylinder two. Did all that and it kind of but not really solved the problem. A few weeks later got another check engine light. Cylinder 3 misfire. Changed ignition coil. No better. Shortly thereafter I checked again whilst at work and read misfire on 3 and now 2. Currently replacing the intake manifold o-rings and cleaning out intake.
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This has been an issue for about 8 months now. I'm getting a misfire on cylinder 4. So far compression test, new gas filter, fuel injectors cleaned, spark plugs and wires replaced. coil pack replaced. Heater valve was leaking but was replaced.
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OK, got a check engine light today when I fired up the Ranger.
Took it down and got the codes read it have a miss fire on cylinder 5. Picked up some plugs and wires, got to get those E3's out of there, but kind of think that's really not going to fix the problem. So that probably leaves the coil pack or injectors.
So what's the consensus on the best coils to use?
Also, being an 18 wheeler for more years than I care to remember, I've learned swapping just 1 injector is never the way to go. So whats the best type of injectors to get and where the best place to get them should it come to that?
Oh, it's a 2000 3.0L Flex fuel 5 speed.
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My parents 2000 Ranger has an CEL for cylinder 4 misfire, but it will clear on its own and then start up days/weeks later, is this common? Could it be an injector?
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I have a misfire mystery going on in my girlfriends 00 ranger. What is going on, is there is an intermittent misfire on #4. I have an ultra gauge hooked to it, so most of the time when it does it, it will flash a pending code. A lot of the time, the pending code will go away, but sometimes it will set the PO304 code.
First I tried a tune up. New plugs and wires, air cleaner, cleaned out the throttle body. This cured it, for a short while. Then we were back to the pending code / setting code for #4.
When I pull the plug on #4 it is sometimes wet with gas. If you put a new plug in it runs fine for a while. In fact the last time we took a several 100 mile trip with it right after plug change, and it ran great. The pulled plugs re always in good condition with no burn, oil, chips or glazing. I have been using the standard autolites that are in advance auto's computer for that engine. No issues with the other 5 so I figure they re good enough.
The day after we came back I get the call... Honey its doing it again. Often to the point of having no power at all.
But it will clear itself usually, if not a new plug for #4 will cure it immediately.
So I thought something is killing this plug.... Or flooding it. SO I ran 2 cans of sea foam though it, put in a new plug and an new wire. It fixed it for a week then it did it again.
Ok I think... maybe the coil pack is bad either killing the plug or just not firing it at all? So since the pack has never been change in its nearly 300K life (to my knowledge, shes had the truck since about 60K) What the heck.... a new coil pack for the old thing.
I have not had the chance to clean the MAF but we are talking misfire on one cylinder, every now and then with no real conditions that set it off. More often than not its a pending code that you can even hear or feel and other times its a full blown miss that drags the truck down. Well for a short while until it clears up or I replace the plug.
3 cans of seafoam surely would have cleared a sticky injector. I realize it could be a bad wire to that injector but I have not had the time to tear the fiddle bits off to get to it to clean and test it... or just replace it.
Honestly Ive had a lot of cars and trucks, I don't remember ever having to replace an injector. Ive had bad wires to them but they misbehave ALL the time. This problem is so intermittent its freaky.
She says it does it mostly when its cold or not totally warmed up. Almost always, by the time the engine is hot it goes away.
And hot for this truck is over 185F, which I think its too cold to be running and the thermostat needs changed BUT she thinks cool=good. I keep telling her no, cool is often not good, the engine needs to be up to the operating temp.... which to me means 190-200. Her ranger runs between 170-180 all the time. I doubt thats causing the problem but still.... I think new thermo is in order.
My thinking is since it runs so cool all the time, the issue might be related to a spike in the temp over 180 ish, that gods forbid is opening a crack somewhere to suck air or lose compression.
And a compression test is my next step on #4 if/when it does it again. Now I have had cracked valves before, I don't recall them acting this way. After all sometimes the thing will go 100s of miles under different driving conditions and run fine. I don't think a cracked valve would be that nice.
Shes getting @18 MPG mixed driving, when it runs t runs like a bear. It always fires right up. There is no smoke, white or black. There is no water in the oil, no oil in the water. No audible exhaust leaks. No ticks knocks or oddball noises. For its age and miles almost 300K it runs perfectly.
Well until it has its intermittent issue with the misfire, that isnt bad enough to actually set the code.
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I got this 98 Ranger 2.5 that I've done a tune-up on less than 30,000 miles ago. I changed plugs, wires, and both coil packs. Timing belt, thermostat, fuel pump, fuel injectors are all recently changed too within a year or two. Fuel filter and air filter I change every 30,000 miles. The truck runs as great as a 4 Cylinder will run. It's at 344,000 miles but the engine was changed once so it probably has over 100,000 miles on it. There is just a slight miss you can hear through the tailpipe but it's not severe enough to be picked up by the Check Engine Light. In fact, even when the coils were totally gone it never put up the Check Engine Light. I can tell when a coil pack is going out on this because it's done it several times so I usually just change them with the tune-up. It's only a slight miss some people may not even notice it. I was just wondering is there any way to track down where the miss is? I tried looking under the hood in the pitch black and there's no plug arcing.
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'92 Ranger 2WD with 4 cyl and 9" brakes, right rear wheel cylinder keeps blowing out, replaced it twice. I've thought about maybe an obstruction in the left brake line creating too much pressure, or in the junction block on the rear axle. I believe only one line leads to there from the master cylinder, so what else could it be? Only other thing I can think of is that the right brake has a mechanical problem which is causing the forward shoe to move too far away from the cylinder, leaving no 'stop' so the piston just slides right out of the cylinder. But I can't figure that. Original adjuster star wheel was chewed up so I swapped in another, doubt it's that.
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I figured something out on my ranger that has been bugging me for a while it was a third cly misfire so I changed the plugs and it went away for a while.the po told me he had just changed the plug wires so i didn't mess with those and it was an intermittent misfire so i changed the brain box because it was 15.00 at pull and save and it had been all updated boy did it run smooth for a while then the misfire came back. So I decided to check the 3rd cylinder plug wires and found out the one that is hard to change on the drivers side was badly rusted so i borrowed one off my windstar it was a little longer but boy does it run smoother and it doesn't die all the time and chug chug all the time now i just need to change the battery. i have already changed the clutch and the tranny twice i took one out of an 88 and it fit just fine by the way the engine is a 2.3 8 plug engine with over 230,000miles on it my next project is a timing belt and a heater core won't that be fun and yes i smell the antifreeze inside and don't like the stop leak like the last person put in.
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Been awhile since I've been able to post but I've got a serious issue with my 2006 Ranger XLT 4L V6. So last night about 2 miles from home my check engine light started flashing like it was a at a rave and my engine wasn't acting right, also had the STRONG odor of raw gas, no other lights from the dash, no fluids leaking, oil was good n nothing in radiator but coolant. Was able to baby it to my current home but all my tools are in storage so had to wait to get my ODB scanner to see what's up. Scan came back as 'cylinder #3 misfire' & 'O2 sensor reading rich'.
Go cylinder #3 spark plug out and it were fouled bad. Got ride to the store and got a whole new set. Got back n got'em changed and fired ut up, idle still rough and check engine started flashing again and white cloud coming from exhaust pipe and STRONG odor of gas. Check and now have 'multiple missfire', 'cylinder #2 misfire' and 'cylinder #3 misfire'.
Shut it down go and double check ALL spark plug wires are connected and TRY to start, get about a turn n a half then starter spin. Try again and the engine won't even turn over. "Great I've seized the engine!" Was able to put a socket on the crankshaft pully and manually turn the engine over "whew didn't seize the engine", did this a couple of times and tried to start, was rough but eventually it fired up, still idling rough and again check engine light flashing, while it was running I pulled one plug wire at a time from the coilpack to see/feel the lighting and there was spark for the 3 I pulled, didn't affect engine idle.
Run codes and 'cylinder #3 misfire', so now that the engine is was warmed up I pulled out my ohm meter and started checking wire resistance. Cylinders #1, #2 were at .012, #3 was .011 and #5 was .009.
I've figured that the raw gas is due to cylinder #3 not burning and just pushing gas into the exhaust. So to the brass tacks, do I invest in a new set of wires? Or could it be the injector being stuck open and just flooding the cylinder? No when I originally pulled the #3 plug fuel did not spill out. Haven't pulled #3 again due to it being May in Arizona and had to take a break. I'm going on the assumption that the engine wouldn't start after a short run do to "hydraulic lock in cylinder #3", my manually turning the engine over cleared this and allowed the engine to start.
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I am currently chasing misfire codes that started out on cylinder 5 p0305 was the first code I replaced spark plugs and wires about 200 miles the code returned checked coil with meter it was barley in spec. I have replaced coil same code only difference was a hard start cold or hot replaced injectors now hard start is fixed but logging codes for right bank is to rich and p0300 304 305 and 306 also performed compression test on right bank and readings are 155 155 and 160...
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I have a 2003 Ranger edge 3.0 flex fuel 183,000 miles. I have been having a misfire problem, only at idle, always cylinder 3. Replaced the fuel filter. Just replaced fuel pump assembly. With the old pump my fuel pressure was 49psi key on engine off, and running at idle it was 59psi with a shaky needle. With the new pump, when I turn the key on it jumps to 60psi then imedietly drops to 49psi, when the pump shuts off. Running it is at 60psi with steady needle. Koeo the pressure holds good at 49psi but does slowy decrease, about 5psi in 15 minutes. What would be causing the pressure to drop to 49psi? I am checking pressure at the fuel rail. Pressure according to the haynes manual should be 60-65psi koeo and the same while running at idle.
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I have a ford Ranger with a 2.5 and 231,000 miles. I bought this truck with a misfire on #1 cylinder. drove it home and started it a couple days later and still misfire on #1 but as soon as you rev up the motor the #2 starts misfiring as well and dies. start it back up and misfire on #1, rev up the throttle and misfire on #2 also.
Here's what i have done so far. intake gaskets, plugs and wires, checked fuel pressure (good), swapped injectors on 1 and 2 with different injectors, timing belt, tensioner, swapped coils from primary to secondary no change, checked compression and all 155 and above.
I have talked to everyone i know and am getting no where. the truck can sit and run for a hour with a minor misfire on #1 but as soon as you hit the gas it starts another misfire on #2. I am thinking it is a ecm issue.
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I am trying to replace the key lock cylinder (where you insert your key to start the truck) in my 93 Ranger. Using the Haynes manual, I have removed the steering wheel cover (I don't have airbags), pulled the steering wheel, removed the 3 plastic decorative shrouds and looked at a naked steering column assembly. The manual says there is a 1/8" hole on the bottom of the steering assembly where you can push up the actuator pin to release the lock cylinder assembly.
I looked and looked (even with a flashlight) and could not find a hole. I looked at the new key lock cylinder assembly and found the little actuator pin so I sorta know where the pin would be in the installed assembly. The entire key lock assembly is enshrouded (is that a word?) in the cast aluminum steering assembly.
There was a small metal plate - but that plate is just for access of the release of the steering wheel lock actuator (so I carefully bent it back!!). I know all this is for theft protection, but the truck is co safe I can't even replace the lock assembly.
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I have a 1999 ford ranger 3.0 6 cyl with 211,110 miles It started running rough without any previous warning signs. In idle its barely noticeable, once i put it in gear it gets rougher and when driving around 40 to 45 mph it roughly shakes and shimmies. Once I get past the 40 to 45 mph range it settles back down. Is there a specific issue that would cause that at that speed. When going up over a bridge the check engine light blinks.
I changed the spark plugs and new wires and it offered no success even though one of the plugs were black (to much gas). I have borrowed a diagnostic tool and got P0305 cylinder 5 misfire, I am thinking fuel injector to replace, what else should I be looking at?
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I have a '90 Bronco II w/ the 2.9L V6 with a head/gasket issue leak. Its burning oil/coolant in #3 cylinder drivers side. I would ask this in the B2 section, but the Ranger section seems to have alot more activity.
I'm wondering what my options are. I'd like to replace the head with a better aftermarket design if possible. I've seen World Products mentioned as a good replacement, but they are no longer making them anymore. Nearest I cant tell, that leaves King and Odessa aka Clearwater heads. On the 'bay Odessa doesn't have the greatest feedback. King looks like a good product, but kinda spendy also. Short of those two, re-man is the only other option.
The casting # on my head doesn't line up either, is the 86TM the better Euro head for the Merkur?
If I keep this engine, w/o doing a 4.0L conversion, I'm tempted to replace both cylinder heads because of the amount of work to tear it down to that point.
This motor has had some valve ticking also, but I've read it can be injectors instead. What should I do? This will only be used as an off highway light trail rig.
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1994 Ranger 4.0 XLT 4X4. My slave cylinder went out so I thought I would put in a spec clutch in while I'm in there. What do I have to pull off to get the 5 speed tranny / transfer case down? I don't want to pull off what I don't have to but I don't want to make it hard either. No Chilton on hand and I did a search on clutch but found no thread for replacement.
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1998 4.0 ... She only misses about 30 seconds during stone cold startup. I figure it's probably the plug thats hardest to reach ? Isn't that the way it always is? From the hood I can see only one spark plug, so I figure I'll do all the plugs. Is there any right or wrong approach to the plugs? I did the thermostat today, but this plug job looks like it's gonna be a bitch. Time for some skinned knuckles Next is the right side O2 sensor, that looks like fun too. But I gotta say, this little truck is sweet. Great visibility and easy to park in the city. I really like her. She's a keeper. She needs some new sway bar bushings too, but no surprise with 127 K on the clock.
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My keys got stolen from my ignition (battery had died because key was left in ACC and I assume the attempted car jack ended in a key theft for some reason.)
The Ranger is 96, tilt steering with plastic shrouding and column shift A/T... I followed the procedure recommended for exchanging the cylinder without the keys:
-drilled retaining pin
-drilled key slot
-manually removed parts with needle nose
-cleaned, greased and went to reinstall.....
I discovered the small metal washer between the green plastic washer and the gear was broken in half because I nicked it with the end of the drill bit. I inspected this and from what I can tell it looks like the green plastic washer is designed to hold onto the metal washer, the two of them together, from what I gather are designed to keep the gear from moving sideways or tilting. I figured that the washer should do it's job even in two pieces if I could get it in there straight and get the green washer to grab it.
Anyway I stuck it all back in there, slid the new lock cylinder in in run position, and nothing good happened. It's in the whole way, I can see the retaining pin centered in the whole from underneath, but when I try to seat the retaining pin it won't budge. I tried to align the parts at a million different angles and I just have no luck. I am planning on replacing the little metal washer, but I don't feel like it being broken alone is enough to keep all parts from functioning properly. I am stumped because I did the procedure step for step and there is nothing else apparently broken or damaged. The only other factor is that the steering wheel is locked and that sometimes made the other cylinder hard to turn, but it freed up usually with a little wiggling, this cylinder won't budge.
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