Ford Ranger / B-Series :: 2003 - Valve Cover Leak / Exhaust Smell Then Started Bogging / Dying And Shaking
Oct 31, 2013
I have a 2003 ford ranger 2.3 vin d 5 speed, this truck originally... Took it in for wires plugs front brakes fuel filter battery and added a small cold air intake. We discovered a valve cover leak and while repairing guy drops a screw into a valve and when finished he started it lodged the screw between the valve, shearing off a cam sprocket bolt. Throwing the timing. 2 valves on the exhaust side were bent and replaced. no damage to the head.
Timing was reset and the truck was running. 2 days later truck is running/had a hint of exhaust smell then started bogging dying and shaking, at which time we got an 02 bank2 lean code and fixed that. it cleared code and didn't fix it. From there we replaced coil, imrc intake bc of a crack, tried and check all vacuum, reset the timing. Timing would slip before but no longer than 10 minutes every time truck started.
Found the hole in the timing cover that holds the bolt to torque? to harmonic balancer was broke. replaced along with the diamond washers and cam sprocket bolts. timing finally held crank sensor was adjusted. truck came home for one day running good, we had removed the cold air intake and replaced the factory air intake. next day it was so slow outta first gear, you must baby the throttle, if you floor It, it sputters and kinda pops, truck stays slow all the way to about 10 mph and 2000rpm then it begins grabbing speed, 3000rpm is where this truck shifts the best, 2nd is better, third better than that.
As rpm increase the truck runs better, it idles steady at 1100-1200rpm at stops with an audible miss and then struggles again on takeoff. Here what im wondering, the truck has an abs sensor that just came on, but no codes showing now.tomorrow I wil run matko determinator 3.0 on it. and test the catalytic converter. first how do I check the timing belt to see if it stretched? do these trucks store the p.i.d.s. koer or kams that could cause one, all, or any of this and if so do I have to have it flashed from ford or can you manually do this without a drive cycle test.
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Last week my check engine light went on. Some hoses needed replacement and the mass air flow sensor was out of spec - I had it replaced as a preventive measure.
Now the car seems to have a subtle oil/exhaust/acrid smell, especially after car has been driven 15 minutes or so and in stop and go situations. When I step outside the car, an acrid smell appears around the engine and tailpipe area.
Check engine light is off - I took it back and they could detect nothing amiss - granted the whole garage smells like oil and exhaust. They did find a "class 1" oil leak on the rear valve cover - just a bit of oil on the rim - not yet dripping.
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Found a tee on the heater hose leaks when it warms up. Appears the PO had noticed it but put a hose over it and now is leaking around behind the valve cover. This is a hard plastic line around 5/16. No online parts show it as being available. Is there a fix for this ?
I would bet several others have had this problem as it lays right on top of the flange of the valve cover where I think it would rub a hole pretty quick.
1989 Ranger 4X4 4 cylinder....
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My truck has had this annoying tendency to drink coolant. I believe I took care of it by replacing the thermostat gasket. Not so, it drinks about a quart every 50 miles - so quite a bit really.
Finally bit the bullet and took it to the dealer so that they could figure out where the coolant was going.
Answer I got back was - timing cover gasket, water pump, lower radiator hose.
The water pump appears to be good, its just the gasket that's bad. So my question is - how significant is the timing chain cover leak? Poking around online it appears to be reasonably common, but sounds very expensive. The dealer indicated it would be 2 days work minimum.
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So, when I bought my truck, it leaked oil.....bad. It goes through around 2-3 quarts a week. I needed a vehicle, this one was cheap, so...I run it. Every other day, I put half a tank of gas and a couple quarts of oil in it. It leaks on the passenger side, right above the starter. I figured it was the valve cover gasket, and planned on changing it today. I saw a post about the "typical" head gasket oil leak, which sound suspiciously like what mine is doing. I have no oil in the coolant,or vice-versa.....
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I have 2000 V6 3.0 Ranger and it has sprung a small coolant leak from timing chain cover gasket. I think just few drips after driving a while since I don't see significant drop in coolant level (Took a month to notice level dropped in reservoir) and did not see an active leak while idling. No water in the oil.
The proper repair would be to replace the gasket, but for the age and condition of the truck, I don't think it is worth it. Searching for a cheaper solution, I found K-Seal and see lots of reviews with success. Will it damage the cooling system in anyway? I think it would be worth a try even if it doesn't fix the leak as long as it does not cause any harm.
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My 2003' Explorer XLT (4.0L V6) has an oil leak. I tracked it down to the passenger side, rear, bolt head on the valve cover (back by firewall). I took it to a guy who replaced the valve cover gaskets, but it is still leaking. He claimed when he had the cover off he looked for any cracks on it, but did not see any at the time.
Anyways, I was searching around and found several explorers leaking in or around the same area of the valve cover. And it turned out that there issue stemmed from bad timing chain guides, causing the valve cover to crack.
I do notice that on a cold start, I hear a rattling when I first start it up. It rattles for maybe that first 1-2 seconds when starting. Is this my timing chain rattling around? If that is the case, how much this could set a guy back on repairs?
I guess I don't know whether to just replace the valve cover, or if I should dig into it to see if the real issue is the timing chain guides/tensioner. Mileage is approximately 121,000....
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I noticed green coolant leaking from bottom of black, what I think is called, timing belt cover. There is 188, 000 miles, and when I changed the timing belt, I did not change the water pump, although I did change out the thermostat. I have done a lot of work on this truck in the past. I checked the oil and no signs of water or coolant mixed in. The water pump is not weeping from the top well. I rely on this truck and the way I look at it is I may just keep driving it until it goes kaput (its real beat up). Should I go to an auto parts store and see if I can buy some sealant. I would guess it is either the water pump or maybe the timing cover gasket? I have inspected all hoses, and I see nothing. The leak must be coming from somewhere under that black, plastic cover. I am capable and willing to do just about anything other than perhaps a full engine pull, although I have the wherewithal to do that too if absolutely necessary.
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I have an '04 Ranger Edge 3.0 with a severe coolant leak. It appears to be coming from the area where the head/water pump housing meet. I have been told I've lost the seal behind the pump on the timing cover. Is there any way to know for sure? Will I be able to tell, once the pump is out that it isn't coming from the head side? Are there any "special" instructions for re-sealing after replacing pump?
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1994 reg cab 4.ol 13ok.. my wife just got it, been doing some small things like replaced dome light, replaced cargo/third brake light, truck starts and seems to run ok. but i get a headache in it which i believe is carbon monoxide, has a leak or something? i text previous owner, he said he replaced 02 sensors, but didnt say if they were bosch or a good brand.. also trucks has a oil pressure and coolant temp gauge fitted on by the gear shift as the dash gauges for those functions are out. Does this mean the CTS may not be working and affecting fuel/air I do not know these trucks i only just found out what this strange silver looking thing was it is the IAC, I Believe, then there is this black plastic vacuum type cylinder by the passenger side firewall, what is that? and right against the drivers side fire wall is a small reservoir type thingy, is this something to do with ABS? i do have an ABS light on, was hoping it was the bulb out on the third brake light or something quirky like that no such luck its still on after starting engine. but i am concerned about this running rich/strong smell as we really cant take it far as is it, its dangerous, may have to get a smoke test? Just got the truck, trying to get caught up..
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I have a 87 ford ranger pickup, it is running extremely ruff. You can smell the exhaust and it smells super rich and is even spitting fuel out of he exhaust. when I bought the truck the wires were cut on he oxygen sensor, so I put a new oxygen sensor in it hoping that it would lean out the fuel. The truck has duel tanks on it, but the back one is off and it is draining fuel out of the line when it is running. I don't know if the catalytic converters are plugged too, the truck only has 65,000 miles in it. or maybe its a vacuum line leak?
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I had the engine out of my truck (7.3 with e4od) to do manifolds. Anyway, I got it back in and started it up. Since there was air in th fuel lines it had to crank a couple seconds but started up. I looked and now fluid coming out, then it sat for a few minutes running and I took it for a drive. While sitting in the driveway it wa smoking a bit. But I thought it's from the oil I got in the exhaust while drilling two of the manifold bolts and soaking the bolts with ATF/acetone. After about half a mile I thought that maybe it's more oil then that would cause... So I went back. I looked and the inside of the exhaust is covered with oil, and the rear of the engine is also.
When it was out I capped all of the open ports so I could pressure wash the grease off. Also, I flipped the CCV so I could do the delete. During instal, I missed the cap on the CCV and it was not able to breath. I think that maybe it built up pressure and blew the valve cover gasket? It looks like it's coming from the right cover on the backside; I had not taken this cover off while the engine was out. How much pressure does it build? Is it possible that it could have blown the gasket out? I have done the oil cap trick to test blowby and it always passed the test. What it could be? For the leak on the engine and why it's in the exhaust?
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The problem I have is the truck won't move in o/d. If I put it in revers 1,and 2 it works. A little back ground. 4 years ago the trans went out of my 95 4.0 4x4, had it rebuilt so it has 0 miles on it. It got really cold that winter had lots of trouble getting the trans and torque converter lined up. motor went bad on me. A few months ago finally had some money to spend bought a 98 explorer sport with a 4.0 x code motor. the motor runs fine apart from an oil leak and an exhaust leak. the exhaust leak is no big deal I just haven't gotten the system tight yet.
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I have a 98 Ranger 3.0 with a standard transmission. The truck has 240,500 miles so far. It runs just as good as the day I got it 11 years ago, doesn't use any oil and still gets 23 MPG. Last fall, it developed what sounds like an exhaust leak under the hood. It seems to be coming from the area of the EGR valve. The trouble is that I can't feel it or smell it. I have carefully felt the entire length of the tube running from the EGR to the exhaust manifold and cannot feel any leaks. There is no soot or any other evidence of an exhaust leak.
The noise isn't there for the first minute or so that the truck is running. I would think that if I had a cracked manifold or some other such leak, it would be worse when the engine is cold but this is not the case for me. It is most noticeable when pulling a hill as slow speeds in a higher gear. I have checked for codes (no CEL) and there are none. When I first heard it I figured that I would wait until it gets a little worse and I would be able to find it. Its been been over 8 months now it has remained the same.
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My ranger decided to start leaking fuel somewhere probably a few weeks ago. I can smell it whenever I start the motor, and sometimes while driving with the windows down. Last night, I finally looked into the problem. I took the intake air hose off. The hose, air filter, and whole intake smells like gas. I'm thinking that shouldn't be the case on a fuel injected engine. After seeing some people talk about the Fuel Pressure Regulator go bad, I pulled the vacuum line off of it, and it has a very strong gas smell. I don't see any gas coming out of it, though, even with the motor running. Everything I read says if the regulator is bad, then gas should come out of the vacuum line. Is there another check I can do on it to confirm this is the problem? Is there somewhere else I should be looking? It got two new heads right before this problem started, so its quite possible I knocked something putting it back together.
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I purchased a 2003 VW Beetle Diesel and have compression leaking from the valve cover around the number 1 cylinder. It does not run or will barely run. Is this a common problem and what could cause this. i haven't tried anything yet.
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2002 Ford Ranger edge 3.0 flex ... Truck was running fine and giving me no issues. I woke for work the other day and went to get coffee and truck wouldnt start. I could hear fuel pump running and knew it wasnt that, it was acting flooded. So today I pulled fuse from fuel pump relay, and got it to start. Put the fuse back in and ran to gas station. On the way to the gas station it started running really rough, very low and rough idle, trying to stall out. I noticed it had black smoke coming from exhaust. I got it home, and got it to start barely, and it has the same very low and rough idle, but my oil gauge was going crazy, flickering back and forth all crazy, and the idol is terribly rough and eventually stalls out. Earlier today I did put new spark plugs in it, but not sure that has anything to do with the issue. I also hooked it up to a computer and it isnt throwing any codes.
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Looking for an image of pvc valve location....2003 ranger 3.0......
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I just bought this truck last week. It has 55k on it, so I'm guessing it sat a lot. It seems to run great, but today on my drive to work it started having an intermittent bogging down when accelerating. It didn't seem to matter if I was accelerating soft or harder, or what rpm I'm at. It also did it when it was cold pulling off of my street and it did it once or twice after 15-20 minutes of driving. It just feels like I let off the gas for a moment, I can watch the tach drop about 500 rpm and then just as quick it picks right back up and is fine for a bit. I don't have any check engine light.
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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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I am fairly new to this stuff but I just got a 85 Ranger 4x4 and its running pretty rough it will be fine then all of a sudden it will bog right out and want to stall so I have to keep my foot planted on the gas and it pops and spudders and eventually runs normal again? Its a 2.8 V6 carb...
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