Vehicle Problems...

[puros_bran]

97 Ford Ranger. 2.3L 4cyl, Man tranny...


Truck wouldn't start.. Determined Started had seized.
Loosened Starter, beat with a hammer, tightened back up.. Started fine.

Truck now idles at almost full throttle... Have looked for vacuum leak.... Plugged and unplugged every sensor but the one bolted on above the fuel injection.. Tried the idle screw adjustment to no effect..

The motor dies when mass air is introduced....

It will level out to almost normal when in gear, but it has cruise control where it never did before and a serious loss of power and a bad power lag (it makes turbo lag look fast).

Any ideals?

 

[Justpipes]

If it wasn't manual I would say the torque converter. I had an almost identical problem with my full size Ford and it turned out to be a bad torque converter but eventually I ended up putting a new tranny in it.

I like you thought, would be inclined to believe it is in the vacuum system. Since you mentioned that you tried every sensor but the vacuum sensor for the fuel injection, and the fact that it dies when there is a large air intake; I am assuming that you had the filter completely out; then I would further investigate that sensor. The only other thing that I know that you don't want to here, is the computer chip going bad. Been there done that too, except on a Chevy. Computer was $500. If you are getting a check engine light do you know anyone that has a diagnostic meter that you can put on it to see what the troubleshooting code is indicating?

 

[puros_bran]

JP.... Its had a check engine light on for almost 8 years....lol...

I think its the Idle Air Control Valve. I took it off and the engine of course dies unless you hold the fuel down... but the little valve in there doesn't move, even on start up and shut down....

Think I'll button it all back up in the AM and take it to Auto Zone. They run diagnostics for free but I hate the ideal of all the stuff they are going to say is wrong.

 

[Justpipes]

In NC a vehicle will not pass inspection if the check engine light is on. Sounds like you might have narrowed it down though.

 

[puros_bran]

In that case i would disassemble the dash and remove the light. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Frikkin State... I'm glad the Great Commonwealth hasn't went down that road yet. Of course the day they do is the day the quit collecting fuel tax and vehicle registration on all but a couple handful of cars around here.... For the longest time I thought if the check engine light wasn't on something was broke.

 

[Dubbya]

In NC a vehicle will not pass inspection if the check engine light is on. Sounds like you might have narrowed it down though.

It will if you rig it. :lol!:

It could be the MAF sensor going bad. It could also be a fouled injector. Have you run any fuel system cleaner through it? That's the $3 diagnostic for an injector. If it gets any better after that, you just have to find which injector is fouled and replace it. If not, you're only out 3 or 4 bucks and may have done something needed anyway.

 

[Dubbya]

JP.... Its had a check engine light on for almost 8 years....lol...

I think its the Idle Air Control Valve. I took it off and the engine of course dies unless you hold the fuel down... but the little valve in there doesn't move, even on start up and shut down....

Think I'll button it all back up in the AM and take it to Auto Zone. They run diagnostics for free but I hate the ideal of all the stuff they are going to say is wrong.

Their diagnostic is next to worthless around here. I took my Jeep, when I still had it, and they were able to tell me that the problem was in the ignition system. That's as specific as they could get.

There's a lot of parts in an ignition system, so I took it to my buddy's shop and his computer told me that it was a relay in the ignition module. There's only two of them in that Jeep.

 

[puros_bran]

Thanks Dubbya.......

Really Appreciate the info.

Its a 12 yr old truck, I really dont want to get to crazy into it... but now a 3 buck maybe fix.... that sounds worth a shot.

 

[bronxbill]

PB

With a 12 yr old truck, I'd look for a small crack or split in the hoses going to the sensors. I had an F150 that had a similar problem and it was one of the lines going to the MAS. The rubber gets brittle over time and splits. Good luck

 

[puros_bran]

46.67... Idle Air Control Valve.... purring like a 12 year old truck now. :lol: :lol:

 

[mark]

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

[Dubbya]

I wish that I had kept my Ranger and my Jeep. No matter what I did, I could not kill either of them.

 

[kilted1]

I love my Ranger :cheers:

 

[Aaron]

I loved my ford ranger... Till my wife rolled it.

 

[puros_bran]

My "I wish I'd kept" vehicle was a 78 Chevy Nova with a 350. I could actually work on that vehicle..... It was simple, had plenty of room in the engine compartment... Sold it for 100 bucks because the ex wife didnt like it... I shoulda known to keep the car and ditch her then.

 

[Justpipes]

My "I wish I'd kept" vehicle was a 78 Chevy Nova with a 350. I could actually work on that vehicle..... It was simple, had plenty of room in the engine compartment... Sold it for 100 bucks because the ex wife didnt like it... I shoulda known to keep the car and ditch her then.

I had a 74' with a 350 in it. Like you said easy to work on! I could keep that thing running like a top with a matchbook cover a little sand paper and a few wrenchs! I also had a 69' Impala with a 396 that was the same way. Let's see, then there was a 78' step side with the 250 straight 6, man what a work horse! The list goes on of vehicles that I was a fool to sell!

Glad you got your truck running good again!

 

[Midnight Blues]

P, Happy to hear your up and running again. To add to the list of cars we wish we still had, mine was a '71 Chevy Monte Carlo. That car made the trip between Biloxi and Panama City a million times and even a trip to NY and back. Man I miss that car.....

 

[puros_bran]

I had a buddy back in the mid late 80's that had a 71 Monte... and a couple that had 75's.. Those cars were tanks.

 

[kilted1]

My very first car was a '73 Buick Century Custom, basically the same frame and engine as the Monty. I felt like that car could climb a cliff. It rode as comfortably at 85 MPH as it did at 55 and drove like a dream. Ironically, I blew the motor in it making my last load to my parents house before leaving for basic training. I sold it on the spot (it blew right across the street from a garage) for $100 and hitch hiked home. We returned with my parents car to grab my things and that was that.