camelman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2014
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 1
- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
I've been struggling with my 1996 ranger 2.3 5-speed since I bought it. Every change I made to it has improved it, but something has been wrong since I changed my spark plug wires. I think I finally got it today. I found a few loose bolts on the intake manifold holding the intake to the head. They were for the rear cylinder. What an unbelievable difference! I actually like this truck now!!
The bolts must have worked themselves loose on their own. The engine was untouched when I got it at 165k miles, so I changed the timing belt, plugs and wires for the first time. The wires were stuck tight on the plugs and I ripped a few plugs in half pulling the wires off. I braced against the intake manifold when pulling the wires off to get leverage, and that pushing must have created a leak due to the loose bolts. Anyway, it's fixed now. I didn't change the gaskets, although I'm sure that would be the icing on the cake. If you're experiencing a stumble, bad MPGs, or low power, then it wouldn't hurt to check your intake manifold bolts.
Camelman
The bolts must have worked themselves loose on their own. The engine was untouched when I got it at 165k miles, so I changed the timing belt, plugs and wires for the first time. The wires were stuck tight on the plugs and I ripped a few plugs in half pulling the wires off. I braced against the intake manifold when pulling the wires off to get leverage, and that pushing must have created a leak due to the loose bolts. Anyway, it's fixed now. I didn't change the gaskets, although I'm sure that would be the icing on the cake. If you're experiencing a stumble, bad MPGs, or low power, then it wouldn't hurt to check your intake manifold bolts.
Camelman