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flex fuel sensor malfunction?


00stranger

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first let me say that this is the first time i've run into a problem with my truck and couldn't find an answer on this site or anywhere else.

I have a 2000 4x4 with a 3.0L flex. a week ago my check engine light came on. the car was running fine so didn't do anything about until saturday. i had my friend at the ford dealer check the computer and he said the code had something to do with the flex fuel sensor. he cleared the code but the cel came back right away. the next day i was driving down the highway and the engine started to sputter. i pulled over, checked the connection at the flex sensor and everything looked ok. i restarted the engine, everything seemed to be running fine so istarted driving again. within 10 miles, it sputtered and stalled on me 3 more times. after that it wouldn't run anymore. it would start, sputter to 2000 rpm's then stall.

i asked some of the techs at the ford dealer what they thought and they had no clue. we can't buy E85 here so they had never seen a flex fuel ranger, so they had no clue what the problem was. maybe the sensor but even with my friends employee discount it would cost 700 to 800 bucks for that sensor.

anybody ever have this problem. i would get a sensor from a wrecker but like i said, there's no other flex rangers here and i can't find one on the internet. sorry for the long post but i want to give you guys as much info as i can to help diagnose this problem.

P.S. when my truck was getting towed to my friends shop, the wind caught my box cover and smashed out my rear window. talk about a bad day!
 


fixizin

FoMoCo is forcing me to buy a 'yota
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WHERE is this sensor located, and what exactly is the OBD-II code for it?

Second, I find it hard to believe Ford could bring a low-price truck to market with an $800+ sensor in it.

Thirdly, if you're running gas and only gas, then just "false" or "peg" the output voltage of this sensor to what it needs to be for gas, using a resistor to the supply (+5V?) of that sensor.

Some guy on Craigslist in Illinois is selling the entire engine, all wiring harnesses and sensors from a 2000 Flex Ranger for $100... heck, if just the MAF or one head is good, it's a steal.


As for your rear window, that sounds like the tow truck driver didn't secure something... file against THEIR insurance co.
 

00stranger

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the sensor is located on the inside part of the frame rail,roughly under the driver seat. the cost of the sensor for the ford dealer is 615$, retail is 1220$ and it's only stocked in the U.S.(takes a week to order from here). this is canadian prices, i'm sure it's cheaper for you guys in the U.S.. if my friend has the time, he's going to get the code(s) from the computer for me today or tomorrow. i saw the guy selling the engine on craigs list but he only lists engine sensors. this sensor would be classified as part on the fuel lines. Even the guys at the dealership couldn't beleive how much that sensor is. they think the sensor is saying i'm running E85 so it's pumping too much fuel. when i do manage to get it started, it sounds like i'm running a deisel and there's alot of black smoke coming out of the tailpipe.

thanks fixizin, the voltage resistor is a good idea. i'll have to check into that. does anybody know what the voltage should be when running regular gas?

the tow truck company refuses to pay for the window. they say it's my fault for not locking it(i don't even have the key for it). i see their point, i sould have thought about it but i had other things on my mind. no big deal since my work is going to pay my deductible.
 

Bob Ayers

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WHERE is this sensor located, and what exactly is the OBD-II code for it?

Second, I find it hard to believe Ford could bring a low-price truck to market with an $800+ sensor in it.

Thirdly, if you're running gas and only gas, then just "false" or "peg" the output voltage of this sensor to what it needs to be for gas, using a resistor to the supply (+5V?) of that sensor.

Some guy on Craigslist in Illinois is selling the entire engine, all wiring harnesses and sensors from a 2000 Flex Ranger for $100... heck, if just the MAF or one head is good, it's a steal.


As for your rear window, that sounds like the tow truck driver didn't secure something... file against THEIR insurance co.
The signal from the E-85 sensor is not DC.
 

Big Jim M

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Bob you seem to have access to

The signal from the E-85 sensor is not DC.
Figures and numbers I have never seen.. What is the signal? And how could one FOOL the computer for the life of the vehicle?

The prices the guy quoted is totally out of the question for something you will NEVER use.

I wonder if the guy has 100K or whatever the smog warrantee is from Ford...Wouldn't that sender qualify as a smog device?
Big JIm:bad:
 

Jason

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Sensor part number YL5Z-9C044-BA

I can sell it to you brand new for $617.48 LIST PRICE. Genuine Ford part from the dealer I work for.

Your "friend" is bending you over. Let me know if you want it. I can ship free.
 
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Bob Ayers

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Figures and numbers I have never seen.. What is the signal? And how could one FOOL the computer for the life of the vehicle?

The prices the guy quoted is totally out of the question for something you will NEVER use.

I wonder if the guy has 100K or whatever the smog warrantee is from Ford...Wouldn't that sender qualify as a smog device?
Big JIm:bad:


It's an AC signal, and the frequency changes between pure gasoline, and E-85
 

Wicked_Sludge

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i have a brand new sensor laying around that i could easily part with.

the only thing is you will have to have it pressed into your existing hard plastic fuel lines since it is just the sensor.
 

00stranger

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i thought my friend was quoting high but he showed me the Qstar screen(black screen i'm guessing you U.S. dealers use the same programs) and the dealer cost is 613$. we get riped off in canada for dealer parts. thanks for the offer Jason but as Big Jim M said, it's way too much money to spend on something i can't use. a friend of mine who works at a wrecker gave me numbers to 2 wreckers, 1 in nova scotia and 1 in ontario that are selling a 3.0L flex fuel engine so i'm going to see if they can send the sensor if the truck's still in their lot.

just in case someone ever has the same problem and is looking for one at a wrecker, 1999 and 2000 flex fuel rangers have the same sensors. if you're not sure if a ranger is flex fuel, look for a V in the vin#. the sensor is mounted inside the c chanel of the drivers side frame rail, close to the transfer case. the # on the sensor should be F6DF.9C044.AA. I hope this info helps someone out sometime.
 

00stranger

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Wicked_Sludge, how much do you want for the sensor? have you had this problem too?
 

Wicked_Sludge

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i'd part with it for $100.

my truck isnt flex fuel. this sensor was installed in a set of fuel lines that were ordered for a truck in our shop, then canabalized for their fittings. i cut the sensor out before the lines were tossed. its brand new, but still has the ends of the fuel lines crimped to it where i cut them off. i see no reason why a guy couldnt cut the line off and crimp it into his own lines.
 

00stranger

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let me think about for a couple days. i'll see how much they want from the wreckers and if it's more than 20$, id rather get the new one from you.
 

Wicked_Sludge

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sounds good. PM me when you decide.
 

fixizin

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My credo
A properly suspensioned Ranger can be safely airborne for up to 4 seconds at a time! =:O
I think I've seen this alien thing, down around fuel filter country... figured maybe it was a failsafe for the inertial cutoff... wrong.

But DUDE!... that should be a LIFE OF THE VEHICLE THING... bang on your Ford Dealer again, then hit up the Canadian version of the Environmental Protection Agency...

Isn't the PCM, and even the firmware image, the same across a large span of Ranger models, and it figures out "where it is" by scanning some inputs? (e.g. "receiving power-on-test signal from E85 sensor = Flex vehicle, check...") Can't this sensor just be DISconnected at the big wire harness, then it DEFAULTS to petrol?

Fook mi... as a Flex owner, driving around with the same time-bomb, I feel I've ALREADY gotten the CONSUMER SHAFT!

The signal from the E-85 sensor is not DC.
SHeey-at... for WAY less than what Ford is bending him/US over for, I'll cobble him up a Basic Stamp (or even a NetBurner!) w/ power-supply that'll hook into the 12V, and GENERATE ANY WAVEFORM HE WANTS... even the one that says he's runnin' moonshine+kersone! Bloody hell on earth!

Hell, I'll put a BROADBAND INTERFACE on there and STILL come in under Ford... then the OP can load in some new waveforms from his Blackberry... LOL!


PS: Needless to say, Chilton's on CD, thee lamest shop manual to ever have the chutzpah to title itself such, has NO mention of this sensor.
 

fixizin

FoMoCo is forcing me to buy a 'yota
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Make / Model
XL Spurt
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Engine Size
3.0 (Flex)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
My credo
A properly suspensioned Ranger can be safely airborne for up to 4 seconds at a time! =:O
To put in perspective just HOW BAD this RAPE is, a whole new PCM can be had for only $164!!!

That damnable sensor must use jewelry quality DIAMONDS to ascertain fuel content.

(the hell of it is, I never wanted a flex truck, that's just what all the 3.0's were in '98-00... grrrr... been from CA to FL in the thing, never saw a single E85 pitstop)
 

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