Need to check reason for not firing...

TxDarth · Jul 23, 2015

New to the Ranger world but know enough to be dangerous. :beer:

Just bought this truck a week ago - 2004 V6 Auto - 80K miles pretty clean truck.
In doing some TLC - minor areas found the brakes are supposedly 20K miles old but they pulse or chatter when applying quickly or harder than a normal stop. I bled them with no help - guess I need to look further...

The truck did not seem to have much power - ran codes nothing showed up.

Decided that with 80K maybe a tune up was in order. Bought plugs and wires last night and installed. I was very surprised to find the plugs were not that old but #2 and #4 were like new - they were dry and looked like they were not firing at all. The rest were a nice mousey brown - normal looking. How can I find out if it is coil pac related or injectors?

Lastly - the gear selection is sloppy seems to be out of adjustment with the selections indicated. The tranny shifts fine when finally selected. The main one is "D" - several times I have been driving down the road to discover it is in D2 not D or the final gear.

If any of these makes sense I appreciate all the help I can get. I am retired with an 1800 sq foot garage, heated and AC, a lift and all the tools I need including welders.

RonD · Jul 23, 2015

Column shifter on Ford trucks often gets loose, common problem
Google: Ranger column shifter loose

Several video's and how-to already there.
Usually just a couple of loose bolts under dash

There were 2 models of V6 engines in Rangers, 3.0l and 4.0l SOHC, each has specific issues as to possible misfires

Clean spark plugs with no obvious shaking because of misfires could mean a coolant leak into cylinders, but that would also cause over heating.

You can test coil packs with an ohm meter, good video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1zhgsnyZWw
Like all coils a coil can test good but still be bad when sparking 700 times a minute(at idle), lol.
But a bad coil can be found by testing, so while test can't eliminate the coil, it could show a problem.

You can also swap the wires around to see if coil packs series wiring is at fault.
3 4
2 6
1 4
Front
This is the current wiring on coil pack, same for 3.0 or 4.0

You can swap each wire across, so
4 3
6 2
5 1
front

This is a waste spark system, so 1 and 5 spark plugs fire at the same time
as do 2 and 6, and 3 and 4
But they are wired in series so 1 side can spark but not the other

Probably warped brake rotors on the front
Remove front wheel, have hub pointed straight and turn the rotor, watch for in and out movement.
Rotors warp from being overheated, this can be from pulling trailers without trailer brakes or from a sticking caliper that cause more than normal rubbing so heats up the rotor.

TxDarth · Jul 23, 2015

You RonD seem to be a wealth of information - Thank You Sir!

I will try the ohmmeter first on the coils. Then switch sides. With the new plugs and wires it does seem a little smoother, tho.

One other question when people refer to the "vulcan" what or which is that?

SenorNoob · Jul 23, 2015

I'm gonna guess you're talking about THIS rather than THIS. LOL.

RonD · Jul 23, 2015

Vulcan is the Ford 3.0l Vulcan engine

It is a good reliable engine, but.................

The 2004 to 2006 3.0l did have a problem, seems that the heads either got the wrong size valve seats or the holes for the valve seats were over bored.

In any case there was a TSB released about it, symptoms are random and/or single cylinder misfires

TSB 05-26-3

FORD: 2004-2006 Ranger

ISSUE
Some 2004-2006 Rangers 3.0L-2V "Vulcan"vehicles may exhibit:
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300-P0306 and P0316
- Rough running at various RPM
- Rough idle
- Misfire

ACTION
This may be due to an engine exhaust valve seat recession causing a loss of compression. Refer to the following Service Procedure to diagnose exhaust valve seat recession.

SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Perform a power balance rest to clarify if a cylinder is misfiring. Identify and keep record of any cylinder that has a concern.

2. Perform a manual compression test with the spark plugs removed to locate any cylinder that may have low compression. Refer to the appropriate Workshop Manual, Engine System, General Information, 303-00.

3. If no low compression is found per shop manual instructions, proceed with normal misfire diagnostics per the Powertrain Controls/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) Manual for the appropriate model year.

4. If low compression is found and it is a cylinder that had a misfire on power balance, perform a leakdown test to determine the source of leakage that may be causing the low compression. Refer to the appropriate Workshop Manual, Engine System, General Information, 303-00.

5. If low compression is found in a cylinder that did not have a misfire detected then proceed with normal base engine diagnostics per the Workshop Manual, Engine System, General Information, 303-00.6.

If the exhaust valve is identified as the source, replace both cylinder heads with the newly released service cylinder heads. Refer to the appropriate Workshop Manual, Section 301-01A.

PART NUMBER / PART NAME
6U7Z-6049-A / Cylinder Head Assembly
2F1Z-6079-BB / Upper Gasket Kit
F8 DZ-6065-AA / Cylinder Head Bolts
F7DZ-9448-BB / Engine Exhaust Gasket
4F1Z-658-AA / Valve Cover Gasket
F6DZ-9439-C / Side Gasket
F2DZ-9A425-AA / China Gasket (Front)
F3DZ-9A424-BA / China Gasket (Rear)
4L5Z-9H486-AA / Gasket-Upper Intake Manifold

"other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play"

Could be yours already has the new heads or it won't be effected by this, it was NOT 100% failure by any means, just a known problem that Ford issued a TSB for.

TxDarth · Jul 24, 2015

Why is it I seem to always get the one "but". As I said earlier I looked for weeks to find a clean example - finally settled on this one. I looked at models from 2000 to 2008 - why did I get an '04 with valve problems.......I know Murphy's Law right! :dunno:

I did the coil pac test and found that one section did have a difference in resistance two read 1.6 the third read 1.0 however the high side was even with the others.....can the pac be bad on just the low side and not the high side. Secondly since my problem involves two cylinders on different sections - 2 & 4, the bad resistance is only on one bad section. WTF?

RonD · Jul 24, 2015

I added a correction in above, it was NOT 100% failure rate for the recessed valve issue, oops.

I have taken my ohm meter to auto parts store and had them pull a new part so I could test it, and compare that to the test on my part

, this takes the OHM meter itself out of the picture when testing parts.

The primary side of coil(low ohms) and secondary side(high ohms) are not connected.
So just one side can fail.
But if all 3 coils in the pack tested close to each other it should be OK, the 1.0 to 1.6 is a large difference, 60%, did you test them using the lowest setting on the ohm meter?
Are the ones that tested 1.6 the 2 and 4 coils?

Generally speaking primary coil should test below 1.2, but as said above OHM meter isn't calibrated, so 1.6 isn't bad, but the 1.0 reading cases some doubt.

enjr44 · Jul 24, 2015

Lurk!
And if you have the 3.0 engine, do a compression or leak down test to get the exhaust valve seat question settled. It wasn't as common as you may have heard. You never hear a peep about the good ones. And two cylinders at the same time seems odd.

Bake shudder is caused by warped rotors. Caused by cheap pads, over torquing the lug nuts or tightening them out of sequence and/or all of the above.

TxDarth · Jul 24, 2015

I will check the rotors for warpage - I took the RF off yesterday and the pad wear looks to be normal. Almost new for 20K miles since brake job no noticeable hot spots or gouges on the rotors. I realize this doesn't eliminate them for warpage just did not have a good way to check yesterday. They don't look to be a two piece hub and rotor - so I guess it is remove wheel bearing nut to remove the rotors. There was a little, very little play in the bearing tho.... I am surprise there is no pulling whatsoever and the truck runs straight and true on the highway. Tire wear good, even on all four tires as well.

What the truck looked like as I bought it last week....one odd wheel that I need to replace or maybe all four, don't know yet.

RonD · Jul 24, 2015

I love Red Rangers

Nice looking truck

enjr44 · Jul 25, 2015

RonD said:
I love Red Rangers

Nice looking truck

A really nice looking truck and you will get it sorted. And, I also, love those red ones (for obvious reasons). LOL!

Just an FYI, I had a lot of trouble with rotors on my 02 (around here we call it the blue one) since new. Within 15k, Ford did a brake job. That held until they did the 30k service and within 100 miles the rotors were pumping. They of course, denied all knowledge. Replaced the rotors myself and everything was good until Costco replaced the tires at 45k. Back to same ol same ol.

Fixed it again and step torqued the lug nuts to 40, 60 and then 90 ft lbs. Since going to 90 ft lbs (and insisting that is what I want from anyone that goes near it) no more trouble. Never a problem with the red one, so I don't have a clue about why all the problems with the 02..

TxDarth · Jul 25, 2015

enjr44 said:
A really nice looking truck and you will get it sorted. And, I also, love those red ones (for obvious reasons). LOL!

Just an FYI, I had a lot of trouble with rotors on my 02 (around here we call it the blue one) since new. Within 15k, Ford did a brake job. That held until they did the 30k service and within 100 miles the rotors were pumping. They of course, denied all knowledge. Replaced the rotors myself and everything was good until Costco replaced the tires at 45k. Back to same ol same ol.

Fixed it again and step torqued the lug nuts to 40, 60 and then 90 ft lbs. Since going to 90 ft lbs (and insisting that is what I want from anyone that goes near it) no more trouble. Never a problem with the red one, so I don't have a clue about why all the problems with the 02..

I have never had a vehicle where step torqueing was that critical. This has steel wheels for now, don't know if that is a factor. Guess I will need to turn these or replace soon. I did check the wheel runout and that is true so it will be rotors onlys if that is the problem.

enjr44 · Jul 25, 2015

TxDarth said:
I have never had a vehicle where step torqueing was that critical.

Me either!!

I have had/have a 91, 4X4, 4.0L, a 93, 4cyl, a 97, 3.0L, and the 02, 4.0L and the 08 4.0L, 4X4. The 02 is the only one I have had rotor problems with. And come to think about it, the only one with steel wheels. I don't know why the 02's brakes have had the problems they had and at 71, I no longer really care.

Just know what seemed to stop it and that is good enough!!

TxDarth · Jul 25, 2015

Did you actually replace or turn rotors or did just retorquing do the trick?

enjr44 · Jul 25, 2015

Never heard of re-torquing them fixing the problem.
First time Ford turned the rotors and replaced the pads under warranty. The second time, I replaced them and the pads. The third and last time (Costco) I had them turned and replace the pads. That was about 50,000 miles ago and no trouble since I lowered the torque to 90 ft lbs.

Like I said earlier, this is the only Ranger I have ever had a problem with.

Need to check reason for not firing...

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