check engine light comes on when placed into 4x4

[83DangerRanger]

I just bought this ranger for 350.00 and when I put it into 4 wheel dive my check engine light comes on. when I take it out of 4 wheel drive it goes out. any ideas on this issue?

Its a 1983 ford ranger 2.3l motor.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Indicator light wired up wrong?

 

[83DangerRanger]

im not sure. just thought maybe these older truck had a common bug

 

[Shran]

Did '83's even actually have a check engine light in the cluster? I'm just curious if maybe you have a newer cluster from say, '85 up, that is wired differently. A check engine light would be useless on a carbureted 2.3.

 

[adsm08]

Did '83's even actually have a check engine light in the cluster? I'm just curious if maybe you have a newer cluster from say, '85 up, that is wired differently. A check engine light would be useless on a carbureted 2.3.

The 2.8 with the feedback carb would have.

 

[83DangerRanger]

per my vin it says my motor is the 2.3L when it comes to my cluster not tach, I noticed temp, oil pres, and volts are just idiot lights

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Doea your cluster look like this?

Or like this?

Notice the difference in the light cluster behind the steering wheel? 83-85 is the bottom picture (yours) 86-88 is the top picture.

 

[83DangerRanger]

Tho top

 

[rusty ol ranger]

You either have a newer cluster or a newer cab.

Im guessing someone wired the indicator into the wrong socket.

 

[83DangerRanger]

So let me correct myself when I put the truck in 4wd I have two lights come on I assume one is the 4x4 indicator light but what's the other.

I also attached a pic of my dash

 

[83DangerRanger]

Just for clarification both lights go off when in 2wd

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Somebody replaced the cluster and put the lights in the wrong spot. Or the bulbs fell out of the sockets and are just laying there.

Pull the dash cluster out, the "4x4" and "low range" lights are directly in the middle of that black lens. Shine a flashlight on it, youll see them.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Looks like someone changed the bezel probably for a later radio (most earlier trucks had the radio with two knobs coming thru the bezel) and probably put the screen over the original series of light sockets and you are getting weird readings because the 4wd indicator is now below the CEL/oil areas in the later screen.

The steering wheel and black trim coincide with a early first gen.

Use a screwdriver to press the locking tab in the notch in the headlight knob, slide out the ash tray. carefully pop the trim off along the base of the dash, take out the screws at the bottom of the bezel and across the top and see if you have two collumns of indicator lights in the message center or one. If you have one column you have the wrong bezel.

I haven't come across that cluster before, looks like the oil, temp and charging gauges are just huge idiot lights.

I think it was after the 2.8 before RBV's received CEL's.

 

[fastpakr]

Even the early 2.9 trucks didn't have them. I think they were added in 88? Definitely not there in 86.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Even the early 2.9 trucks didn't have them. I think they were added in 88? Definitely not there in 86.

87 or 88, I lean towards '88. Electronically a lot of 2nd gen was starting to bleed in.