Introduction and some questions

[Lord Corn]

Hello everyone! My name is Lord Corn and I recently got a 2004 Ranger XLT 3.0L 2WD with 122K miles.
When I bought the vehicle, It had a cam sensor code, flat tire, acceptable looking spare..., rough starting but it always starts within 15 seconds, previous salvage (bed matches the cab color pretty well), and front wheel speed sensors. The door ajar light was on, and the airbag light flashes 5 times then stays solid. Total price was $850 paid, with about $100 in reg and taxes. I've been working with vehicles for about 15 years, actually knowing what i'm doing since about 5 years ago. I do not have much knowledge with Ford, in fact my experience couldn't be further (VW diesel...), but I decided for less than a grand it would be worth trying to fix.

Some things I have done with the two weeks I've had it:

• Fuel / Ignition
  • Fuel tank cleaning additive
  • Fuel filter
  • Plugs and wires
  • Cam synchro and sensor bought but not installed
• Oil change
• Replaced battery cable ends
• Patched flat tire
• Patched spare tire...
• Inspected passenger side valve train
• Inspected rear brakes
• Repainted white tailgate to black (matches dark grey well enough)
• Removed roughly three pounds of ground walnut (and 18 whole walnuts) out of the air filter and air box

After the filters and oil change work, I tested the vehicle and it performs acceptably. It has a good howl above 65mph, some shake in the wheel on braking, the cam sensor code is gone after battery cable ends were replaced (I hear no squeak from the shaft), the door ajar light is intermittent, usually on/off every 30 minutes of driving. A nice benefit of rural Nebraska is empty highways.

Before the weekend I took it on some trials and it runs fine. From a stop it accelerates a little slow until about 3700rpm, then dashes to the redline. It went to 90mph with a small struggle, but maintained it with ease for two miles. It developed a ticking noise after this, related to engine rpm. I think a lifter, but a stethoscope on the rocker arms seem fine. I've read sometimes the bearings on the alternator/idler can go bad and make the same sound, but again I didn't hear it with the scope so I'm not positive on anything. It does not affect performance so at this point I don't care, there are other things to attend to.

Some things that I want to attend to:

• Cam synchro replacement, I have the part
• belt and tensioner as preventative maintenance
• Front wheel speed sensor replacement (ABS light on)
• Decide if I want to replace ATF one quart at a time
• Decide if I want to do valve, valley cover (lower intake?), upper intake, and throttle body gaskets. (this would also include addressing that ticking noise)
• Measure engine bay dimensions (440 mopar from a 78' Winnebago) if the 3.0 gives way.

I'll get a decent picture and upload it but I just wanted to thank you guys for all the information you have here, I hope to contribute how I can.

 

[Ranger850]

check out the HOW TO TECH section. lots of info there.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Yes, Tech section is here: https://therangerstation.com/tech_library/index.shtml


The 3.0l Vulcan is a high RPM engine, best torque at 3,500-3,800 RPM, so don't be afraid to be and stay in that range
Most engines make best torque at 2,500-2,800rpm
In 2003/4 3.0l Vulcan's best torque is at 3,900rpm, best horse power at 5,200rpm

Rangers, and most Ford trucks, have the "door open" switches at the bottom of the door latch, so they get full of dirt and water, this makes then stick and the door ajar light stays on
You can spray WD40 into the latch and hopefully it will run down to the switch and get it to unstick
Or you can pull the door panel and unplug the switch, this disables it to "door closed" all the time

The switch is a twist lock into the bottom of the latch so you need to unbolt the latch so you can twist the switch to remove it and install a new one

2004 is the first year of Rangers with HEC instrument clusters, cool but its now the PATS(passive anti-theft system) module

Google: hec dealer test mode

For more about this cluster


2004 is also the first year of the SJB(smart junction box), located behind passenger side kick panel, also has cab fuse box with it
SJB is the Body Computer, 1995-2003 Rangers used the GEM as body computer
Body computer is the interface between ALL the switches in the cab and the devices they run
So when you turn on the wipers, the switch "tells" the SJB to turn on wipers, and SJB activates wiper and or wiper relay, so no direct connection between switches and devices

So just a heads up when doing diagnostics on vehicles with Body Computers, which are pretty much any vehicle newer than mid 1990's, not just a ford thing

 

[Lord Corn]

Welcome to TRS

Yes, Tech section is here: https://therangerstation.com/tech_library/index.shtml
The 3.0l Vulcan is a high RPM engine, best torque at 3,500-3,800 RPM, so don't be afraid to be and stay in that range

Rangers, and most Ford trucks, have the "door open" switches at the bottom of the door latch, so they get full of dirt and water, this makes then stick and the door ajar light stays on
You can spray WD40 into the latch and hopefully it will run down to the switch and get it to unstick

Thank you for the info! I actually used WD40 on the door hinges since they were a little sticky, I'll be sure to get some in the latch and if that doesn't work I'll pull the panel and clean it proper.
The tech section for the 3.0L engine was actually the page that I found this forum through, awesome to see there is a LOT of tech info in there.
I've seen lots of reference to the vulcan being a high RPM, is there a specific part of the design that allows this or is it just how the entire engine was designed to run?

 

[RonD]

It was how it was designed, its primary use was for transverse mounting in FWD cars

Google: benefits of high rpm engine

 

[Lord Corn]

Here are some images if anyone wants to see it. It is not a 4X4 that was just the best color match.


I included an engine picture and a suspension picture, mainly to show the driver side sway link has a nice 13 degree bend in it.

 

[RonD]

Nice, seen some use but who hasn't, lol

Called "Character lines" on people

 

[Oxxon]

Hello and welcome to TRS.

 

[Gozi]

Hello and welcome. So, what did you do with all those walnuts? Defiantly check out the How to Tech section up top.

 

[8thTon]

Clean the MAFS, it made a huge difference in the shifting of the auto in my 2004 with 120k on it. It uses that input to determine load, and therefore the shift point for the trans.

The 3.0 is actually a really nice little engine, and the trans will run it up in rpm to get the best use out of the power band. You've got a 3.73:1 gear and extended cab (mine is 4.10:1 and std cab), so it will be a little less peppy, but it should still go well if you let it rev.

 

[Lord Corn]

Hello and welcome. So, what did you do with all those walnuts? Defiantly check out the How to Tech section up top.

The powdered ones went with Kansas, the whole ones straight to the trash.

Clean the MAFS, it made a huge difference in the shifting of the auto in my 2004 with 120k on it. It uses that input to determine load, and therefore the shift point for the trans.

The 3.0 is actually a really nice little engine, and the trans will run it up in rpm to get the best use out of the power band. You've got a 3.73:1 gear and extended cab (mine is 4.10:1 and std cab), so it will be a little less peppy, but it should still go well if you let it rev.

Good to know, i'm sure it needs to be looked at. I was thinking about going for the 4.10s but i'd like to identify that tick before then. I'd hate to put a new axle in only to have the engine give out a few months later.