rogerranger2122
Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2016
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 8
- Vehicle Year
- 2000
- Make / Model
- Ranger
- Transmission
- Automatic
2008 V6 3.0 Ford Ranger 2WD automatic.
bought this truck about a year ago 70K miles.
I wasn't really planning on washing the engine because I knew it could mess things up, but two days ago I washed the Winter road salt from underneath (my previous 2000 Ranger V6 4.0 had only 80K and ran great but was destroyed by salt rust), and while I was at it I washed the engine. Never again I guess.
I let the truck sit in sun a full day with hood open before even driving (drove from driveway to street only).
I drove about 40 minutes the next day and it drove rough and CEL came on, blinking at times.
My code reader = Cylinder 1 misfire.
I drove it today and got cylinder 5 misfire, possibly also cylinder 1.
I then removed all the spark plugs and the other ends of cords going to the distributor ignition coil pack thingy. I left the hood open with a giant fan for hours and used the blower side of a shop vac in each of the spark plug holes.
I bought new spark plug wires and spark plugs from autozone.
But I figured the old parts should be dry and I reinstalled them. I put dielectric grease on both ends of the cords. But still drives rough. Drove it slow for about 10 minutes and seemed ok, brought it up to 60 MPH and got problems and very noticeable rough idling after going fast.
The truck always had an issue when going about 45 MPH it's supposed to switch into a higher gear but wouldn't shift very smoothly, it sort of bucked a bit but nothing serious. But now that 45 MPH area really bucks pretty bad. Somehow the CEL didn't come on after I cleared the codes and removed battery terminals but maybe the new codes are pending. Reader didn't show any codes or pendings after this last drive.
This girl has the same model and year
and shows the manual says plugs should be gapped 0.042-0.046"
But she might be reading the wrong year manual or something?
I don't have the manual booklet, but every other PDF manual online including the official Ford site says gap should be 0.051–0.057" which is about what the existing plugs measured (some were around .062 and I slightly pinched them to .057 before reinstalling).
Autozone's computer matches my 3.0 V6 to Boschs I bought that are .044 but the existings were .057 and the official ford PDF also says .057.
And these new Bosch plugs say Do Not Gap and Do Not add Anti-seize.
I'll try and get a reply from Ford on which plugs to use, or should I throw these new .044 Boschs in with the new cords? I don't think it's even the cords or plugs or coil pack though since I let it dry so well. BTW, the plugs on the truck don't have any gaskets or anything, just metal washers but I let it dry well.
If I put the .044 Boschs in and the gap is too small and supposed to be .051-.057, it'll run rich and bad for the engine but will I easily notice it being the wrong gap to solve the riddle of what plug gap is needed?
I think maybe a previous owner replaced the coil pack because mine doesn't have the red sticker that I see in videos that indicates which terminal is for which cylinder unless maybe it washed off but I didn't see it, so therefore if coil pack was replaced likely plugs were also and maybe the .057 " gaps that were in there are incorrect.
On a sort of non related thread I read someone had a misfire problem sort of bucking only around 45 MPH too and I think they solved it by changing the spark plug or possibly even gapping, so maybe the largely-gapped plugs I have caused that buck even before this washing problem made it worse?
Air filter was bone dry but I'll use MAF cleaner just in case.
Maybe removing and letting the fuel injectors dry fixes? I don't even know what those are or if I have them but seen it mentioned as a potential fix.
thank you so much.
bought this truck about a year ago 70K miles.
I wasn't really planning on washing the engine because I knew it could mess things up, but two days ago I washed the Winter road salt from underneath (my previous 2000 Ranger V6 4.0 had only 80K and ran great but was destroyed by salt rust), and while I was at it I washed the engine. Never again I guess.
I let the truck sit in sun a full day with hood open before even driving (drove from driveway to street only).
I drove about 40 minutes the next day and it drove rough and CEL came on, blinking at times.
My code reader = Cylinder 1 misfire.
I drove it today and got cylinder 5 misfire, possibly also cylinder 1.
I then removed all the spark plugs and the other ends of cords going to the distributor ignition coil pack thingy. I left the hood open with a giant fan for hours and used the blower side of a shop vac in each of the spark plug holes.
I bought new spark plug wires and spark plugs from autozone.
But I figured the old parts should be dry and I reinstalled them. I put dielectric grease on both ends of the cords. But still drives rough. Drove it slow for about 10 minutes and seemed ok, brought it up to 60 MPH and got problems and very noticeable rough idling after going fast.
The truck always had an issue when going about 45 MPH it's supposed to switch into a higher gear but wouldn't shift very smoothly, it sort of bucked a bit but nothing serious. But now that 45 MPH area really bucks pretty bad. Somehow the CEL didn't come on after I cleared the codes and removed battery terminals but maybe the new codes are pending. Reader didn't show any codes or pendings after this last drive.
This girl has the same model and year
But she might be reading the wrong year manual or something?
I don't have the manual booklet, but every other PDF manual online including the official Ford site says gap should be 0.051–0.057" which is about what the existing plugs measured (some were around .062 and I slightly pinched them to .057 before reinstalling).
Autozone's computer matches my 3.0 V6 to Boschs I bought that are .044 but the existings were .057 and the official ford PDF also says .057.
And these new Bosch plugs say Do Not Gap and Do Not add Anti-seize.
I'll try and get a reply from Ford on which plugs to use, or should I throw these new .044 Boschs in with the new cords? I don't think it's even the cords or plugs or coil pack though since I let it dry so well. BTW, the plugs on the truck don't have any gaskets or anything, just metal washers but I let it dry well.
If I put the .044 Boschs in and the gap is too small and supposed to be .051-.057, it'll run rich and bad for the engine but will I easily notice it being the wrong gap to solve the riddle of what plug gap is needed?
I think maybe a previous owner replaced the coil pack because mine doesn't have the red sticker that I see in videos that indicates which terminal is for which cylinder unless maybe it washed off but I didn't see it, so therefore if coil pack was replaced likely plugs were also and maybe the .057 " gaps that were in there are incorrect.
On a sort of non related thread I read someone had a misfire problem sort of bucking only around 45 MPH too and I think they solved it by changing the spark plug or possibly even gapping, so maybe the largely-gapped plugs I have caused that buck even before this washing problem made it worse?
Air filter was bone dry but I'll use MAF cleaner just in case.
Maybe removing and letting the fuel injectors dry fixes? I don't even know what those are or if I have them but seen it mentioned as a potential fix.
thank you so much.
Last edited: