1999 Ranger 3.0L CEL and lots of other issues..ANY INFO?

[cws0505]

Hello everyone!
Truck-
1999 Ranger 3.0L FlexFuel 2wd 138,000miles

Problems-
2-3 weeks ago I started getting a progressivly worse rough idle. It started on Monday with just alittle shake and by Friday it was really bad. CEL came on and gave me P0304-Cylinder 4 Misfire
So I started easy and replaced the fuel filter, no difference.
Ran injector cleaner through it, no difference
Brought to a shop, they did compression test and said comp. was fine but it was probably the valves stuck or something and it would need new heads. Didnt really understand that
I thought I replaced the plugs and wires(I forgot that I didnt)
3-4 people I talked to said replace the coil pack, replaced, no difference.
Some people said injectors.
Replaced the #4 injector with a used one a buddy had, no difference.
Replaced the wires and plugs finally and cleared the code and ran fine.
Drove for over a week with no issues probably over 400 miles

This past weekend(Sat.) hooked up the 5x10 ATV trailer to go camping(same setup I've used for years) and start down the road and the battery light comes on and voltage starts dropping.
During city driving and when getting off the highway light goes away and voltage goes back up. On the highway it comes on and voltage drops.

Stop at the ZONE and do a battery check, they say bad battery(from 2006 so I buy a new one and terminal clamps. Install and start back on the road.
1-2 miles later battery light and voltage drops but still drove another 50 miles to camp with light on and volts dropping until we got to the back roads then it goes away(even on the big hills..weird I know) We leave Sunday evening, starts right up no issues til we get to highway and the lights come back and volts drop.

Alternator checked out fine yesterday(Monday) but they only checked at idle.
Drove 40 miles(city/highway) yesterday without the trailer, A/C blowing hard and headlights on, the battery light and voltage never dropped or had an issue

Tuesday morning started truck, get a rough idle, drive 1/2 mile and battery light comes on voltage starts dropping AND check engine light comes on again almost at the same time but this time it wasn't on the highway.

Now I get a P0306-Cylinder 6 Misfire.
Not sure where this came from either...

Any ideas?
Could a weak alternator be the root of this whole problem? They said all the diodes in the alternator were good but this was at idle.

Bad O2 sensor??

I have no more ideas!!

Things I've done so far-
#1 New(used) #4 Injector
#2 Plugs and wires
#3 Coil Pack
#4 Fuel Filter
#5 Checked Compression
#6 Coolant Flush(just because)
#7 Battery
#8 Batt. Terminals
#9 Gates Serp. Belt
#10 Cleaned PCV valve
#10 Unplugged MAF sensor(no change)
#11 Unplugged EGR (no change)

I have a cheap OBD scantool for my phone(Torque App) so I can check some things

I am no mechanic so please bear with me If I'm overlooking something really stupid....

Thanks again for the help and sorry its so long!

 

[Earl43P]

Typical alternator fails from the brushes wearing short.
Spring tension is lessened so the contact is poor, which shows up at higher rpms.

Cliff's notes: replace either the brushes/holder assembly (doable with alternator still installed, battery disconnected) or the entire alternator.

 

[shane96ranger]

A couple of suggestions for you. First, take the alternator out of the truck and get it tested. I've had them test good in the car, but bad out of the car. I don't know why, but the manager I know at Autozone told me this happens from time to time.

EDIT: And as Earl mentioned, most likely it's the regulator or brushes. I did this little "how to" a while back. Mine was a 4.0, but it should be similar.

Click -----> http://therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94951&highlight=alternator+brushes

 

[cws0505]

Do you think the alternator has anything to do with the new misfire code I'm getting? I wouldn't think it would. I just dont want to drop $150-200 on the alternator unless I have to. The misfire codes are starting to agitate me! Thanks!

Also, I'll take it out and have it tested tonight to see. I'll try to follow that write-up tonight before hand also, it looks pretty easy!Thanks!

 

[shane96ranger]

Make sure the wire(s) are fully connected. If that doesn't work, I'd try another new plug in cylinder 6. I've cracked them before when installing them.

EDIT: The alternator will be a separate issue.

 

[cws0505]

Alright, I'll do another plug tonight and see what happens.
Here is the #6 plug I just pulled it and this is about 1 week old...

[/IMG]

 

[adsm08]

To address the battery light issue, get an alternator. It is in the beginning stages of failure.
I will bet that if you hook a volt meter to the battery, rev the engine slowly and the voltage doesn't drop off slowly as you do it.

As for the misfire, did you gap the plugs? It is hard to tell from a picture on a computer screen, but that gap looks awful wide.

 

[cws0505]

Well got the alternator off last night and brushes are toast one doesn't even have a wire holding it in anymore. So I got a rebuilt one today for $75. Gonna put it in tonight and hope the misfire is gone also..
I'll also check that gap and be sure on that also before I fire it up. Thanks again and stay tuned...

 

[shane96ranger]

Those brushes are under 10 bucks. Just fix the one you've got.

 

[cws0505]

Damn..lol I already got the new one. I was going to but I only have one vehicle and couldn't find the brushes locally(not even really sure where to get them) but I also figured the alternator had 138xxx on it so may as well get the other one. Thanks for the help and I'll let everyone know how it goes. Also thanks for a good write-up on those brushes!

 

[cws0505]

Well got the new altenator in and its working and charging fine. Also I checked the plug gap and its good also but the plug wire was loose :annoyed
So....I fixed that and fired it up and it kinda had a slight miss but driving around the neighborhood cleaned it up.
So I drove 15 miles back home without CEL or battery issues coming on.
No problems this morning either on the way in until I stopped at the store for about an hour.
I start the truck and check again for any codes just to make sure and I get a pending fault cylinder #6 misfire....again...

Question is- Is that something thats gonna show up for a couple days until the computer relearns things or is there still something amiss?(no pun)

Should I try throwing a new plug in there and see what happens?
Thanks again for the help!

 

[shane96ranger]

Did your CEL come on again, or did you just pull them for the heck of it? Those codes stay in memory.

It will take a while for the code(s) to clear out unless your reader can do it.

 

[cws0505]

No CEL did not come on. I pulled them just because I wanted to see. The negative battery cable was off for a full day and I also cleared any codes before I started the altenator deal. Do you know how long they will stay in memory? I also checked for any codes/pending faults when I got done with it all last night and again this morning on the way in to the store and all was fine.
My buddy said it may have fouled that #6 plug so I might grab one on the way home tonight and stick it in there for good measure.

 

[AngryLepercon]

My 4.0 does the same things your describing except no battery light and it runs fine under load coming to a stop at a light or stop sign the battery guage drops (no light though) and idles really rough almost stalling out. Takes off and runs fine though. If yours cleared up I might try an alternator.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[adsm08]

Codes will stay around for 40 drive cycles of the fault not being seen. A full drive cycle can take a while to do if you aren't doing it on purpose.