2.3l shaking and vibrating badly

[Arlington]

i have an 83 ranger with manual trans. Wednesday i gotfuel and then 17 miles later it began to shake and vibrate badly. it seems like the engine is out of balance, but it isn;t. how do i know? because every once in a while it will clear up and run fantastic but just for about 10 to 30 seconds at a time. i checked the wires and plugs. all the plugs were loose so i tightened them and replaced the dried and cracked wires. no diffrence it still runs badly. i added dry gas with no affect.

any ideas?

i'm going to change the fuel filter today and see if that helps.

I'm lost with this one.

thank you
Arlington

 

[Dave R]

Tough to say whether the gas fill up was a contributing factor or just coincedence.

Does the truck start easily or do you have to pump the gas and crank for a while before it'll catch?

I'd say start by check the ignition timing but check to make sure that the reading is steady. Depending on the mileage your distributor shaft bushings could be shot which can cause erratic running one second and not the next.

Next on my list, since I don't know the maintenance history of the truck, would be to check the timing belt condition/sprocket timing.

It could also be that you picked up a load of crap with the fuel.

 

[rponycar]

I've had fuel issues with a number of vehicles. If you have a load of bad gas and replace the fuel filter with out draining the tank, you'll just foul the new filter. I'd start by doing both, then test. The problems caused by trash or water in fuel can be off and on. I once had a truck that would run at night but not during the day untill I did the above fix. Go figure!

r

 

[jubangy]

I've had fuel issues with a number of vehicles. If you have a load of bad gas and replace the fuel filter with out draining the tank, you'll just foul the new filter. I'd start by doing both, then test. The problems caused by trash or water in fuel can be off and on. I once had a truck that would run at night but not during the day untill I did the above fix. Go figure!

r

Amen BP Super 93 got to pay my tow due to the same thing.

 

[tomw]

Take the top off of the carburetor float bowl, and look for evidence of water in the bottom. Gas will float on the top. If clean, and water free, it is probably not a bad fuel situation.
Sounds like you have a misfire problem. If the plug wires, rotor, and cap are worn out, it can cause misfire.
tom

 

[Arlington]

i know this is a late reply but maybe someone can use it. the problem was that the spark plugs would back out causing a lose of compression and misfire. new plugs and wires. works great. smooth as silk.

 

[Dave R]

That's an interesting one.

Thanks for reporting back and letting us know that you got it fixed and what your solution was.