97 2.3L Hestitates/Stalls

[runningslow]

Update: Pulled a 96 Ranger PCM from a junkyard. Installed it into my 97. So far the truck runs fine, no check engine lights and everything seems to work. I'll give it a few days and a few more miles before I can really breath easy. Weather is a bit on the cooler side and the truck was running OK this morning before the swap.

I was hoping the PCM swap would also fix my speedometer. Sadly, that was not the case.

 

[Mark_88]

Crossing other body parts...

Do you have a digital speedometer? If not, they're actually pretty easy to change...except you may have to take the dash apart...I don't like digital speedometers...

 

[runningslow]

Factory speedometer. Actually, it's an Explorer cluster that I swapped in for the tach, but I took it apart and put my factory speedo/odometer into it. I've tried it with the speedo from the Explorer, too, but it doesn't change the behavior.

I've also changed the VSS. I think there's a bad ground in the circuit.

 

[runningslow]

Update: Well, thank you all for your help. It has been a few days and the truck hasn't skipped a beat. Turns out it was in fact the PCM.

That being said, the check engine came on last night. I figured it must have been an issue of a random sensor because of mismatched years for PCM/engine and was prepared for that. I just got back from AutoZone..... after years of issues with the speedometer, the truck finally threw a P0500.