97 3.0 EGR Issue

[Tractor Dan]

Ok. So here is the backstory. Now i don't know if the dash light issue is in some strange unimaginable way related to the EGR issue or if it is just a coincidence that the CEL came on after fixing the dash lights. Anyways i lost my dash lights behind the gauges. It was a blown fuse and got them back. However i no more got them back(they had only been out for 2 or 3 days), and my CEL comes on. My mechanic told me to drive it for a bit and see if it goes away. It didn't so i went to Autozone and they pulled the codes. Only code i'm getting is a P1400. This is with the key on engine off. So i took it home and unhooked the battery for 3 or 4 hours then hooked it back up hoping to reset the computer. It went away until i drove it about 10 miles into town and the CEL came on. Go to autozone again and it's the P1400 code. So what i'm trying to figure out is if it's actually the pressure sensor for the egr making it throw the code or if it could be as simple as a bad hose. I felt the hoses today and they feel pretty spongy and look rough. Look like probably the ones that came on the engine. So what do yall think it is? The sensor or a hose? I figure i'll replace both eventually but if i can get by on just the hose it would be better.

Also does anyone know anywhere i can buy the hose by the foot? I found the two hoses on ebay for like $7 with free shipping but if i could get the hose by the foot cheaper and local i would prefer to. I can get the two hoses for $10 local but money is so tight right now every dollar counts.

 

[McCormack]

Are you sure it's a P1400 code and not a P0401? If it's a P0401, then that's the code that gets thrown when the DPFE sensor goes bad, which is a real common problem on the 3.0 Ranger.

 

[Tractor Dan]

To be honest i could have the wrong code. I tend to flip numbers around. I'll find the print out slip they gave me and see if i got the right code or not. I would take and get it scanned again but don't have enough gas to drive to town. I'm stuck driving my cougar till payday.

 

[Rearanger]

1401 = low voltage, 1400 = high voltage

There is an orifice in the tube that takes exhaust gas from the exhaust to the EGR to the intake. The DPFE measures the pressure drop across the orifice and outpits a 0-5 volt signal to the PCM to regulate EGR gases. If the orifice is blocked that will affect the DPFE signal to the PCM.

For easy non-cost effort to fix I'd remove the EGR and the supply tube from the exhaust and clean them both thoroughly. The two hoses to the DPFE can be cleaned and checked with vacuum pump/gauge or maybe even blowing through them with one end blocked and applying soap solution to see if they leak.

 

[Tractor Dan]

Ok. here is an update. I replaced the hoses. Went to Lowes and got fuel line. The larger diameter matched up nicely. The smaller diameter with a little bit of grease and a hose clamp just for peace of mind worked as well. Best part i only spent about $2.25. It was like 98 and 93 cents a foot. Problem is i'm still getting the stupid P1400 code. I unhooked the battery and leaving it unhooked over night. Hope that resets and teh code don't come back. If it does i'm guessing that means either the sensor is bad or ports are clogged? I'm tempted to see if i can rent a pressure gauge from autozone or if one of my friends has one. So that's where it stands. Also i found today while poking around the engine that the tube that comes off the engine oil fill and goes into the intake duct is not staying on like it should. Almost looks like it's an inch too short. Could that affect this whole EGR deal? Another thing i noticed is the actual black plastic duct that goes from the air filter to the intake isn't staying tight on the intake. It's crushed some. Not sure if this could play into it. Though i think it's been that way for a while if i recall from doing my alternator. Trying to find a way to fix this though i think it would be one of the parts i would have to get from a yard or get some duct from auto zone and make it. But it has a sensor and then the nipple for that hose i mentioned so not sure how that would work. I just want this fixed so i can get to fixing the other stuff on it.

 

[Rearanger]

Another thing i noticed is the actual black plastic duct that goes from the air filter to the intake isn't staying tight on the intake. It's crushed some.

Leaks in the intake after the MAF will affect performance. I'd repair all the possible leaks first then clean the EGR and it's connections. That will be pretty much no cost to you.

 

[McCormack]

DPFE sensors going bad and throwing a code is a very common problem with the 3.0 Ranger engine, and when all is said and done that would be my bet on what's wrong with your Ranger.

 

[adsm08]

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Using that definition I would label your hopes of fixing the problem simply by unhooking the battery for a longer period of time as "insane".

Get a vacuum pump. Hook it up to the EGR valve and start pumping with the engine idling. If it stumbles and dies go get yourself a new sensor.

 

[Tractor Dan]

ADSM08- I wasn't expecting unhooking the battery to fix the problem. What i was expecting it to do is reset the computer so i could then see if it was still throwing the code after i replaced the hoses. That way i would know if it threw the code after the hose replacement then i needed to some more looking into the matter. I plan to get a vacuum pump as soon as my friend pays me what she owes me for picking her engine up for her car. I got the cougar to drive till then so not like i'm down a car. I just wanna get this fixed, give me a truck over a car any day.

 

[Rearanger]

Get a vacuum pump. Hook it up to the EGR valve and start pumping with the engine idling. If it stumbles and dies go get yourself a new sensor.

Why not possible vacuum regulator solenoid?

 

[Tractor Dan]

Well i decided to fix the leaks at the intake and whatnot. Where the intake duct comes into the manifold. I could have got the duct from a yard but i decided it was high time to do something i been wanting. Seeing as they don't make a cold air intake for the 3.0, i engineered myself one. Bought a universal kit geared towards hondas. So i got that kit. Put it on. It has 3 holes for sensors and EGR. I used 2. So i hooked the sensor and EGR up. Then had to put a 45 degree elbow at the end so the cone filter i bought would let the hood close. Ended up having to remove the whole air filter canister along with the mounting plate. I thought i was gonna have a problem with the MAF and have to buy an adapter until i realized just take the round plastic piece that mounts to the MAF anyways and use that to attach the cone to. So for roughly $80 to $90 i made a cold air intake. Well not sure if its exactly a cold air intake because it sits in the same spot the stock one did but it fixed my issue and i was able to keep all the emission stuff in place. So i'm rather happy. I'll get some pictures of it tomorrow when i have daylight and make a thread about it. It took me about 2 or so hours to do but that was because of trail and error since i haven't done stuff like this before. Still i think it came out good. That and it idles a lot smoother and quieter, accelerates nicely, and as of now no check engine light.