epeterson
New Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Transmission
- Automatic
Hey everyone,
New to the forum and new to Rangers.
I've had mine now for a couple months, and i've run into some problems.
First is the loss of power, I can hear the rpms dropping and going back up when i'm accelerating and it seems to have a tough time getting to the point where it will shift. Its most noticeable when going uphill. On flat ground I can still hear the change in RPMs, but it shifts fine.
There is also a coolant leak. Its not consistent, but it will leave a small puddle of coolant if its been sitting for a while. Coolant is noticeable on the front of the engine. Perhaps from the back of the thermostat housing near the block?
The temperature gauge fluctuates. Most of the time it will not reach normal. It will stay right below the second line, and maybe just move over it. The other times I drive it it will stay right around the "O" and "R". Seems to drive better when the gauge reads correctly.
The heat works quickly though. After about 3 minutes of driving the heat will blow nice and warm. And the heat is good and hot shortly after.
I also just noticed a smell of gas in the oil, never noticed it before until yesterday.
Could all of these issues be tied to the cooling system? Wrong info being sent to computer, making the engine run too rich? Time for a new thermostat?
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
1994 Ford Ranger XL
3.0 Auto 94,000
New to the forum and new to Rangers.

First is the loss of power, I can hear the rpms dropping and going back up when i'm accelerating and it seems to have a tough time getting to the point where it will shift. Its most noticeable when going uphill. On flat ground I can still hear the change in RPMs, but it shifts fine.
There is also a coolant leak. Its not consistent, but it will leave a small puddle of coolant if its been sitting for a while. Coolant is noticeable on the front of the engine. Perhaps from the back of the thermostat housing near the block?
The temperature gauge fluctuates. Most of the time it will not reach normal. It will stay right below the second line, and maybe just move over it. The other times I drive it it will stay right around the "O" and "R". Seems to drive better when the gauge reads correctly.
The heat works quickly though. After about 3 minutes of driving the heat will blow nice and warm. And the heat is good and hot shortly after.
I also just noticed a smell of gas in the oil, never noticed it before until yesterday.
Could all of these issues be tied to the cooling system? Wrong info being sent to computer, making the engine run too rich? Time for a new thermostat?
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
1994 Ford Ranger XL
3.0 Auto 94,000