Money pit

[Nick Barr]

I have a 2002 ranger with the 3.0L. Had a misfire on #4 so I replaced the coil,plugs and wires. That was 2 years ago. Recently the thermostat stuck shut and overheated causing a blown head gasket and caused misfire on multiple cylinders. Upon removal of the heads I found that my valves were severely hammered into the head. I am talking damn near 1/8th inch! Bought new heads and replaced. Upon fire up #5 still misfires. I have spark, fuel,have checked pressure, replaced CPS and synchro,replaced injector and crankshaft sensor. SUMBITCH STILL MISFIRES! I am down to the camshaft and lifters not allowing the intake valves not open enough to fire properly. And since my old valves were so recessed it would run okay. It has always lacked power

 

[adsm08]

A compression test may show a valve issue. Start there.

 

[Nick Barr]

I have a 2002 ranger with the 3.0L. Had a misfire on #4 so I replaced the coil,plugs and wires. That was 2 years ago. Recently the thermostat stuck shut and overheated causing a blown head gasket and caused misfire on multiple cylinders. Upon removal of the heads I found that my valves were severely hammered into the head. I am talking damn near 1/8th inch! Bought new heads and replaced. Upon fire up #5 still misfires. I have spark, fuel,have checked pressure, replaced CPS and synchro,replaced injector and crankshaft sensor. SUMBITCH STILL MISFIRES! I am down to the camshaft and lifters not allowing the intake valves not open enough to fire properly. And since my old valves were so recessed it would run okay. It has always lacked power

A compression test may show a valve issue. Start there.

I have checked compression. All cylinders are @ 150

 

[Nick Barr]

I have checked compression. All cylinders are @ 150

Vacuum test is borderline late valve timing. Checked chain, its positioned correctly, then replaced CPS and synchro to verify. All I can think is its gotta be the cam lobes are ate up.

 

[RonD]

3.0l Vulcan never had timing chain issues, doesn't even have a tensioner

150 is low for the 3.0l it runs 9.3:1 ratio so should be pushing 165psi

And 150psi would allow cylinder to fire if it had air/fuel mix and spark, so not a compression issue
The coil pack sparks 1 and 5 at the same time, so try reversing spark plug wires at the coil pack
(3/4 and 2/6 also spark at the same time)
Which is why coil pack wiring is odd
3 4
2 6
1 5
Those are the Matched Pairs that spark at the same time, the 5 6 4 side gets me now and then, lol

Disable coil pack, unplug 4 wire connector, and crank engine over a few times, pull #4 and #5(or #5 and #6) spark plugs, BOTH should be equally WET with fuel
That will tell you if its an injector issue


Just FYI
The 3.0l is a High RPM engine, by design
Most engines make best torque(power) at 2,400-2,800rpm
The 3.0l Vulcan does best power at 3,500-3,900rpm

With an automatic they can be gutless because shift points are low
Try shifting manually keeping RPMs high to see if power is better

 

[Nick Barr]

3.0l Vulcan never had timing chain issues, doesn't even have a tensioner

150 is low for the 3.0l it runs 9.3:1 ratio so should be pushing 165psi

And 150psi would allow cylinder to fire if it had air/fuel mix and spark, so not a compression issue
The coil pack sparks 1 and 5 at the same time, so try reversing spark plug wires at the coil pack
(3/4 and 2/6 also spark at the same time)
Which is why coil pack wiring is odd
3 4
2 6
1 5
Those are the Matched Pairs that spark at the same time, the 5 6 4 side gets me now and then, lol

Disable coil pack, unplug 4 wire connector, and crank engine over a few times, pull #4 and #5(or #5 and #6) spark plugs, BOTH should be equally WET with fuel
That will tell you if its an injector issue


Just FYI
The 3.0l is a High RPM engine, by design
Most engines make best torque(power) at 2,400-2,800rpm
The 3.0l Vulcan does best power at 3,500-3,900rpm

With an automatic they can be gutless because shift points are low
Try shifting manually keeping RPMs high to see if power is better

Finally got the beach figured out.... brand new wore had a break it it and was intermittently grounding out...... this truck has it's own special way of making me feel dumb!!

 

[Nick Barr]

Finally got the beach figured out.... brand new wire had a break it it and was intermittently grounding out...... this truck has it's own special way of making me feel dumb!!

 

[RonD]

Good work

Yes, "new" used to mean tested and working

Now it means YOU TEST IT, we will replace it, IF under warranty

And don't forget, you have to drive the 3.0l "like a rented mule" its the way it was designed, need to keep it over 3,000rpm always and above 3,500 for extra power

 

[Ramcharger90]

The 3.0 I had ran decent the only saving grace was the 5 speed manual. A friend had a 3.0 auto and it couldn't get out of its own way. Same year trim color around the same mileage also. Completely different driving experience.