New User and problem with new ranger

[dwhite]

Hello everyone, i just bought an 89 ranger with a FI V6 im having some problems with it and hopefully you guys can help.

when i bought it i did a full tune up (cap rotor wires and plugs...fuel filter air filter) and it was running great for about a week.

now while im driving down the road it bogs anywhere from 1/4 throttle to 3/4 throttle, but at WOT it screams and it idles okay but a little rough.

I replaced the TPS and now im stuck as to what else it could be... any suggestions?

 

[Psychopete]

Hello everyone, i just bought an 89 ranger with a FI V6 im having some problems with it and hopefully you guys can help.

when i bought it i did a full tune up (cap rotor wires and plugs...fuel filter air filter) and it was running great for about a week.

now while im driving down the road it bogs anywhere from 1/4 throttle to 3/4 throttle, but at WOT it screams and it idles okay but a little rough.

I replaced the TPS and now im stuck as to what else it could be... any suggestions?

You might pull codes, see if the computer is seeing anything funny going on.

Other than that, you might check your fuel pressure regulator vacuum line for raw fuel. It is the circular device that the fuel line attaches to on the fuel rail, drivers side of the upper intake, back near the fire wall.

Does it do it warm, cold, or both?

Pete

 

[dwhite]

okay thats an idea..

it started just doing it very randomly, i drove it a few days ago 45 miles to a job site and it drove just fine, then on the way home it did it the entire time, it would only speed up if it was floored. and now it does it as soon as it warms up

 

[dwhite]

No fuel in the pressure regulator vacuum line.

 

[pearldrumbum]

I'm sorry, i dont have any advice, but I'm having the same problem!
Mine does it only when it's cold. I start'er up and take off in 1st gear, then when i shift into 2nd it boggs down and feels like it has absolutely NO power for a second or two, then it just takes off. It'll do the same thing shifting into 3rd and 4th until it gets to operation temp and then it seems to be just fine.
What would raw fuel in the vacuum line mean?

 

[Mutant Pony]

Raw fuel in the vacuum hose would be a sure sign of a failed fuel pressure regulator. A common problem on 2.9 Rangers. If it ran fine cold but, not warm that would be a good sign of a bad temp sender. If it runs bad cold but good when it warms up it could be lack of fuel, plugged fuel filter, weak pump, plugged sock.
To be sure on the fuel pressure regulator you need to run a fuel pressure test.
There are many other things that it could be, these are just the most common ones.

 

[dwhite]

just replaced the pressure regulator and tested fuel pressure (30 PSI at idle) still no progress..


I'm also haveing a problem with it using a lot of coolant, (maybe a gallon a week so far ....no water in the oil though, just a lot of condensation on the oil cap....) so i obviously have a problem with one of the head gaskets or possibly a cracked head....

could this be my problem?

Thanks for any help,
derek

 

[Mutant Pony]

Yes.

You need to find out where the coolant is going before you rip it apart like you did with the regulator. Test first, buy parts later!!! Buy,rent, or borrow a coolant system pressure tester.

 

[dwhite]

okay if i test it and the coolant pressure is low, what does that prove? im pretty sure the headgasket is blown on the piston side, so its just pushing the water out the exhaust.

no biggie, regulator was free (although from a junkyard, so IDK if its even any good) im ordering a new one tomorrow

 

[grnrngr]

Well, if you had no fuel in the vacuum line to your FP regulator, your old one is probably still good. And, since mine cost $125 (had lots of fuel in my vacuum line), I'd definitely fix trace coolant prob before buying a new regulator. Matter of fact, since the majority opinion here is that heads or blocks crack before the headgasket blows, you may be shopping for a whole new motor, or at least replacing the heads on the one you have now.

 

[dwhite]

okay i think i have it fixed this weekend, i took off the bed and checked in the tank for dirt and there was some, so i cleaned it out. i then took out the air temp sender on the intake and it was dirty so i cleaned it. now its running absolutly perfect once it warms up, so im gonna go get a new temp sender tomorrow and im pretty sure that will take care of it.

thanks for everyones help

 

[dwhite]

just to follow up for future reference, i also found the plenum gasket on the intake to have a REALLY bad vacuum leak, Replaced it and now its 100% better.

 

[IMenriched]

HEY that's SUPER...glad to hear that all is well!! PTL

 

[Natedog]

just to follow up for future reference, i also found the plenum gasket on the intake to have a REALLY bad vacuum leak, Replaced it and now its 100% better.

How did you find the vacuum leak and where on the intake was it leaking?

Are you still getting condensation under the oil filler cap?

 

[dwhite]

Thanks its still not "perfect" but its definatly driveable now lol..


it was on the upper portion of our two piece intakes where they bold together in the middle (hard to explain lol) and mine was on the VERY back against the firewall, it had a hole in the gasket about 2/16th of an inch thick

and yes i still have condensation under the cap, and some milky gunk inside the valve covers, it still has a head gasket problem, guess ill fix that when it blows up lol.