Please Help... Moving and need to fix

[mountainhorse]

Hello,

I hope that you can take a moment to help me with a problem that I need to fix "yesterday".....

I'm moving this week and have a problem that I need to fix before the "haul".

I have a 1999 Ranger, XLT, 4x4, 4.0 L, Auto trans... 105,000 miles. Well maintained in general and otherwise functions well.

The problem that I'm having when driving down the road the engine is cutting out... not for prologed sets but intermittent "micro" cuts of about 1/2 second or so.. sometimes back to back in a "stuttering" fashion ... sometimes a couple of times in a 10 second period.

I'm a decent mechanic... not and ASC master... but not bad either.

I have replaced the fuel pump relay...no change..

It feels like either an ignition problem or maybe the fuel pump is "stuttering".
I dont have a fuel pressure gauge here that would reach into the cab to watch the fuel pressure while I drive..

Any help as to where to look would be great.

I'm sure that there is some info in the forums here that covers it, but I cant seem to find it.

HALP!!! Please... Any suggestions would be better than beating my head against the wall.

This couldn't have happend at a worse time!!

 

[88_Eddie]

plugs and wires?

 

[mountainhorse]

Thank you for the input.

The plugs were replaced with OEM motorcraft platinum plugs and oem wires a month ago

It passed smog with flying colors only 2 weeks ago as well.

I'm kind of baffled


HALLLLP! please.

 

[creepinjeepster]

Have you double checked wires since replacing to make sure you don't have one that has rubbed against something like the exhaust manifold and creating a short? Checked your grounds from battery to block and block to frame? Both terminals for corrosion for that matter. No CEL codes, would think it has to be something minute like these things. Fuel filter?

 

[mountainhorse]

No CEL, new fuel filter...

Double checked the wires just now.. OK and still in the looms since replacement.

Grounds... pulled off, cleaned and reassy with dielectric grease... just now.

No change..

Please keep em coming???

 

[snoopdoggie]

4.0 may be different than a 2.9 but My son has a BII 2.9 that started out that way and worsened to the point of not running. Turned out to be the module on the distributor.

 

[Andres629]

Seems I've been saying this a lot lately... but yeah replace the module. Happened to me just last week!

 

[countryboy]

4.0's don't have a distributor.

 

[snoopdoggie]

Maybe coil.

 

[Andres629]

You're absolutely right, they don't! D'OH! Been quite a number of years since I owned one, how could I forget that... oh well. I had a 94 F-150 5.0 a little bit ago, and it would do the same thing. Turns out it was one of the wires leading to the fuel pump that was kind of in front of the intake manifold. So I'd check the wiring to your pump, or one of the times when it doesn't start, listen to hear if the pump engages first. If not, then check to see if it's getting power. If it's not, then your problem is in the wiring to the pump. Hope that helps.

 

[snoopdoggie]

4.0's don't have a distributor.

True. But they still have ignition modules.

 

[creepinjeepster]

Wonder if it could be a simple glitch in ECM. Have you tried disconnecting batteryfor at least 15 min and reconnecting to clear ECM and see what it does? Never hurts to try.

 

[mountainhorse]

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Thank you for the email Dave... It was the Ignition coil... It had a crack in it and was defective...

Got one from the local pick n pull and the problem went away.

Thank you again to all the people on the forums here... you helped me..... HUGE!!!

 

[sittenHIGHon35s]

my 4.0 did that it was the idle air sensor