What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[pjtoledo]

swap injectors between banks?

have access to an IR thermometer? check all exhaust runners for consistent temps.

to me that second pipe looks too clean to be true.

 

[Rick W]

swap injectors between banks?

have access to an IR thermometer? check all exhaust runners for consistent temps.

to me that second pipe looks too clean to be true.

Thanks.

FYI Second pipe is run from the original exhaust system. It was two into one and went down the passenger side. The guy cut it and capped it at the Y, the passenger side is the original cat for all six cylinders, runs through a small glass pack, and turns up through my 3 inch chrome stacks.

The driver side was a new universal small cat, then run through the small glass pack, and up the 3 inch stack on the driver side.

No leaks on either side. I hate to cut into the relatively new work, but I’m thinking of getting or making a straight pipe and just swapping it where the cat is on the driver side to see what happens. Using clamps.

I’m going to pull the other two plugs on the driver side, but I’m waiting till I get my compression tester thing.

I didn’t think of moving an injector around, good advice. And I think I can get my hands on a thermal gun.

More comments, welcome

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Understood and agreed. I don’t know if I mentioned thatthis was a “store bought“ rebuilt alternator that I installed less than a year ago. I didn’t think to check the warranty. Taking things apart and figuring them out is more hobby than necessity at this point.

I’ve just gotten to the point where I don’t want to deal with more than I have to. Being able to say “here, it broke, give me another” makes things easier on me. I’ve torn alternators apart and fixed stuff before, I just have too many other things to deal with and too many other things I’d rather tinker with, lol

 

[JoshT]

Just realized I am probably past our 25th Anniversary with my Ranger.

Not sure what day I got it but it was a week or two before I got insurance on it... on 9/11/00

I’m probably around the 25 year anniversary on my first Ranger, don’t remember specifics though on exactly when. That is my blue 2000 Ranger. lil Blue. Dad named it, lol.

Now are we talking the same Ranger or just since first getting and continuous ownership of a Ranger in general? Also did it have to start when we technically became the owner, or just when we first "had" the truck?

I'd be at least at 25 years of ownership on my 84, but I totaled it in 09. Still have it though, so maybe it still counts. It was in the family as my dad's truck in the late 80s though, so in a way I've had it for more like 35+.

I've only had the 99 for about 20 at this point, but have been continuous legal owner of A Ranger for at least 25 years.

I’ve just gotten to the point where I don’t want to deal with more than I have to. Being able to say “here, it broke, give me another” makes things easier on me. I’ve torn alternators apart and fixed stuff before, I just have too many other things to deal with and too many other things I’d rather tinker with, lol

I'm with you on that. I've got enough stuff to work on without adding something like a starter or alternator. Those things are too easy to carry in and swap out to spend the time trying to diagnose and fix. Even something special like the high torque mini starter on the FE (F-100), I'd rather carry it to a specialty shop and let them handle rebuild/repair. Too much other stuff that time could be spent fixing while some one else handles it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Now are we talking the same Ranger or just since first getting and continuous ownership of a Ranger in general? Also did it have to start when we technically became the owner, or just when we first "had" the truck?

I've called it mine for 25 years.

My parents bought it for me to run parts for my dad's shop when I wasn't in school. I didn't get paid for running parts, I got use of the truck for my efforts. When it wasn't working it was in the high school parking lot, for all intents and purposes I used it as "mine". It was about 13 years ago we finally got around to transferring it to my name.

Is it the same truck... that is a very deep philosophical question.

Ship of Theseus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It is the same cab, bed, dash support and frame that I drove to school. I have a better dash support and bed in the barn though waiting for me to get brave enough to weld in new cab corners.

It is by no means the same quiet little meek truck I drove to school.

Prom circa 2002:



Last year deep in the heart of Kentucky:

 

[Curious Hound]

Oh wise ones, I need some help, some wisdom.

That 97 4.0 has been running like a top ever since I got it. 300,000 miles, one owner, extremely well maintained, now 320, and I didn’t think to tune it up until I had a miss coming back from Ford nationals in June. Actually, I couldn’t really feel a miss, but I feel like I had a slight loss of power. It’s still runs very strong, but doesn’t seem to run as strong as before, but it might be in my mind.

When I got home, the left exhaust pipe was full of soot, and there was soot on the rear fenders on the left side. A lot.

When I pulled the plugs, the driver side front spark plug was actually loose, it was still in the threads, but it was loose enough to wiggle it and remove it with my fingers. When I pulled it out, it was covered with soot. I put the new spark plug in, and it tightened down like normal. I don’t remember ever having a loose plug in the last zillion miles on any of the dozens or hundreds of vehicles….

I put in new plugs and wires. I haven’t put in an I haven’t put in an PCV valve yet, but I find it hard to believe that would be the problem. After driving it a couple hundred miles at highway speeds and temps,, I still have some soot in that left pipe. Left compared to right, today.

View attachment 133456View attachment 133457

Last week, I ran the gas tank down to less than a quarter tank, and I put in a can of seafoam. I ran it long enough to make sure it was hot and all through the system, and then I parked it for a couple days. Then, when I was almost out of gas, I filled it with premium. I don’t think that made any difference. I have a few hundred miles at 70 mile an hour at highway speeds since changing the plugs.

It seems to be hitting on all cylinders, but it still seems to have a slight lack of power. Not a dramatic lack of power, just a little from the way it was running when I got it. I can’t tell if it’s got a miss at lower RPMs, but I do still believe there’s a lack of power. I’m not sure if the miss is in my mind.

Today I pulled that spark plug, and it looked fine.

View attachment 133458

I’ve wondered off and on if it had a blown head gasket, but it just runs too well. For unrelated reasons, I took the top radiator hose off a couple times, and it always takes checking it after some miles a few times to get the radiator topped off. But I think that’s because there’s no good way to burp it, not because it is consuming radiator fluid. It was full when I checked it today after a couple hundred miles.

So here’s my need. What do I check next?

I’m going to buy the gizmo to do a compression check. It’s in the mail. Btw, it’s not using any oil I can notice.

Could I have fouled the catalytic converter on that side? That cat has less than 10,000 miles on it. I understand the science, and if I was feeding hydrocarbons into it when the spark plug was loose, once I fixed it, running at highway speeds and temps, shouldn’t it burn off the carbon off fairly quickly? Before, when I’ve had a cat that was plugged, the vehicle ran like absolute crap. It’s still running pretty good. ???

What else can I check short of pulling heads?

If the plug looks good, Drive it.

Your senses are heightened right now, trying to make sure everything is ok. So, the slight loss of power may be i.aginary. having a bit of extra soot at the tailpipe right now might still be residual stuff working it's way out of the cats and exhaust system. Give it more time.

 

[Rick W]

I’ve just gotten to the point where I don’t want to deal with more than I have to. Being able to say “here, it broke, give me another” makes things easier on me. I’ve torn alternators apart and fixed stuff before, I just have too many other things to deal with and too many other things I’d rather tinker with, lol

Yeah, I’m on the other side of the hill. I’ve got all the money I need, but I need something to occupy my time.

Of course, the cute little brunette is helping with that too

 

[Rick W]

Now are we talking the same Ranger or just since first getting and continuous ownership of a Ranger in general? Also did it have to start when we technically became the owner, or just when we first "had" the truck?

I'd be at least at 25 years of ownership on my 84, but I totaled it in 09. Still have it though, so maybe it still counts. It was in the family as my dad's truck in the late 80s though, so in a way I've had it for more like 35+.

I've only had the 99 for about 20 at this point, but have been continuous legal owner of A Ranger for at least 25 years.



I'm with you on that. I've got enough stuff to work on without adding something like a starter or alternator. Those things are too easy to carry in and swap out to spend the time trying to diagnose and fix. Even something special like the high torque mini starter on the FE (F-100), I'd rather carry it to a specialty shop and let them handle rebuild/repair. Too much other stuff that time could be spent fixing while some one else handles it.

You’re making it sound like I was wasting my time when I fixed the trashcan lid in my kitchen…

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Watched the odometer hit 180,000 miles while I was on the road yesterday.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Now are we talking the same Ranger or just since first getting and continuous ownership of a Ranger in general? Also did it have to start when we technically became the owner, or just when we first "had" the truck?

I'd be at least at 25 years of ownership on my 84, but I totaled it in 09. Still have it though, so maybe it still counts. It was in the family as my dad's truck in the late 80s though, so in a way I've had it for more like 35+.

I've only had the 99 for about 20 at this point, but have been continuous legal owner of A Ranger for at least 25 years.

In my case…

My blue 2000 Ranger, the extended cab, 2wd, 5-speed with a 3.0, was my first vehicle. I was working concrete construction back then making bank when I wasn’t in school but I was also a dumb kid that didn’t deserve a nice truck. I got it brand new, my parents picked it up for me, but it promptly got transferred to my name and I got the keys and the payments. It got totaled somewhere around 09 but I still have it. Really it needs the frame straightened, a front clip, and airbags. It’s only got like 50k miles on it.

I’d like to circle back to it and fix it. Need to get my green Ranger fixed, dump truck fixed, and my Choptop fixed. Then I need to evaluate things. My 88, F-150, red Ranger, Explorer, and lil Blue are all on the future projects list. My plan for lil Blue includes suspension upgrades and a spinny thing (or two) under the hood. My buddy Paul would like to get back to doing mechanic work with my help and I think it would make a great shop truck.

I'm with you on that. I've got enough stuff to work on without adding something like a starter or alternator. Those things are too easy to carry in and swap out to spend the time trying to diagnose and fix. Even something special like the high torque mini starter on the FE (F-100), I'd rather carry it to a specialty shop and let them handle rebuild/repair. Too much other stuff that time could be spent fixing while some one else handles it.

I love tinkering with stuff and my workbench in my shop is going to give me a place to do it, but I have a literal mountain of things I’d like to tinker with. I’ve done my share of tinkering with starters and alternators over the years, if I can call the parts store and get a new one delivered, it’s a more efficient use of my time and I can use the time I saved to tinker with something that I can’t hit the easy button on.

 

[JoshT]

You’re making it sound like I was wasting my time when I fixed the trashcan lid in my kitchen…

Hardly. Different resources and tasks. Time is a finite resource and you have more of it concurrently available to put towards projects like fixing your trash can lid. The question, is do you feel like it was wasting your time?

 

[sgtsandman]

Oh wise ones, I need some help, some wisdom.

That 97 4.0 has been running like a top ever since I got it. 300,000 miles, one owner, extremely well maintained, now 320, and I didn’t think to tune it up until I had a miss coming back from Ford nationals in June. Actually, I couldn’t really feel a miss, but I feel like I had a slight loss of power. It’s still runs very strong, but doesn’t seem to run as strong as before, but it might be in my mind.

When I got home, the left exhaust pipe was full of soot, and there was soot on the rear fenders on the left side. A lot.

When I pulled the plugs, the driver side front spark plug was actually loose, it was still in the threads, but it was loose enough to wiggle it and remove it with my fingers. When I pulled it out, it was covered with soot. I put the new spark plug in, and it tightened down like normal. I don’t remember ever having a loose plug in the last zillion miles on any of the dozens or hundreds of vehicles….

I put in new plugs and wires. I haven’t put in an I haven’t put in an PCV valve yet, but I find it hard to believe that would be the problem. After driving it a couple hundred miles at highway speeds and temps,, I still have some soot in that left pipe. Left compared to right, today.

View attachment 133456View attachment 133457

Last week, I ran the gas tank down to less than a quarter tank, and I put in a can of seafoam. I ran it long enough to make sure it was hot and all through the system, and then I parked it for a couple days. Then, when I was almost out of gas, I filled it with premium. I don’t think that made any difference. I have a few hundred miles at 70 mile an hour at highway speeds since changing the plugs.

It seems to be hitting on all cylinders, but it still seems to have a slight lack of power. Not a dramatic lack of power, just a little from the way it was running when I got it. I can’t tell if it’s got a miss at lower RPMs, but I do still believe there’s a lack of power. I’m not sure if the miss is in my mind.

Today I pulled that spark plug, and it looked fine.

View attachment 133458

I’ve wondered off and on if it had a blown head gasket, but it just runs too well. For unrelated reasons, I took the top radiator hose off a couple times, and it always takes checking it after some miles a few times to get the radiator topped off. But I think that’s because there’s no good way to burp it, not because it is consuming radiator fluid. It was full when I checked it today after a couple hundred miles.

So here’s my need. What do I check next?

I’m going to buy the gizmo to do a compression check. It’s in the mail. Btw, it’s not using any oil I can notice.

Could I have fouled the catalytic converter on that side? That cat has less than 10,000 miles on it. I understand the science, and if I was feeding hydrocarbons into it when the spark plug was loose, once I fixed it, running at highway speeds and temps, shouldn’t it burn off the carbon off fairly quickly? Before, when I’ve had a cat that was plugged, the vehicle ran like absolute crap. It’s still running pretty good. ???

What else can I check short of pulling heads?

Plugs working loose happens sometimes, even if you install them with a torque wrench.

Soot generally means the engine is running rich. The Seafoam you put in the tank should address the injectors, if they were the problem. Just keep an eye on the plugs and see what happens.

As far as the soot in the exhaust, once it is there, it will never completely go away. It's kind of like trail dust or desert sand. It gets into everything and you are never completely rid of it.

 

[Rick W]

Plugs working loose happens sometimes, even if you install them with a torque wrench.

Soot generally means the engine is running rich. The Seafoam you put in the tank should address the injectors, if they were the problem. Just keep an eye on the plugs and see what happens.

As far as the soot in the exhaust, once it is there, it will never completely go away. It's kind of like trail dust or desert sand. It gets into everything and you are never completely rid of it.

Understood. I don’t really care about the soot in the exhaust pipe, the concern is the catalytic converter being half plugged up with soot.

A few questions for everybody:

Has anybody used either of these?

The Cataclean on the right has very good customer ratings. It’s a little pricey, but of course it’s fraction of the cost of the mechanical repair. I think I’m going to try it, but I would be curious to hear your feedback.

Second, when I was at the alignment shop to check Big Red yesterday, I asked them about it. They said a relatively inexpensive way to see if the engine is working right is to temporarily remove the catalytic converter on that side.

Hold on before you scream! This is simply a diagnostic tool, and I would never recommend (and I’m sure TRS would not recommend) removing the catalytic converter permanently. A few of you probably remember that when I originally got the dual exhaust done, the guy did a pretty half-assed job of running the pipe under the driver side frame. I’m thinking this could kill two birds with one stone. Cut it loose, and see if the engine performs properly, and then when I put it back, get the swing under the frame done correctly.

Leads me to my last question. It’s my understanding that the catalytic converter is entirely for the fine trim on un-burned carbons before exhaust is released to the air. If I do remove the catalytic converter, will that do any damage to my engine or performance? I’d hate to be checking out the engine, and then damage it a different way.

All other suggestions and comments are always welcome! Thanks in advance!

 

[Rick W]

@Jim Oaks & everybody.

I know I’m not the only one posting pictures only to have them show up turned 90°. What I don’t understand is some turn, and some do not. Is there a fix for this either on TRS side or on my side?

 

[sgtsandman]

Understood. I don’t really care about the soot in the exhaust pipe, the concern is the catalytic converter being half plugged up with soot.

A few questions for everybody:

Has anybody used either of these?

View attachment 133494


The Cataclean on the right has very good customer ratings. It’s a little pricey, but of course it’s fraction of the cost of the mechanical repair. I think I’m going to try it, but I would be curious to hear your feedback.

Second, when I was at the alignment shop to check Big Red yesterday, I asked them about it. They said a relatively inexpensive way to see if the engine is working right is to temporarily remove the catalytic converter on that side.

Hold on before you scream! This is simply a diagnostic tool, and I would never recommend (and I’m sure TRS would not recommend) removing the catalytic converter permanently. A few of you probably remember that when I originally got the dual exhaust done, the guy did a pretty half-assed job of running the pipe under the driver side frame. I’m thinking this could kill two birds with one stone. Cut it loose, and see if the engine performs properly, and then when I put it back, get the swing under the frame done correctly.

Leads me to my last question. It’s my understanding that the catalytic converter is entirely for the fine trim on un-burned carbons before exhaust is released to the air. If I do remove the catalytic converter, will that do any damage to my engine or performance? I’d hate to be checking out the engine, and then damage it a different way.

All other suggestions and comments are always welcome! Thanks in advance!

Short of hosing out the catalytic converter with a garden hose, I don't know of anything that will remove carbon build up.

I suppose you could do what I've heard some have done in the past. Remove the cat, dump gas in it, light it on fire, shove the metal tube from an old school vacuum (with the hose connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum) into the catalytic converter and let it burn until it burns itself out.

The above might work but I've never tried it or knew someone who has and mentioned that they did it.