Hello everyone,

In Norway old american pickups is every boys dream. And just by coincidence I got mine fulfilled the other day when I bought a 1989 Ford Ranger with a V6 (V6, that's crazy!!!)

All though what I wrote is somewhat true I have run into a little trouble. My beloved american car doesn't like humidity it seems.

It starts acting up like crazy almost "dying" on me when cruising (or idling for that matter). I have to use "kick-down" to keep it alive and run at high RPM to maintain speed. Yesterday it drank 10 gallons on a 30 miles drive because of this. That's like 100$ in fuel. 3 mpg compared to the reported 16 mpg.

It will actually die on me if I stand still / idling but will start without problem, it always does. It reminds me of a clogged / damaged catalyst I once had on another car. Only now it seems to have to do with humidity.

Getting parts can be tricky and I might end up having to buy them on eBay and get them sent from USA if I am unlucky. So it is essential for me to isolate the problem with above 90% certainty before going on a hunt for parts.

I really want my "american dream" to come true. I have minor mechanical skills, but I do change my own tires! (and a distributor once! hehe)

Please help. Bare in mind that my technical English is not as good as yours so please use it to a minimum or at least spelled right and preferably with alternative terms so Google translate can pick them up if my English knowledge wont.

Thanks in advance.


UPDATE!!! The car is acting up even on sunny days, so it seems to be totally random and I have never got it to stop acting up / going back to normal without parking for at least 30 minutes.

A drive to the store and back might go totally smooth without no problems, even 3 times in a row.

I get the feeling the car act up more frequently after I floor it (kickdown) even though it also might do it without me flooring it so totally random but maybe that triggers it sometimes when it are running smooth.

 

Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts.

Have you done any kind of basic tuneup on this truck? For example, air filter, spark plugs, and spark plug wires.

You may also have to check for vacuum leaks by spraying ether or carburetor cleaner around the base of the manifold gaskets and around the vacuum hoses and check to see if that changes the idle speed - if there is a vacuum leak, it will suck the vapors from the spray into the engine and burn them like fuel which can cause the idle speed to change.

Have you checked the catalytic converter to make sure it isn't plugged?

Do you have a "Check Engine Light" lit up on your instrument panel?

What do you know of the maintenance history on this truck?

 

Try pulling the vacuum line off the fuel pressure regulator while running if wet with fuel it's dumping gass into the intake manifold, that was the problem with my 89 ranger.

 

Thanks alot. I will be bothering you all for a long time to come!

No tuneup.

I have checked the air filter box and hose for leaks and cleaned the air filter.
My next step (been working on it today) has been to change the spark plugs and wires. Problem is that I have not (yet) found anyone who sell the correct plugs. Universal wires are sold so I can get those if I only bring the original ones so I get the correct size. I believe I will be able to get a hold of the correct spark plugs tomorrow.

It actually seems like a lot of work to get access to all 6 spark plugs. I recon a couple hours of work, or am I wrong?

This I have tried before posting here. I took a can of start gas and sprayed every vacuum hose I could find. No changes in idling.

Say what? And how do I do that?

No I don't. The bulb might be broken but what are the odds ...

Truth is that I don't know anything except that the problems started with the bad weather.

I tried that today (hope it was the right line), and I am certain it was dry as far as I could see.


UPDATE!!! The car is acting up even on sunny days, so it seems to be totally random and I have never got it to stop acting up / going back to normal without parking for at least 30 minutes.

A drive to the store and back might go totally smooth without no problems, even 3 times in a row.

I get the feeling the car act up more frequently after I floor it (kickdown) even though it also might do it without me flooring it so totally random but maybe that triggers it sometimes when it are running smooth.

 

If I'm understanding you correctly, the truck randomly acts up after it has been running and gets warmed up. By letting it sit to cool down, it acts normal again until it warms back up. Does this sound right to you? If it does, then that might be a clue as to what is going on.

Does the transmission seem to be working alright? Is it shifting between gears like it should? Have you checked the transmission fluid?

As for the catalytic converter (what you called a "catalyst" in your first post), I think it has to be removed in order to be checked - I've not done one so, I'm not entirely sure.

 

Not necessarily cause it has been running smooth for long drives also. What I was trying to say is that it can run smooth then start acting up but not the other way around.

Transmission seems to be working good. I have not had the chance to check the transmission fluid yet, but I am pretty sure that would not cause these symptoms or am I totally wrong?

I will take the catalytic converted down (if the car even have one, hehe) and check it if it is possible to spot easily if something is wrong.

 

I tend to throw out random questions like that as a way to gather as much information as possible. We're dealing with a lot of unknown variables here and I'm trying to turn some of those into known variables - once they become known, we can use the process of elimination to help narrow down what the problem might be. If the transmission seems to be acting fine, we'll eliminate that from the list...

It's the randomness of the issue that has me confused - In my mind, it almost sounds like you may have a bad or corroded electrical connection somewhere - maybe the connector that plugs into the computer, for example. If the weather where you live is anything like the Oregon coast, the salt air and water tends to corrode things pretty quickly...

Maybe someone else here will step in and offer some more insight...

 

Sure. I understand, no problem.

Here we even have salt on the road if its icy. The car has been leaking from its front window for a while as well (both on the driver and passenger side). The previous owner said the glove box was filled with water at one time.

Where do I find the computer?

I sure hope so because at this point I feel helpless.

 

In the rear of the engine bay, on the firewall and right below the windshield, look for a large connector with a big bundle of wires running from it. It might be on the passenger-side. Where that connector is mounted, there should be (I think) 4 screws around it holding what looks like a plate or cover onto the firewall. Remove those screws and pull that cover off - you should see a metal box inside that opening - that's the computer.

 

Awesome. I will check that out in the morning. Is there any way the symptoms could be caused by a broken computer (if the connector seems fine)?

 

The computer controls various different things, including ignition timing and fuel delivery. If it goes bad, all kinds of problems can manifest.

Based on what you said about the windshield leak, I'm betting that compartment got flooded and may have damaged the computer in some way... It's a wild guess, but it never hurts to check anyway, just in case...

 

Some good ideas from Furyus1. Heres a few more.

1. The PCM/computer on my 87 2.9 Ranger -yours is probably the same- is behind the passenger side interior kick panel which is just in front of the door. Checking for water there is a very good idea

2. When you turn the key one click the CEL/check engine light should light up for 2 seconds. This means the PCM is powered up & is grounding the lead from the CEL as it should.

3. WAnt to check fuel pressure? Look on top of the engine & you will find what looks like a tire valve with cap on it. So checking fuel pressure is almost as simple as checking tire pressure. Just screw on a gauge.

4. To test for trouble codes look under the hood on the passenger side. The connector that plugs into the scanner is hanging from the end of it's wires just in front of the heater housing.

5. To test with a vacuum gauge, the vacuum tree on top of the rear of the engine is a very handy spot to connect the gauge.

Like I said your 89 is probably set up the same as my 87

Congrats on the new -to you-Ranger. You are going to love it once you get the bugs out of it. The 2.9 with a 5 speed manual trans behind it is a real kick to drive.

 

(Unfortunately?) Mine has an automatic transmission.


That said, I have changed all the spark plugs, cleaned out the cap (some erosion). But I have yet to find new spark plug wires (problem still consists).

Tomorrow I will be able to order a set of spark plug wires and maybe even a new cap and rotor (while we're at it). Windshield leak will also be fixed tomorrow.

If plug wires and / or new cap doesn't do it I am leaning towards electronics, computer etc.

 

On the plug wires, especially since some stuff is hard to get anyway, its worthwhile to get either Motorcraft wires (factory), or Magnacore (better than OEM). Most other wires are okish, but will not give you the consistency and life, and some new aftermarkets are worse than old worn out OEM.

 

Plug wires, cap and rotor arriving tomorrow. I have a feeling it will not solve my problem to be honest. Windshield leak is fixed.

I will come back to you guys after the repair tomorrow. I can manufactor the problem with a high success rate by flooring it (kickdown) when it is running smooth.

Thanks for all the answers, you guys are great!