Hello,

I just bought a 1988 Ford Ranger 2.9 FI 2wd 5sp.

The truck when warm sputters and seems to be miss firing. I changed the o2 sensor and this did not help. I used premium gas and still nothing happens. My friend was behind me when I was driving it and he said that it spewed black smoke when the truck went through the sputtering. Also when the truck is warm it will not idle well and at idle it quickly stalls. Any ideas gents?

All help appreciated.

Chris

 

Hello Chris,
Welcome to FTE, Sounds to me as if you may have a MAP sensor promblem. The black smoke could be coming from a rich mixture. The sensor is located on the firewall near the passenger side, it has a single vacum line, with a plug on it, the sensor is flat looking. Check the vacum hose make sure you have no leaks ( check them all while your'e checking). Being there is black smoke present, and the idle drops, it's very possible the sensor is bad. You may also want to try and pull codes out that may have been set..Keep us posted as to what you find...Hope this helps point you in the right direction, Once again Welcome aboard and Good Luck.......

 

Hi, I was having the same problem with my 88 Ranger sometimes it would run great and then all of a sudden it would start sputtering and blowing black smoke out. After 2 months and many so called certified Mechanic’s later it turned out to be a short in the HARNEST for the o2 sensor. I hope this helps!

Dale Johnson newbee38@netzero.net

 

Thanks for your replies. I have checked the MAPS by removing the vacuum hose and the engine shut off. Same with the sensor , when I unplugged it the truck shut off. I tried to get the codes but it acted sorta funny. I think I got a code 18 and a code 22. The 22 is MAPS out of range so I will change the MAPS and see what happened. I will also check the 02 sensor cable. I won't get to it for a while though, I do appreciate your replies. I also like being here this is a great site.

 

If you happen to have a good Digital Volt/Ohm Meter lying around you can actually test the MAP sensor a little more precisely. Take a look here: Testing Ford Ford MAP/BP Sensor

P.S. Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!