I'm such a genius, I had no idea that the exhust pipe running from the manifold to the egr valve was broken until I loostened the fitting completly of the valve and it just dropped...and the only replacment I can find is from the dealership which will cost me....ready? 120$!!!!!! surprise surprise... so now that I have found my problem which once again turned out to be something I could have simply noticed by actually looking, any ideas on replacing that pipe. The only one I can find at the scrapyards is the one I cut to get the replacment valve, and 120 bucks is a little pricy for a pipe and a couple of fittings. so do I make one, use some other form of a pipe (ie steel braided line, flex pipe?), or pull another 120 bucks outta my @$$?
hahaha ya it was. but i was able to fish it out through the wheel well. took about fifteen minutes to figure that out in hope i wouldn't have to tear into everything. i don't hardly got to worry about emmisions laws here in iowa, but will simply cutting off flow through the egr be very good on that old thing? I suppose it might be worth a shot, but I'm kinda wonderin how hot that'll make the cylinders burn and what not.
Ok, I've now replaced the entire EGR system, but the problem still exists. And now I'm starting to realize something. Maybe it is the fuel pump and I was just being ignorant. Since the ECU begins using the sensors like the TPS, O2, and MAF to control the fuel system when it reaches closed loop and I had no trouble codes for any of the above, would the pump be bad, or going bad? And since the truck has 2 fuel pumps, what would be the fastest/easiest way to tell if it's the low-pressure pump in the tank vs the high pressure pump in the frame rail?
Well, you gotta hate when that happens. All that work on the EGR & still no joy.
Fortunately, checking fuel pressure on your 2.9 isnt any harder than checking tire pressure.
Screw the gauge onto the schraeder valve & follow the directions in Chiltons.
Not sure how you'd know which pump is bad if pressure is low, but as long as the tank pump is getting fuel to the frame mount I'd say it's probably OK..
I have dual tanks on mine so just flipping the dash switch tells me if a tank pump is bad.
A couple other little things I've noticed that may or may not help pin-point my problem:
1) Although the truck seems to have a constant loss of power to the wheels, when it begins kinda stuttering it evens back out after a bit then stutters again, and so forth until I let my foot off the gas at which point it usually dies.
2) Although the truck seems to only act up after it's warmed up, it sometimes dies when I put it in gear. Don't think that's tranny related, but rather load related.
3) The truck always starts right back up with no problem (hot or cold), but doesn't take long to act up again.
4) Gas mileage is definitely getting worse.
I'm going to get my hands on a pressure guage and do some pressure and volume tests on the fuel system. We'll see if that leads me any where. But if anyone has any ideas that might help, I always appreciate it. Even though I have a decent education and experience, I'm still only 22 years old and always learning with ever project I take on. So any advise is good advise to me.
Pressure was good, shot right up to 45 psi with KOEO, but I could immediately see that the pressure was dropping. I let it sit for a while as a leakdown test and after about five minutes it did drop to about 35 psi, which is still within normal operating specs. But at the same time, the fact is that it dropped. So I let it sit longer and it slowly crept down to about 32 psi after about another 5 minutes. I know that some systems are built to slowly lose pressure in a similar fashion, but I believe that's only on TBI fuel systems? Right? So I assume I need to continue the leakdown test with the pressure regulator and the pump check valve. Am I on the right path here?
Oh and thanks for that link 87 XLT. I saved it on my computer, it looks like a useful source, but I don't think those example vacuum readings are gonna help me quite yet. But I do really appreciate your help.
Hey guys I've got the exact problem with my 2.9 '86 Ranger. I have only had the truck about a year and I have always noticed the loss of power and have been told it is probably a fuel pump or injector problem. Just 3 days ago I changed my oil and the first time I drove it afterward the engine died when it got warmed up. Coincidence? Not sure... Some other things about my truck that might be useful: It appears I have a blown head gasket and/or leaking valve covers. Oil is getting out in these spots but the truck isn't white smoking so I don't think any antifreeze is getting into the cylinders. I know this is an issue whether it is related to our current problem or not but it might be a possible clue to what is causing this closed loop shut off. By the way your original description and your detailed description posted later is EXACTLY what I experienced. Hope we can get it figured out KaoticCreations.
Well, welcome to FTE BenTX. You've found the right place for your Ford truck questions. The guys here are real knowledgable and collaborate their answers with you great advise.
Ya, my engine is covered in oil in the same way. Either the head or the valve covers. I have a feeling their notorious for it. But a little smoke does roll out of my truck (from the engine, not the tailpipe). Hopefully knowing somebody else with the same problem might speed up the diagnosis process.
So did your truck just start dying and such after the oil change or has this been going on longer than that? If it has, what have you tried looking at/fixing so far?
I'm still playin with the fuel system in my truck. As I said, there clearly seemed to be a leak, whether it's the regulator, the check valve, or the injectors is where I started to get confused. I understand the basic idea of diagnosing this leak by cutting off the flow through the return and/or supply lines, but when I pinched off the flow through the return line to eliminate the regulator as the problem, since I saw no fuel in it's vacuum line, the pressure shot up to 80 or 90 psi when I re-pressurized the system by turning the key. I didn't expect that to happen, so I didn't really know how to continue.
Now with the pumps 87 XLT... Well the return line runs right past the pump in the frame rail, but I'd think that both pumps have the check ball valve in them to prevent backwards flow through them.
Oh and one more thing.... had chinese for dinner tonight. And my fortune cookie said: Now is the time to try something new.
My truck has always had a power issue as I mentioned before. It seemed like if I drove it a decent distance it would lose power and have an "empty" feeling when I pressed the gas. Almost like it was running on fumes. Now that we know it is likely to have something to do with the closed loop cycles I'd be willing to bet that is when the "empty" feeling started. Unfortunately I am a broke college student and don't have access to as many tools as I used to so my research into the problem is minimal. The first time it ever actually died on me and had to cool off before it would run again was just the other day after I changed my oil. It did the same thing on me again today making that the second time it has happened to me thus far. The only real attempted fix I've really tried is running fuel additives like injector cleaners or octane boosters almost every other tank or so. This was an attempt to clear the possibly clogged injectors which I knew was a possible suspect of my power loss issue. Now I have a much worse problem and it seems they are connected. Hope this helps.
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You've found the right place for your Ford truck questions. The guys here are real knowledgable and collaborate their answers with you great advise.
