I have a 1994 Ford Ranger 3.0 V6. I was driving home when I was coming up a hill and I pressed the gas and there was no response. the engine just died. Where do I start for a look at what to fix?

 

Need to check for fuel and spark.

 

I had the truck towed to the house and I want outside about an hour later and it ran just like normal. It seems to have no power when the weather get hot. Is there a sensor of some sort that I have missed. I have replaced the plugs, wires, O2 sensors, fuel pump, fuel filter, EGR valve, MAF, catalytic converter & now I am at a point where I dont know what else to check. The check engine light did come on yesterday and when I pulled the codes it said it was the O2 sensors but I had them repplaced in August 2011. Any other ideas would be great.

 

We need more info & some historical answers to help us make a better trouble shooting guess.

Is this the same truck & problem you were having last August on this thread????? https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-cuts-off.html

If so, did you find & fix your PCV plumbing vacuum leak you posted about on that thread??? If the problem was corrected, what did you do to fix it????

Is this the same problem or a new one????

Might be helpful if you would post All trouble code Numbers, as they can offer up good trouble shooting clues????

Were all those parts you replaced bad, or were you just tossing new parts at the problem & hoping for a positive result????

 

It is the same truck that I had last year. I fixed the vacuum leak and most of the other items were fixed by a mechanic as he said that they were the problem. This the first time that I actually had the check engine light to come on and it registered codes 172 and 176. When it died on me the this time I was coming up a hill and I had my foot on the gas and nothing would happen. The truck cooled off and started just like there was nothing ever wrong. Thats the puzzling part is it happened when the weather was about 90 degrees outside.

 

OK good feedback & the codes you posted may offer up a good clue.

Is this a flex fuel 3.0L, if so, look to the flex fuel sensor, as the 176 code suggests it, or its electrical circuit/connector, pins or sockets/wires have a problem, as its causing an overly rich air/fuel ratio, (the 172 code).

 

It is not a flex fuel 3.0. It is a 1994 Ford Ranger 3.0 V6. I have seen where I could take the MAF and it should run fine. Would this harm anything?

 

That sounds like a "stellar" idea. Let us know how that works for you.

 

Well I'm not clear, if this isn't a flex fuel 3.0L vulcan engine, are you certain about the P0176 trouble code, which is for the flex fuel engines ethanol sensor????

You could try disconnecting the MAF sensor & see if it'll run & not stall. With the MAF sensor disconnected, it'll revert to the programmed in limp home mode & set an MAF sensor code.

 

These codes are on OBD1.

 

WOOOPS, thanks for waking me up, yet another senior moment, Now I finally see we're talking about OBD-1 codes that are for a lean condition on both cyl banks.

Lots of suspects, but with the operating clues you've given & codes you have, it seems to me that fuel delivery belongs high up on your suspect list.

SO, maybe begin with a fuel pressure & delivery rate check. If they aren't up to spec, have a look at the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail & make sure the return line to the fuel tank is clear. Edit: If delivery rate is down, look to a clogged fuel filter.

If all thats ok, maybe try swapping out the under hood fuel pump power relay with a like one not needed to run the engine, say the A/C power relay & see how it goes.

If still no joy, set up to monitor fuel pressure with a gauge & timing light to monitor spark, all visable from the cab & operate the engine until it quits, to see which is going missing, to help narrow the trouble shoot down.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how it goes.

 

This is a new situation...different truck in CA. Wiggling engine computer harness L and R in driver side firewall location of engine compartment of my 1994 3.0 V Ranger causes engine to either idle smoother (R) or stall (L). Engine has been extensively scoped and pressure checked for fuel and electrical and everything checks out with out deviation except it is dirty at idle and has a sporadic miss at idle. However, mechanic found this computer harness condition and says I may need to replace the computer. my question is is this computer internally or externally grounded? In either case is a sporadic ground of the computer my problem.
Note: harness hold-in bolt sheared when trying to remove, but might be removed if/when computer is removed because 1/4 in of sheared bolt shaft is sticking out from computer. Will dirt, grease, or moisture in the computer, or on the external case or pin connectors cause a sporadic ground that causes the occasional miss at idle due to sporadic ground of the Computer case? Will removing, then cleaning the outer computer case and connectors, and looking inside for corrosion or similar that can be removed make any difference? Truck will not pass smog until this is fixed. I have located a new computer for under $500 but wonder if computer serviceable by cleaning using cleaning process described

 

Welcome to FTE.

Given the vintage of the vehicle, try cleaning the body to engine & battery ground connections, or add a temporary ground jumper wire from the computer case back to the battery & see how things go.
From your description of what the Tech found when wiggling the computer wiring harness, it may be a broken wire, poor connector pin crimp, bent pin/spread socket, or if your lucky, maybe just some pin/socket corrosion that can be cleaned up, once you get the computer connector loose.
Let us know what you find.