Been working on this truck for a while, new coil, plugs wires, MAF sensor, TPS, O2 sensors. just had a new muffler put on, i had to wait for the front pipe to come in, so i just got it back from the shop and he tells me that it is running lean. showed me the new muffler and it was grey, like ashy looking he said it was probably glowing and it must be running lean. I'll be playing again tomorrow. changing T-Stat, looking for vacuum leaks. probably check the fuel pressure.

any more ideas as to what causes it to run lean? It was running ok, then i put a new battery in it and it ran good, then on my way to work it started chugging and could hardly run unless it was floored. then it ran smooth, this would make me think fuel pressure regulator.

 

While you're checking for vacuum leaks, be sure to check the intake tube. Make sure there are no cracks or any leaks that bypass the MAF at the intake tube connections.

Have you reset the PCM or did you replace the battery after all the work you've done (which should have reset it)?

Did you check your alternator when you put in a new battery?

 

i have not re set the codes since the O2 sensors were replaced. I replaced the battery then went to work the next day and thats when it started chugging and running so bad that i brought it back home. then it went to the exhaust shop for a new Y pipe and i had 2 new O2 sensors put in. when i picked it up he showed me the discoloration of the new muffler and pipe which was put on 2 weeks before. he said it was running lean, i'm thinking it would be running rich. the alternator is new within the past year too.

 

Scan for trouble codes & post up All trouble code Numbers, as they can offer up good trouble shooting clues. You might also post up the old codes you have.
If you have a scantool that'll hook up & monitor live PID feeds, do that & drive it until it acts out & have a look at fuel trim on both cyl banks, ect & see what it suggests.
Hook up your fuel pressure gauge to the fuel rail schrader valve test port & post the KOEO & KOER numbers.
If you don't have, or can't come by a fuel pressure gauge, remove the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line & see if its wet inside with fuel, if so, replace the FPR. While there, make sure the return line to the tank is flowing unrestricted, isn't crimped, kinked, ect. If its time, or past time, replace the fuel filter. More thoughts for consideration, let us know what you find.

 

replaced the t-stat this morning, then cleared all the codes then went for a ride. the temp on the gage is closer to normal, i also replace both coolant temp sensors. at idle it was pretty rough, then it would clear up and run smooth. if i revved it up it would idle down and run rough, then smooth again. during the ride it started off good, but still sluggish but smoother. then it happened again. chugging, choking, could only go 35 mph. then it cleared up again and i made it home like nothing happened, however its always sluggish unless i really push it. got home and checked the codes. i'm getting 173, and 176 now. new O2 sensors no exhaust leaks.

 

P0173 = rich bank-1, P0176 = lean bank-2, so maybe have a look at fuel injector problems, IF you got the exhaust manifold leak fixed????
Here is a link to your original vehicle resurrection thread, so others can see what problems you were having & what you've done up to this point. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...93-ranger.html

 

I'm headed in that direction. i'm taking the plugs out tomorrow maybe that will give me a better idea of whats going on too. I started looking at injectors tonight after i checked the fuel pressure regulator. that appears to be working fine. i did notice that at idle, it ran the smoothest at 30psi. when it went to 33 psi it was really rough. when i unplugged the vacuum hose to the regulator the pressure went up to 39 as my haynes book says it should go up. i noticed while digging around that some of the injectors have a very noticeable tick while some were faint. cylinder 1 was barely making a noise, but 2 was pretty loud. when touching the #1 injector i couldnt even feel it tick but then it ticked faintly. i put in some fuel injector cleaner and seafoam in the vacuum hose, let it sit and then went for a drive. at first i thought success! but no. after i got back i had codes 10, 121,173, 176. so how hard is it to remove the intake and change the injectors. thinking if i do it i should replace them all while i'm in there.

 

The P0121 says that there is a TPS problem, its voltage is out of self test range & not consistent with the MAF sensor readings.

On the fuel injectors, I'd maybe consider a direct injection cleaner product, via the fuel rail Schrader valve test port & see how it goes. If you don't want to spend the money for that, maybe consider a 20oz dose of Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus, in the tank at the pump, before filling up with Chevron, Texaco, Caltex, or now Shell, all of which have some PEA in their fuel ad pack, so the 20oz will raise the PEA treat rate 10X above pump gas alone & may be able to make a noticeable difference after one tank, it'll just take some time to find out, but is way less expensive than the fuel rail feed product. If you clean the injectors with the fuel rail injected product, you'll want to change the oil & filter afterward.

 

i used the Techron injector cleaner. if it does not help i'll look at getting a kit. injectors on rockauto are 39 bucks a piece, replacing could get costly.

 

Injectors rarely go bad. You can have yours cleaned instead of buying from Rock Auto. I think I pay about $24 each for cleaning, and it includes new o-rings, pintle caps and filter baskets. They are flow tested and patterned before and after cleaning and tested electrically. When I get them back, they all flow very close to the same. So, you save about $100 having yours cleaned compared to buying a set. The labor is the same. Something to think about if you decide to go after the injectors.

 

I pulled all of the plugs this morning.

all of the plugs on bank 1 look like this:




while all of the plugs on bank 2 look like this:




Not sure where that puts me, but thats what i got.

 

Good idea to post up the plug read photos.
Your definition of Bank-2 plug, shows a really rich fuel/air ratio/black deposits on the plug, maybe an O2 sensor problem on that cyl bank, or a manifold leak that's corrupting the O2 sensors PID voltage to the computer & causing the computer to corrupt fuel trim for that cyl bank.
Bank-1 plug read shows its running lean/no color on the insulator but not enough to blister the ceramic insulator. This cyl bank is running lean. Maybe also an O2 sensor problem, or vacuum leak that's affecting just that cyl bank, but that's difficult to imagine how that could be.
Cyl Bank-1 is the Passenger side, Cyl Bank-2 is the Drivers side, so the plug read seems to be the opposite of what the trouble codes suggest plug deposits might be expected, given your cyl bank numbers id. SO, are you certain you got the correct plug in each photo, or are defining bank-1 & 2 incorrectly????
Have you fixed the exhaust manifold leak yet. if not, it can corrupt the upstream O2 sensors PID voltage readings to the computer & that can cause the computer to corrupt fuel trim for that cyl bank, as has been suggested earlier.

 

the plugs are from the correct bank. bank 1, passenger side, light plugs. bank 2, driver side, dark sooty plugs.

I know, its almost like its backwards somehow.

the exhaust leaks are fixed. it has new O2 sensors on.

I am about ready to replace the injectors.

I did notice that the #2 bank the injectors were loud and very noticeable tick. bank 1 was pretty faint. I let it idle for a while and unplugged one of the injectors on bank 1 and didnt notice a change at all. plugged it in and nothing different either. I wonder if its not closing and still putting gas into the cylinder? the computer says thats the rich side, but the plugs do not look like a rich condition to me.

went for another ride and can barely get out of its own way. rev it up in the driveway and it sounds great. it does chug sometimes if let sit, then it smooths out and runs great. while doing the fuel pressure check yesterday i noticed that when it started running rough, the fuel pressure went up. when it smoothed out the pressure went down. I wonder if that shows that one of the injectors were not opening, causing a pressure rise, then when it started opening again the pressure dropped and it smoothed out because the cylinder started firing.

still confused by the one side rich one side lean issue. both banks get the same air, and fuel. the difference would be the injectors right? but why would all 3 on each side have the same look if it was the injectors. unless the bank 1 injectors are not getting good signal? not too sure how they work. i was looking for a loose or bad ground. I always got rich/lean codes since i had it, but it started doing this really bad after i put in the new battery so i thought something got moved or disconnected or something but everything looks normal.

I'd hate to think it is the injectors, go though all the work and money to change them, just to have it run the same.

 

OK good, so we're singing from the same hymnal on which cyl bank is #1 & #2.
SO, maybe things are as supposed above, as an exhaust manifold leak that's upstream of the bank-1 O2 sensor, could have been causing it to report a lean condition to the computer & the computer not knowing the bank-1 O2 sensor PID is corrupt from the exhaust manifold leak, will have the bank-1 fuel injectors squirt longer, to enrich the air/fuel ratio that it in error thinks is too lean & that extra squirt time is really causing an over rich bank-1 condition in all cyls, thus the extra carbon deposits on the bank-1 spark plugs.

The lean look of the bank-2/drivers side plugs could have been caused by the dirty MAF sensor, as being dirty would have it be slow to respond to changing/increasing air flow as you opened the throttle. So fuel trim would be behind where it needed to be & the engine power on that cyl bank would be lean & wimpy, causing the engine power to drop as you opened the throttle. Being lean more often, the cyls & plugs on bank-2 would run hotter & the plugs would be cleaner.

Seeing as how you say the exhaust leak is now fixed & you say the TPS, MAF & O2 sensors have been replaced & maybe now the plugs, have/did you disconnect the battery B- cable, to wipe the stored trouble codes, wipe the corrupt fuel trim tables & the corrupt cold & warm idle strategy, stored in KAM, to let the computer know repairs have been made, so it can begin to build new fuel trim tables with the new parts in place. Then then to prevent driveability problems, perform a new cold & warm base idle strategy relearn routine, as outlined here???? Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - View Single Post - high idle problem

After doing that, rescan the computer to see if any codes remain & post Any pending, or set code Number clues found.

 

OK, heres where it stands as of right now. I put in 2 bottles of techron yesterday. since i have narrowed it down to the injectors i was about to bite the bullet and order a set and i thought i really havent given the techron a chance to work. so, since i could tell the Lions were going to let this game slip away, i thought l'd put some miles on it. things started out with chugging, hesitation, not running well at all. so i just kept pushing it. basically had to drive with it floored a lot of the time. then slowly it started getting better so i drove it in 4th gear at 60-65 to keep the rpms up. it kept getting better. I did get home and disconnect the battery. i went and bought some more techron for my next tank because it's on sale at advance. i was pretty pleased with how it was running when i got home. the codes are cleared. so i'll see what happens tomorrow on my way to work. I'll let you know. hopefully this is the last of it haha.