Hey guys, I have a recently purchased 2000 ford ranger 4X4 with approx. 130,000 miles on a 3.0L. When I bought the truck, it was running rough while in gear at idle, after first putting it in gear, and when coming to stops, then it quit running all together. I started by replacing plugs, wires, and ignition module. I finally got it to fire up after that, but instantly noticed the tell tale white smoke from the exhaust. Needless to say, my oil looked like chocolate milk. Rather than having the heads machined and checked, I opted to purchase a new set of cylinder heads from Dover cylinder head. I got those on this week and she fired right up. After a few oil changes to eliminate the residual coolant from the oil passages, she still starts and runs fine, although the idle is a bit rough while in park. When I place it in gear the idle gets a little rougher. After a quick trip down the road, I'm noticing a pretty solid shudder when coming to a stop, almost like it's stuck in 2nd gear, but I can't really tell for sure. Seems to shift fine going up through the gears, but coming down is when the issue is.

I believe I'm dealing with two seperate issues, one being the rough idle upon startup that doesn't seem to go away, and two being the rougher idle upon stopping. Can someone point me in the right direction for a good diagnosis? I've read everything from EGR valve, idle air control valve, low fuel pressure, and a laundry list of other things, and I just don't want to start throwing money away chasing my tail.

Thanks in advance.

 

Might I also add that I do not have a check engine light on now or prior to the head gasket failure.

 

Not many ranger guys here huh?

 

I wouldn't toss money at it either.

First I would see if the computer has any codes on it. It doesn't have to throw a CEL to have diag or warning codes stored on it.

2nd you didn't say so I'll mention them - make sure you have a clean fuel filter, air filter, and the plugs aren't fouled. Also I'd disconnect the battery to reset everything.

That's all the cheap and easy should be done type stuff. After that, and only after that would I start worrying about component replacing.

But in the end it may just be a monster vacuum leak or one of the connectors wasn't put back on - there are plenty of them under that hood.

edit: Just for kicks - it really sounds like a DPFE sensor. But test first.

 

hey bud, im having similar idle issues. there a known tsb on this website for the connector c309 under the drivers seat, and through the floor, they get water in and can cause a multitude of thing including rough idle.
another thing to check regarding the trying to stall when coming to a stop is the temp sensor. if you look at the front center you will see there a temp sensor with a single wire, and just behind it theres another with 2 wires, the resistance should get lower as it gets hotter, and the pcm uses this info in the calculation for the tcc. hope this helps.