Hi everyone, brand new member. First time posting, but Ford truck enthusiasts has helped me with other problems in the past.

I'm having a problem with my 2003 ranger with the 2.3L 16 valve engine. It starts and runs fine in park, but as soon as I shift it into reverse or drive, it begins to run at a very low RPM, have misfires and absolutely no power. It also has some weird things going on in the instrument cluster; the 'OD OFF' light flashing on the dash, even though the OD is engaged. the check engine light is on, the charging system warning light is flashing on and off, and the battery voltage gauge is jumping up ad down. If I press down on the accelerator when it is in park, it will rev up normally, but if I do the same in R or D nothing happens, and it continues to misfire at a very low RPM.

I've already checked all the fuses and relays and they seem to be normal. I've cleaned / inspected the battery cables and terminals and they are good. I've already called the service desk at the dealer and of course they could give me no help over the phone, and the earliest they would be able to take a look at it would be in a week or so...

Please let me know if you guys have had this kind or issue in the past, and what you did to fix it.

 

Welcome to FTE.
How many miles on this puppy?
Did the problem come about suddenly after some event, or have you been having problems for some time?
You may have more than one problem & with the CEL on, the OD light flashing & the volt meter acting out, it suggests trouble codes are stored in the engine & tranny computer/controllers, so borrow, or come by a ELM scan tool & run FORScan, or the like software on the viewing device of your choice as discussed here https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-scantool.html & have it scan all of the vehicle computer/controllers for trouble code clues & post All code Numbers, as they can help focus your trouble shoot. Some thoughts for consideration, let us know what you find.

 

This rig has 165xxx miles on it.
These problems came about suddenly and out of the blue. I drove to the next town over (about 20 miles or so, with no problem), parked for a couple hours, and then when I left to go home it started having problems. I finally got home, and for the next week or so it ran as good as before. But then it started having problems again yesterday, so I'm looking for a solution (hopefully quick and cheap).

I will do some looking around for a scan tool and update this thread with what I find out.

Thanks for the guidance

 

Ok good feedback on mileage & the problem coming about suddenly. With that mileage the alternator output belongs on your suspect list while you come by a good scan tool to take an in depth look for trouble code clues.
Good idea to have checked the battery cable connections, fuses & relays. Did you also check Both battery cable connections on the other ends & the body to engine ground strap? All of these connections must be clean, bright & tight, lest we suffer under load voltage drop woes.
The problem beginning suddenly & being intermittent smacks of a connection problem, so continue checking the power connection basics by having a close look at the other ends of the battery cables. I once had a problem that was caused by a out of sight faulty B+ battery cable connection between the lug & wire strands. The problem was out of sight under the insulation. Cable looked fine on the outside but corrosion between the wire strands & the lug caused under load voltage drop, so use your multi-meter to perform under load voltage drop tests on the Both battery cable connections on Both ends & along their end to end runs. If your not familiar with how to perform a voltage drop test, look in the Battery Tutorial sticky atop this forum thread index page for a link on how to do it.
When you checked the fuses & relays, did you also look for corrosion on their contacts?
Have you tried swapping the computer power relay for a like known good one, say the A/C power relay, as internal relay contacts are a known common problem part on our Rangers.
Did you have a look at the tranny neutral start switch & it's wiring, as a problem there can caused reported strange happenings. It's on the drivers side of the tranny, back about where our foot hits the ground when we get out. The switch, it's mechanical & electrical connections & wiring are exposed there.
More thoughts for more things to check while you come by a scan tool, Let us know what you find.

 

I had not initially checked the other ends of the battery cables or the body/engine ground strap, but I have now checked them visually and with my multi-meter and they are in good shape. I did check the contacts on the fuses & relays, they are corrosion free and I have swapped the PCM relay with the relay from the starter, and still no change. I hadn't looked at the neutral switch on the trans yet, but I will crawl down there and give it a look, good suggestion.

So the problem has changed slightly now, the charging system warning light is no longer flashing, and the battery voltage gauge is steady at its normal range. However now I keep blowing the 20 amp fuse for the Heated Oxygen Sensors. Still has the other dash lights flashing with a rough misfire idle and no power.

I can't seem to find a scan tool to borrow, so I might just buy one.
Are you still happy with the LYL WiFi ELM327 you bought?
Do all Ford vehicles have the same style OBD-2 DLC ? I'm wondering if I could use the same scanning tool on '97 - '08 F-150's and/or crown vic's?

 

I would suggest that you have a wiring problem for the heating element of the O2 sensor, or the heater element itself is shorted, causing the fuse to fail. Look in the owners manual to insure there are no other loads on that fuse causing it to blow, inspect the wire for chafing against bare metal or cut/damaged insulation.
The scan tool should work for all vehicles that are OBD-II equipped, which should include all 1996 & up model years. (and some earlier if they ran out of OBD-I parts at the tail end of the model year)
Shifting into R or D positions will make the engine move a bit on its mounts in response to torque, which may be moving the O2 wire into new and different positions. The wires for the charging system, engine controls, and sensors also move a bit when shifting the transmission into a drive gear, so look for loose connections.

 

^+1, I like tomw's ideas.
Yes the OBD-2 connectors are the same, But the data coming out of the newer ones is different, so the scan tool & software we run on the viewing device of our choice must be able to process it. Read through all of the posts in the ELM link.
My LYL WiFi ELM scan tool, running FORScan has done all I've asked of it.
Don't know if it's still available from that seller, but Amazon seller BAFX in post 26, has been said by folks over on the TCCA forum & by FTE member corvairbob in post 31, to be a responsible vendor & back up their products. Not sure if they now sell, or would order you a WiFi model, or if your looking for a Bluetooth, or UHB corded equipped ELM, but ask them as FTE member corvairbob did, what they now offer & if it'll scan your older & newer CAN equipped vehicles.
The CAN systems in newer vehicles process more data & in a different way than the older OBD-2 vehicle computers did, so a WiFi, or Corded connection would likely be better able to process the increased data stream.
I wanted a cordless system that could run faster, process more data at a Greater distance, so that's why I opted for a WiFi model, rather than be physically limited by the length of USB umbilical cord, or slower data rate & receive distance of a Bluetooth system. So decide what you want to be able to do & choose the type of connection model ELM that best fits your needs & inquire of BAFX what they have that's proven to be the most reliable. They are reported on the Taurus Car Club (TCCA) & corvairbob to have good Tech support & back up what they sell.
Let us know what you do & how it goes.