Runaway Ranger
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Runaway Ranger
I have a 2000 ranger with 16000 actual mile. It has a 4 cylinder with a 5 speed transmission. When I began to slow down and take my foot off the accelerator and push in the clutch the engine really speeds up instead of dropping to idell. I can use high gear to choke the engin down to idell and it's fine until the next time I start to slow down. It does this in each gear. Any ideas?
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Joined: Jul 2004
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Sounds like the throtle cable/ butterfly valve is gummed up (i.e. sluggish). If you are cruising at speed and let off the accelerator for a while and then push in the clutch, does it do the same thing. If the cable/butterfly valve is gummed up and is reacting slowly, then when you have the throttle open and let the clutch out the engine speed would climb really high before the throttle pulled back to idle. You wouldn't notice it when accelerating because its opened by the power of your foot (very powerful, resistance means nothing), whereas it is closed by a small spring (not so powerful, resistance is everything). As to the cause or how to fix it...your guess is as good as mine (Personally, I'd just tool around). Somebody else will have to field that one.
-Daniel
-Daniel
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: SoCal
Take a quick look at what Daiel mentioned & if thats ok try clicking on Recalls/TSB's. If I remember correctly there is some sort of a wiring problem with the throttle position sensor that can cause this.
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I checked the cable/butterfly today. It is not gummed up. It moves freely and closes up solid. I checked the Recalls/TSB's link. There is 171 in all. Seems like alot. Anyway, I did not see any that looked very promising. Nothing about the trottle position sensor. It looks like they want about 40.00 dollars to look at them. As far as the rpm's it speeds up to, I varies each time. It may not do it at all or it may go really high. Not tach so I would just have to guess. It seems to be related to the engines speed when I remove my foot from the throttle and depress the clutch.
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Really dumb question, but you are taking you foot all the way off the gas right? I know I said it was dumb, but it sounds like something I could do and not think about conciously. I'm really not trying to be offensive here, but sometimes the simplest explanations are the best.
I had an '02 2.3L ranger that would kinda do the same thing. If I had the gas peddle mashed down and quick let off the gas and the clutch the engine would still climb quite a bit because the engine was still reacting to the delated decrease in input from the throttle and all of the load was immediately removed from the engine. Could be the way that you're shifting too. I know mine stopped doing that when I let off the gas a little bit before I shifted and stopped trying to drive the thing like a race car. This may not be the case for you though, just throwing ideas out there.
I had an '02 2.3L ranger that would kinda do the same thing. If I had the gas peddle mashed down and quick let off the gas and the clutch the engine would still climb quite a bit because the engine was still reacting to the delated decrease in input from the throttle and all of the load was immediately removed from the engine. Could be the way that you're shifting too. I know mine stopped doing that when I let off the gas a little bit before I shifted and stopped trying to drive the thing like a race car. This may not be the case for you though, just throwing ideas out there.
Last edited by ichthusrulz; Jul 6, 2004 at 11:22 AM.
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No offense taken, I appreciate all the help. In your example I think your engine would return to idel in a couple of seconds, am I right? Mine will not. I must use the clutch to choke it down and then it will remain at idel until I need to speed up and slow down again. The truck has done this since it was new. My grandpaw who was 86 years old at the time bought the truck new. In the beginning it only did it maby once or twice a month. He did carry it back to the dealer. I don't know what they did, I think they more or less gave him the brushoff, but I don't think they helped it any. He died back in November and left the truck to me. It has gotten much worse. Now it does it almost every time I shift. I have notice lately that sometimes when I choke it down I have to do it twice, it dont want to stay down. I may have to carry it to a dealer, I was hoping someone here may have been through this before.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: central ohio
well here is my 2c, i had a high idle problem once with a 88 ranger 2.3 4 cyl, and it turned out to be a bad vacuum leak. on this motor the p.c.v. valve is between 2 peices of hose, the top hose going to the manifold wasnt all the way on the p.c.v. vave and the large vacuum leak caused it to rev to around 2,000 rpm. this happend at a dealership. i took it in for tierod replacement and alignment and i had a major oil leak that i thought was a cam seal. i had just rebiult the motor and it was running fine when i took it in. i was really surprized to get it back that way, it roared, and they didnt mention a thing about it. (turns out my oil leak was from the valve cover gasket, my bad) of course your motor may be set up differrntly, but its worth checking into. Dave
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