[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-Feb-02 AT 10:57 PM (EST)]My "new to me" 84 ranger 109,000 miles, runs and starts great, even in below zero temps, but has a nasty "sputter zone" in the throttle, its right in the middle of the throttle band, it idles good and you floor it and it goes right through the rpms and even light throttle is fine but right about at half it sputters a bit - all the time. You give it a bit more throttle and its good again.

I have never driven a ranger 2.3 liter but it doesnt seem to have quite the floored responce I expected, it seens kind of slow. Im not a big speed freak, but it's like driving a Geo Metro, it does however cruise down the road at 60mph just fime but small hills you really have to get into the throttle. I had a oldsmobile that had a plugged cat and it would run good cold but, once warmed up it lost power, but it would still run down the road at 60mph, and this feels kind of like that but not the same, it doesn't loose power when warm. It sputters and my olds never sputtered it just lost power and still ran fine. Once the plugged cat was removed it had lots of snort. Maybe this is my problem?

Im going to change plugs and wires, I dont expect this to fix it but it never hurts to rule out the other easy stuff, rotor and cap look good.

I feel this is a carb problem, because it runs great but sputters in mid throttle, but would like a second opinion before I rebuild or replace it. I may pull the Cat off just to eliminate it from the equasion.

Thanks in advance
Jason Ebacher

 

If it does it around 1500-1800 rpm, then it's most likely the feedback crap on the carb. On the carb, driver's side towards the front is a "barrel" standing (hanging) on end with a connector coming out of it. Try unplugging this and see if it cures it, if it does, it's just running very lean in the name of better fuel mileage. Can't really help with the fix, ripped all that garbage off my '84 w/2.0 and gave it a free flowing exhaust-honest, the guts just fell out of the converter and clogged the muffler! Talk about lack of power at the time!
I only gained an average of 8 mpg around town with all the "mods".

One thought is to remove the top of the carb and adjust the needle up by turning the torx head screw on the linkage down a turn or three (this will hold the needle open slightly more allowing a little more fuel to pass thru the jet), this will richen up the mix at part throttle, low to mid rpm's but won't effect WOT or idle (the feedback crap might effect WOT in a bad way as well), I've also done this to mine but have an echo/expansion chamber of a converter. This may cause a slight to moderate loss of fuel mileage depending on how and where you drive (but it may also increase it if you don't have to open the throttle as far to hold speed and can do it with smoother pedal movement), this may also "overload" the feedback system which if hooked up and working correctly will fight to get the mixture back to were it thinks it should be (sputter, sputter) very lean. Good luck, mine has always been a very dependable, cheap-to-run tough little truck.

 

I put new plugs and wires on and then ran it without the air cleaner, and the during the mid throttle it was comming out te carb not sucking through the carb, looks as if the timing is a bit out of time or the advance is out of wack... The truck was running rich, the plugs were black soot covered..

I broke down and took it to a local shop, the get it timed and see if they see any thing else odd.. i will know in a few days what if anything they find..

Do you know of any after market carbs that would work well on the 2.3 liter ford engine, i assume there are some since this is the same motors they use for the 4cyl class of circle track racing.. at least up here in MN they do.

Thanks for the tips, I am going to give it to my shop to see if they get any ideas.

Thanks,
Jason