87 Ranger XLT 2.9L Efficiency
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87 Ranger XLT 2.9L Efficiency
Aloha all,
I have an 87 Ranger XLT, 2.9L V6, automaticw/OD, 2wd, 132k miles. Its ugly as heck but reliable. I admit to not maintaining it much, just the fluids and brake pads. Anyhow, here's the problems I've been having:
1) I drive on a pretty flat 40-mile rock, almost all City driving, and mileage is horrible. 13-16! There are times its running REALLY rich and you can smell the sour-eggs half a block away, other times nothing. I parked next to a lady's house and when I started up, left a fine black gunk spray on her wall (oops), so there is some caty or oil or water bleed going on here.
2) The yellow EMISS light is coming on at startup about every two dozen times, once it stayed on a whole trip otherwise winks off like seatbelt buzzer. Could be related to problem 1. I have never seen a Check Engine light, and need to know how to pull KOEO tests.
3) The idle stutter - Im a pretty smooth driver not flooring it, but I carry over-loads a lot (1000-1500 pounds in a 1000 pound truck). Anyhow, the problem is: I can go all day, but when I stop at a stoplight for more than a minute, and my normal idle of 900 drops to 500 and then fluctuates wildly back and forth. I have to keep my foot on the gas, to level it out at 1000 or it will stall. Being hot or cold doesn't matter. Grade of gas doesn't matter. I don't think the damage is transmission/gears kind of thing, but rather engine.
4) The acceleration stutter - Again I don't goose it for fun, it's a work truck. But after the engine gets warm (50+ miles) it starts to go from a stoplight, engine 'bogs down' for about 2 seconds, then it picks up and ROARS ahead full steam, under load or not (so I KNOW it has the power!). By the way I'm pushing the gas moderately through this, not pumping it or flooring it.
If I keep driving in heavy traffic, the idle and acceleration stutters get worse, and it will just quit. The ONLY thing I can do is wait about 10 minutes and restart it, it simply will not spark once it gets to a certain point. While towing a Lincoln Continental 60 miles, I had to stop for 5 times @ 15 minutes each. This is really, really making me mad. Because coolant, oil, everything is warm but not HOT when it shuts off. My coolant has NEVER boiled and is 50/50 antifreeze, more than you need in permaent tropical 80-degree weather.
Towing the Lincoln or not taking over-loads is not an option. I run a food charity on a volunteer basis and there's almost a hundred tons a month to move with no budget. One of these days we'll get a grant and buy a F-250 Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel stakebed (drools). Till then, any suggestions?
I have an 87 Ranger XLT, 2.9L V6, automaticw/OD, 2wd, 132k miles. Its ugly as heck but reliable. I admit to not maintaining it much, just the fluids and brake pads. Anyhow, here's the problems I've been having:
1) I drive on a pretty flat 40-mile rock, almost all City driving, and mileage is horrible. 13-16! There are times its running REALLY rich and you can smell the sour-eggs half a block away, other times nothing. I parked next to a lady's house and when I started up, left a fine black gunk spray on her wall (oops), so there is some caty or oil or water bleed going on here.
2) The yellow EMISS light is coming on at startup about every two dozen times, once it stayed on a whole trip otherwise winks off like seatbelt buzzer. Could be related to problem 1. I have never seen a Check Engine light, and need to know how to pull KOEO tests.
3) The idle stutter - Im a pretty smooth driver not flooring it, but I carry over-loads a lot (1000-1500 pounds in a 1000 pound truck). Anyhow, the problem is: I can go all day, but when I stop at a stoplight for more than a minute, and my normal idle of 900 drops to 500 and then fluctuates wildly back and forth. I have to keep my foot on the gas, to level it out at 1000 or it will stall. Being hot or cold doesn't matter. Grade of gas doesn't matter. I don't think the damage is transmission/gears kind of thing, but rather engine.
4) The acceleration stutter - Again I don't goose it for fun, it's a work truck. But after the engine gets warm (50+ miles) it starts to go from a stoplight, engine 'bogs down' for about 2 seconds, then it picks up and ROARS ahead full steam, under load or not (so I KNOW it has the power!). By the way I'm pushing the gas moderately through this, not pumping it or flooring it.
If I keep driving in heavy traffic, the idle and acceleration stutters get worse, and it will just quit. The ONLY thing I can do is wait about 10 minutes and restart it, it simply will not spark once it gets to a certain point. While towing a Lincoln Continental 60 miles, I had to stop for 5 times @ 15 minutes each. This is really, really making me mad. Because coolant, oil, everything is warm but not HOT when it shuts off. My coolant has NEVER boiled and is 50/50 antifreeze, more than you need in permaent tropical 80-degree weather.
Towing the Lincoln or not taking over-loads is not an option. I run a food charity on a volunteer basis and there's almost a hundred tons a month to move with no budget. One of these days we'll get a grant and buy a F-250 Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel stakebed (drools). Till then, any suggestions?
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,387
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1. does the cat ever get cherry red hot?
3. pull the codes. could be IAC or EGR related.
4. could be caused by #3.
to pull the codes, check out the thread at the top of this forum and click on pulling eec iv codes about half way down.
3. pull the codes. could be IAC or EGR related.
4. could be caused by #3.
to pull the codes, check out the thread at the top of this forum and click on pulling eec iv codes about half way down.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 161,999
Likes: 75
From: 3rd Rock
Originally Posted by FlyinJawaiian
Aloha all,
I have an 87 Ranger XLT, 2.9L V6, automaticw/OD, 2wd, 132k miles. Its ugly as heck but reliable. I admit to not maintaining it much, just the fluids and brake pads. Anyhow, here's the problems I've been having:
1) I drive on a pretty flat 40-mile rock, almost all City driving, and mileage is horrible. 13-16! There are times its running REALLY rich and you can smell the sour-eggs half a block away, other times nothing. I parked next to a lady's house and when I started up, left a fine black gunk spray on her wall (oops), so there is some caty or oil or water bleed going on here.
2) The yellow EMISS light is coming on at startup about every two dozen times, once it stayed on a whole trip otherwise winks off like seatbelt buzzer. Could be related to problem 1. I have never seen a Check Engine light, and need to know how to pull KOEO tests.
3) The idle stutter - Im a pretty smooth driver not flooring it, but I carry over-loads a lot (1000-1500 pounds in a 1000 pound truck). Anyhow, the problem is: I can go all day, but when I stop at a stoplight for more than a minute, and my normal idle of 900 drops to 500 and then fluctuates wildly back and forth. I have to keep my foot on the gas, to level it out at 1000 or it will stall. Being hot or cold doesn't matter. Grade of gas doesn't matter. I don't think the damage is transmission/gears kind of thing, but rather engine.
4) The acceleration stutter - Again I don't goose it for fun, it's a work truck. But after the engine gets warm (50+ miles) it starts to go from a stoplight, engine 'bogs down' for about 2 seconds, then it picks up and ROARS ahead full steam, under load or not (so I KNOW it has the power!). By the way I'm pushing the gas moderately through this, not pumping it or flooring it.
If I keep driving in heavy traffic, the idle and acceleration stutters get worse, and it will just quit. The ONLY thing I can do is wait about 10 minutes and restart it, it simply will not spark once it gets to a certain point. While towing a Lincoln Continental 60 miles, I had to stop for 5 times @ 15 minutes each. This is really, (SNIP)Because coolant, oil, everything is warm but not HOT when it shuts off. My coolant has NEVER boiled and is 50/50 antifreeze, more than you need in permaent tropical 80-degree weather.
Towing the Lincoln or not taking over-loads is not an option. I run a food charity on a volunteer basis and there's almost a hundred tons a month to move with no budget. One of these days we'll get a grant and buy a F-250 Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel stakebed (drools). Till then, any suggestions?
I have an 87 Ranger XLT, 2.9L V6, automaticw/OD, 2wd, 132k miles. Its ugly as heck but reliable. I admit to not maintaining it much, just the fluids and brake pads. Anyhow, here's the problems I've been having:
1) I drive on a pretty flat 40-mile rock, almost all City driving, and mileage is horrible. 13-16! There are times its running REALLY rich and you can smell the sour-eggs half a block away, other times nothing. I parked next to a lady's house and when I started up, left a fine black gunk spray on her wall (oops), so there is some caty or oil or water bleed going on here.
2) The yellow EMISS light is coming on at startup about every two dozen times, once it stayed on a whole trip otherwise winks off like seatbelt buzzer. Could be related to problem 1. I have never seen a Check Engine light, and need to know how to pull KOEO tests.
3) The idle stutter - Im a pretty smooth driver not flooring it, but I carry over-loads a lot (1000-1500 pounds in a 1000 pound truck). Anyhow, the problem is: I can go all day, but when I stop at a stoplight for more than a minute, and my normal idle of 900 drops to 500 and then fluctuates wildly back and forth. I have to keep my foot on the gas, to level it out at 1000 or it will stall. Being hot or cold doesn't matter. Grade of gas doesn't matter. I don't think the damage is transmission/gears kind of thing, but rather engine.
4) The acceleration stutter - Again I don't goose it for fun, it's a work truck. But after the engine gets warm (50+ miles) it starts to go from a stoplight, engine 'bogs down' for about 2 seconds, then it picks up and ROARS ahead full steam, under load or not (so I KNOW it has the power!). By the way I'm pushing the gas moderately through this, not pumping it or flooring it.
If I keep driving in heavy traffic, the idle and acceleration stutters get worse, and it will just quit. The ONLY thing I can do is wait about 10 minutes and restart it, it simply will not spark once it gets to a certain point. While towing a Lincoln Continental 60 miles, I had to stop for 5 times @ 15 minutes each. This is really, (SNIP)Because coolant, oil, everything is warm but not HOT when it shuts off. My coolant has NEVER boiled and is 50/50 antifreeze, more than you need in permaent tropical 80-degree weather.
Towing the Lincoln or not taking over-loads is not an option. I run a food charity on a volunteer basis and there's almost a hundred tons a month to move with no budget. One of these days we'll get a grant and buy a F-250 Super Duty Power Stroke Diesel stakebed (drools). Till then, any suggestions?
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