Hello. I bought my first vehicle the day after my 16th birthday, 7 years ago. I bought a 1994 Ford Ranger extended cab 2wd with 60,000 miles. I still have the car but I am having some trouble. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

1. The truck has trouble idling. I have used injector cleaner semi-regularly. What could this come from? Is it an injector problem, plugs, wires, etc? I have new wires as well as relatively new plugs (within the last couple years). I am thinking it might be an injector? Any way I can find this out? As soon as I step on the gas, it is fine. Maybe I could adjust the idle? Let me know what you all think. PS are injectors hard to change?

2. The heat does not come on. I am from MN and its cold here...lol and sometimes I get no heat. The engine warms up to normal operating temp, thermostat is set to the hottest setting, fan full blast, but no hot air, just 20 degree air? Help. Also, sometimes the fan doesn't come on at all. Is this an electronic issue. i believe all fuses are ok. what else could this be?

This is all for now. Thanks for your time.

 

the idling issue could be the IAC valve,it is pretty common with these vehicles,it is real easy to take off and clean with some carb cleaner.not sure about the heat issue(sorry)
but you will get some good advice from here shortly.good luck.

 

I agree that the idle issue sounds like the IAC. What engine do you have in the truck? Are you getting a check engine light?

As far as the heat, it could be a number of issues. First thing to check is get the engine warmed up fully, and see if the hoses that run to the heater core are getting hot. Check them both.

Also, you might want to check out the Technical Information sticky at the top of the Ranger forum- there's a lot of good info there, some of which may help you. And, if you don't have a repair manual of some kind, I'd suggest picking one up. The cheap ones aren't great, but still well worth what they cost.

 

I have the 3.0 v6, sorry, I should have put that on my post. No check engine light. I have no idea where/what the IAC valve is. Can anyone help or suggest a good repair manual to get? Thanks for the help. Let me know if anyone has more advice.

 

Well on the idle problem, given the vintage of this vehicle, seems to me it would also be a good idea to check ALL your vacuum lines too. Maybe even pulling the computer codes also.

A misbehaving IAC valve is a common problem as has been suggested, so placing it high on the suspect list is probably a good idea IMHO.

On the heater, no heat problem, if BOTH heater hoses aren't hot, suspect a flow problem through the heater core, maybe the bypass valve is acting up or the heater core is clogged. If you suspect it's clogged, you might be able to clear it with a BACK FLUSHING. (Flow water through the heater core, opposite the way it normally flows)

If both heater hoses are hot, then suspect a inside airduct "blend door" problem. This is a common one also.

As has been suggested, check the second red "Read First" "Technical Thread" atop this forums main page, for "how too's" on both of these problems & let us know how it goes.

On the heater fan not coming on sometimes, could be anyhing from a faulty switch, to a wiring or connector problem, to a faulty blower motor.

If you don't have a repair manual for your ride, check your favorite autoparts store, or local library for one, it'll likely pay for itself the first time or two you use it to repair something.

Also check out AutoZones repair section on their web site.

Let us know how it goes.

 

check the throttle body and upper intake for the IAC valve. check out the pic below as it will give you an idea of what it looks like. it may or may not look exactly like the one in the pic but pretty darn close.

 

excellent pic!!

 

More info is needed on the idle issue. Is it wandering/surging, too low/too high of a speed, only when hot/cold/both, etc. It *could* be an IAC issue but if not this extra info may prove helpful to us.

On your repair manual, I'd suggest avoiding (running away from) haynes and instead visiting ebay to find one of the *real* manuals on CD. They are much more comprehensive and detailed.

Pawpaw gave you excellent advice on the heater issue. These vintage climate control systems are very simple so there's not too many possible causes for problems. Also, does the intermittent fan happen on all settings or just high?

 

Wow. Thank you very much for the replies. As far as the idling problem, when I start the car, it runs fine for 2-3 minutes fine. Then it will seem like it is going to kill, then it will speed back up again, and just continue this cycle of almost killing itself back to normal idling speed. If I give it some constant gas, the cycle stops and it runs fine. When I get up to cruising speeds, either on side streets or hwy, the truck runs great. The problem also seems to go away after a while, but I am not 100% sure of this. I will have to drive it and get back with the correct information. Keep any suggestions coming. Thanks again! Chris<O</O

 

Bill's right, the Haynes manuals are crap. However, I still think they are better than nothing. Not much better, but if it's the best you've got...
Another thing to check might be whether your local library carries some manuals. My library has all the Chiltons manuals for the last 15 years or so in the basement (the big ones that cover every truck built for a 3-year period). They aren't much better than the Haynes, but sometimes between the two there is enough info for you to figure it out.

 

For minor stuff the Haynes is pretty good for a "newbie" to working on the vehicle.

Did cleaning the IAC do any good?

 

Regarding the heater issue - perhaps I missed it above and somebody already mentioned this but I would take a look at the heater blend door to see if it is broken. Sounds like waht was wrong with my daughters truck before I fixed it.

 

There are a couple of rather lengthy topics on replacing it as well. I believe there is a hole somewhere you can look in and see if the door functions properly. I'll look for it.

 

Thanks for the help. Keep the suggestions coming. As far as the idleing issue, it does go away after the truck warms up. As far as the heater, both hoses are hot! The heat also does come on for periods of time, but it won't continuously blow warm air. Let me know where the door is. Could this be a thermostat issue. Let me know if there are any ideas knowing that the hoses are both warm. Thanks.

 

With both heater hoses being hot, it sounds like you have water circulating through the heater core ok, so then I'd maybe suspect the "air blend door" problem.

Look up it's troubleshoot & fix in the "Technical Info" thread atop this forums main page.

There is a thread link there that has pictures & a write up, on how to fix the blend door, without doing an expensive replacement.

Good feedback on the idle problem. Interesting that it seems to dissapear after warm up.

Along with suspecting the IAC, you also may have a computer, air or coolant temperature sensing problem, or lazy O2 sensor, mudding up things here also & as Bill has said, we shouldn't jump to conclusions, until we have more & better proof.

So again I'll suggest, why not have the vehicles computer scanned for trouble codes at your favorite autoparts store, most will do it at no charge, but some won't do it unless the CEL "Check Engine Light" is on, so call around & check policy.

Or do it yourself, as there are also links to threads, with instructions on how to do this on your year & model truck, in the "Tech Info" thread.

Let us know what you do & find.