Hi Folks. Ogg here and this is my first post.

So here's the deal: last Thursday the idle on my 2001 Ranger, 2.3, standard, 2WD started acting funny. It starts normally idling at about 1100 rpm but when I come to a stop the idle stays around 2000-2100 for a while and then drops down to about 1300. So this started me looking at it and I noticed that I was driping a little coolant from near the water pump. Bummer. Thought I needed a new water pump so I ordered one and then removed the air intake resonator chamber so I could see the pump. I noticed that the lower radiator hose and the heater hose go into a plastic doodad behind the water pump and that there looked like leakage around the hoses. I replaced the original spring type hose clamps with screw typs and that seems to have stoped any coopant loss. Cool - don't need a new water pump!

After I hooked the battery back up and started the truck to get the coolant back in and the air out the check engine light came on and stayed on. I thought that was good because I could now drive to Autozone and use their code reader to find out what sensor had failed resulting in the wierd idle. Problem is that their code reader won't work on my truck. It doesn't even register that it's plugged in. The reader is OK and had worked on other vehicles all day. They tell me that my computer is probably fried but I find that hard to believe since the only symptoms are the wierd idle and the check engine light.

Does anybody know whats going on?

 

Welcome to FTE Ogg!! Seems to me I remember a thread not too long ago that mentioned that the code reader is powered by the communications port on your truck. I seem to remember that its the same circuit that powers the cigar lighter. Check your fuses. Same symptoms. I'll see if I can dig up the thread.

On edit: Here's a quote from Pawpaw.
<TABLE class=tborder id=post4604522 cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"><TABLE cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 25px" width="100%"></TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap>Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: SW Va
Posts: 2,433


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt1><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">WOOPS, my bad, can't type, it's position 17 & it's a 25 amp fuse & yes it's the fuse panel on the drivers side of the dash.

This fuse supplys power to the cigar lighter & the DLC connector to power the scantool when it's plugged into the DLC.
If this fuse in blown or missing, the scantool won't work, so it can't extract any stored codes.
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Good luck

Fred

 

Yes before jumping to conclusions, check all the fuses. You can blow the fuse for the communications port and it will in no way affect operation of the computer...

 

I can't thank you enough. You were absolutely right. It was fuse #17. I put a new one in and the code reader fired right up. It indicated that the idle speed sensor was screwed up. I (being a cheap individual) opted for the $2.99 can of throttle body cleaner before ordering the $57.95 replacement sensor. It was a good thing I did too. I poped the sensor off and proceeded to start hosing it out when I noticed a bit of foam stuck between the plunger and its seat. I took a utility knife and pried the plunger up and out fell a piece of the foam insulation from the AC hose that wraps around the air box and almost completely prevents you from changing the air filter.

Tell you what, if you want one I'll give you a 25% discount on one of my racks as a way of thanks. Look at my site (nicerack.biz) and let me know.

The truck runs fine now.

 

Good for you Ogg. I love love it when it's a simple as a bloody fuse. Stick around and read through the threads. Do some searches. You pick up all kinds of goodies here.

Thanks for the feedback.

Fred