2002 ranger v6 engine will not go over 3000 rpm
 

Have 2002 or 2003, not sure of year right now, Ford ranger edge, 3.0 v6, automatic, 125,000 miles on odometer.

problem started a month ago, used to be intermittant when accelerating onto freeway it would "cut out" as if running out fuel.It now does this everytime after engine is fully warmed up but now it "cuts out" at engine speeds above 3000 rpm anytime you are trying to accelerate.It sounds/feels like a rev limiter.Also the tachometer needle sticks at slower speeds allthough this may not have anything to do with this problem.

It idles fine and accelerates fine until it reaches that engine speed.fuel filter, pump, have been replaced.Diagnostic machine came up with no trouble codes.
problem started a month ago, used to be intermittant when accelerating onto freeway it would "cut out" as if running out of fuel.It now does this everytime after engine is fully warmed up but now it "cuts out" at engine speeds above 3000 rpm anytime you are trying to accelerate.It idles fine and accelerates fine until it reaches that engine speed.fuel filter, pump, have been replaced.Diagnostic machine came up with no trouble codes.

Perhaps you need to clean your injectors.
Octane

Hookup a vacuum gauge & check for a clogged cat.

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More info here, The truck runs perfect after sitting overnight for the first 8 minutes.Also when you try to rev engine in neutral or park (after warmup)the engine wont go over 3000 rpm so it happens even when not under load.Any other guesses what could be wrong?
This truck is used as a AAA service truck and owned by an auto repair shop but they cant figure out what is wrong with it so I thought I would give this a shot.

try unhokking your o2 sensors. they are ignored for the first few mins (to allow them to warm up). thing is they should set a fault code. but that would be a geuss for me. also have you checked your collant temp sensor?reset the ecu and see what happens. you need to think though what changes after the engine is warmed up? what sensors start to come into play. and that leads me to say start with unhooking the o2's. no difference well hook em back up and try something else. like the egr. you need to determin is it firing the plugs out of time? is it flooding it? is it going lean? when it runs bad is it like someone flipped a switch or does it just gradually get worse? but you really need to see a live display of the sensor read outs during a warm run. if it does it at any time in gear or not then you can do it without moving. while your in the readouts see if it's screwing around with the timing to a point that is unacceptable. if so then check the ignition module. if that is good then move on. if all the sensors and modules pass then add a qt of lucas to thicken the oil a bit and see what that does. problly nothing at all but if you have weak lifters then this would make the difference. but weak lifters would cause the issue gradually not all at ones like a switch labeld run like crap. in my opinion though it sounds like a sensor falling out at higher speeds. a cam or crank sens would be more likely to cause it though. the o2 would make it run bad all the time. not just above 3k. and the egr valve would have to be stuck open to cause this. run a can of carb cleaner through it. shouldn't change it at all. if it livens up during revving while you do that then you have a lean condition. but you really need to check out the sensors very verly closely first. obd2 systems are great in the fact that you can easily get a live feed on what the ecu is getting from the sensors and how it is controling things. it's even possible to have a simple groud problem. i doubt it but it is a possibility. take the ecu out and put it in another pickup. see if that truck has the issue now. that's a good alternative when you can't link up and see whats going on. but we do need more info on the symptoms of this rig before it can be narrowed down on here.

"Also when you try to rev engine in neutral or park (after warmup)the engine wont go over 3000 rpm so it happens even when not under load.Any other guesses what could be wrong? "
There is a rev limiter set to bout 3000 rpm when you are in park or neutral, that is nornal. Does that solve the problem you are describing?
Dave

Since the factory rev limiter is set at 3,000 rpm in park or neutral, that would lead me to believe that your neutral safety switch might be going out or your linkage is out of adjustment. On that hunch, When your truck does this next time, i would pull over immediately and not touch the shifter, just leave it in gear and see if your truck will start. If it does start then thats the problem, your computer thinks the truck is in neutral.

great replies guys, thanks, I will check all this out this week.

Sounds like jimw411 has nailed this one.

Heres how it works on a 97, your 02 is probably the same.

"The digital transmission range sensor completes the start circuit in park or neutral, the backup light circuit in reverse & the neutral sense circuit (4x4 only) in neutral. The DTR sensor also sends a digital output signal to the powertrain control module indicating the postion of the shift lever (PRND21)."

Might be a bad DTR sensor.

I had the exact same symptom in my 2000 3.0... the cam sensor synchronizer hold down bolt had come loose and it turned on me (it's set in where the distributor used to go)...

Didn't even set a code.. for some strange reason.

You might make sure that bolt is tight.. if it is leave it alone they are a pain to get set properly without the right tools...

Also you might try unplugging the cam sensor and see if it runs better then... or maybe even the MAF sensor... (keep in mind doing this is for temporary testing purposes only and it might set a check engine light)

You might also try taking out the O2 sensors and driving (again temporarily)... it will be very loud but if you have a clogged cat it should have more power and not cut out like that...

good luck.

2001 FOrd Ranger engine cuts out at 3,000 RPM
 

I was revving my engine in PARK to see if the belt/water pump made more noise at higher RPMS when I reached 3,000 RPMS it cut out Suddenly but continued running when the RPMS dropped. The engine jerked when it did it and I repeated it and asked a friend about it he said it looks like you have a bad motor mount. This proved to be true but it did not solve the "cut out" problem. So I read this forum and I heard a lot of guesses. All of which between a bad IAC,EGR, Neutral Safety Switch, Range Sensor and Catalytic Converter. Another owner had replaced the fuel pump and everything that entailed and still had the problem. All these things would have thrown a code and no code was thrown by the engine when it "Cut Out". I got no code. Even after I fixed the motor mount it still cut out at 3,000 RPM. So I took it on the highway once I fixed the bad motor mount. I went form a dead stop to up around 5,100 RPM. After the engine was warmed up of course and you know what I got. A whole lot of NOTHING. It performed fine no loss of power like it would have if the heads were blown and no cutting out at 3,000 or 3,500 RPM. In REALITY it ran GREAT!! So I am going with the theory that the truck has a REV Limiter in it for when you are in Park or Neutral so You cannot rev the engine and blow it up to get another engine under warranty. That's why it throws no codes it's SUPPOSED to do THAT. I was once a Lincoln/Mercury mechanic and I remember my boss the shop foreman telling me they were instituting such things as a REV limiter and putting Black Boxes, like planes have, in the vehicles because people were Purposely blowing their engines before the warranty was up to get a new engine.

Welcome to FTE.

Yup the Ranger engine computer has a built in rev limiter to prevent those of us that don't know it's not wise to over rev an unloaded engine, lest it come unraveled & make a mess!!!

Very eloquent, I like how you said that ::) This is good stuff, listen to it.