al4224t
New Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2018
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Corvallis, OR
- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
Hi all,
So I bought my ranger last week and have been trying to fix it's one big issue since. The truck is a 1997 2.3L manual.
I'll try to describe the symptoms as best I can, then I'll let you know what I've already tried. The problem is only when the engine is cold. So it is worst, when starting in a cold morning, or really anytime the truck has been sitting for over a few hours. The problem is still present, but far less severe when restarting after only 30 mins or an hour. After a few minutes, or whenever the engine reaches normal temperature, the problem completely disappears. Truck will then run and drive just fine. It will happily idle, and never stalls once it has warmed up. So this is definitely temperature related.
Symptoms:
-When you try to start the truck, you need to start with foot on the gas. It will not hold an idle at all.
-You can get it warmed up by feathering the gas pedal to keep it running. Though even with constant pressure on the gas, often the engine will be reving up and down seemingly by itself, randomly changing rpms etc.
-Once warmed up problem disappears. Though the idle sounds very slow still, it will not stall and you can drive normally.
When I bought it, it had a CEL. So I went for a free scan at parts store, threw codes for both O2 sensors and fuel mixture. Replaced only the upstream O2 sensor, since then there has been no check engine light. However, this did nothing for the problem. I have also cleaned out the MAF sensor, cleaned the throttle body out and replaced the IAC valve. NB: The throttle body was all black inside, big buildup of muck, IAC was pretty much the same. I did notice the gasket on the throttle body looked in need of replacement, was starting to crack in one place and probably is original. Anyway, replacing the IAC itself did nothing for the problem either.
So now I am thinking might be vacuum leak? Based on the state of the throttle body gasket, it seems pretty likely. I have also read the engine coolant temp sensor could be causing similar symptoms, though it seems like there are many possible causes. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with anything similar.
Thanks.
So I bought my ranger last week and have been trying to fix it's one big issue since. The truck is a 1997 2.3L manual.
I'll try to describe the symptoms as best I can, then I'll let you know what I've already tried. The problem is only when the engine is cold. So it is worst, when starting in a cold morning, or really anytime the truck has been sitting for over a few hours. The problem is still present, but far less severe when restarting after only 30 mins or an hour. After a few minutes, or whenever the engine reaches normal temperature, the problem completely disappears. Truck will then run and drive just fine. It will happily idle, and never stalls once it has warmed up. So this is definitely temperature related.
Symptoms:
-When you try to start the truck, you need to start with foot on the gas. It will not hold an idle at all.
-You can get it warmed up by feathering the gas pedal to keep it running. Though even with constant pressure on the gas, often the engine will be reving up and down seemingly by itself, randomly changing rpms etc.
-Once warmed up problem disappears. Though the idle sounds very slow still, it will not stall and you can drive normally.
When I bought it, it had a CEL. So I went for a free scan at parts store, threw codes for both O2 sensors and fuel mixture. Replaced only the upstream O2 sensor, since then there has been no check engine light. However, this did nothing for the problem. I have also cleaned out the MAF sensor, cleaned the throttle body out and replaced the IAC valve. NB: The throttle body was all black inside, big buildup of muck, IAC was pretty much the same. I did notice the gasket on the throttle body looked in need of replacement, was starting to crack in one place and probably is original. Anyway, replacing the IAC itself did nothing for the problem either.
So now I am thinking might be vacuum leak? Based on the state of the throttle body gasket, it seems pretty likely. I have also read the engine coolant temp sensor could be causing similar symptoms, though it seems like there are many possible causes. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with anything similar.
Thanks.