Intermittent what feels like an engine m - 6 Cylinder Gasoline - Ranger Engine Tech

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Mike69

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Last week when going slow in traffic I step on the gas & the engine studders like an engine miss. Step on it again a couple times & it does it again. Get out of the traffic & get on the highway & now it is fine all the way home which was about 20 mins. Today on the highway it does it again 3 -4 times & then it is fine the rest of the way home. When the issue happens it is when the engine is under load, & the tach will drop but come right back up & it only does it a few times then it is ok. Over the weekend I replaced the coil with a new one I had & noticed green corrosion on one of the spark plug wire that go to the drivers side cyl head, so I cleaned it the best I could when I replaced the coil. If I power brake the engine to see if I can reproduce it I can not, the few times it acted up I had to be driving it & putting the engine under a load. There is no pattern to when happens so far. I put my computer scanner on it & there are no codes & no check engine light. Any one have any ideas what could be causing my problem? I am wondering if my fuel pump is starting to die?. I have to pull the spark plug from the cylinder that had the corroded spark plug wire connection & see what it looks like but it is way to hot today.

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 10:32 am

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PartyOn
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How many miles do you have on your fuel filter? That would be first thing I would suspect. After you have eliminated that possibility, it could be an O2 sensor that is getting ready to fail. I see you have 4.0L engine, which I have as well. I would experience an occasional engine miss that I could never reproduce. No codes. Eventually ( a couple of years elapsed) an O2 sensor failed (with resulting OBD code). After the O2 sensor was replaced I have not had the occasional engine miss. So you might want to just live with the engine miss until an O2 sensor fails.

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 10:41 am

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Idahome

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Sounds like fuel PSI issue to me this is the 00 Ranger correct?
Under load, starts to miss = demand for fuel is high, a weak pump cannot keep up
How many miles?

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 01:56 pm

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Mike69

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Jamie, yes it is a 2000 with 167K miles. This morning I drove it for about 5 minutes & one I got to the high way & stepped on the gas it started acting up again & happened all the way back home another 5 minutes. Once I got home from work I started it right up, I tried to power brake it & it would not act up. I shut it off & hooked up my fuel pressure tester & started it back up & it was reading 65 lbs pressure. I pulled the 2 screws from the shield over the accelerator cables & when I was removing the shield it caught the accelerator cable & the engine raced & died. It started back up but ran very poorly & unless I kept my foot on the accelerator it would die out. Now it will just crank & not start, & while cranking it only reads 30 lbs fuel pressure.

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 08:15 pm

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JAMMAN

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30 is too low Mike, I'm afraid something might have happened to your fuel pump.

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 08:21 pm

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Sounds like an opportunity to do a lot of extra preventative maintenance when you replace the fuel pump.

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Posted: Tue Jul 7th, 2020 08:55 pm

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Does it eventually reach 65 if you are not cranking? Previous statement about fuel filter would be right in that instance.

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Posted: Wed Jul 8th, 2020 03:08 am

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Mike69

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Jim, when I am cranking the engine the fuel pressure did not get above 30 lbs.

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Posted: Wed Jul 8th, 2020 07:58 am

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JAMMAN

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I would do the filter first, it isn't a waste even if it ends up being the fuel pump. I've seen Rangers with over 300,000 with the original fuel pump they are pretty solid.

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Posted: Wed Jul 8th, 2020 06:15 pm

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Mike69

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JAMMAN wrote:
I would do the filter first, it isn't a waste even if it ends up being the fuel pump. I've seen Rangers with over 300,000 with the original fuel pump they are pretty solid.
Jim, that is what I am planning on. I ordered a fuel filter & a fuel pump from Rockauto & just waiting for them to be delivered.

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Posted: Wed Jul 8th, 2020 07:11 pm

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Replace all of the rubber fuel hoses and all of the gaskets while you are there. I didn't and ended up doing that 6 months later.

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Posted: Sun Jul 12th, 2020 11:19 am

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Mike69

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Update, This morning I removed the old rusted fuel filter, & checking back in my maintenance records it looks like it was last done September 2014. My 00 Ranger has a fuel filter that has 1 connection in the front of the filter for the line going to the engine, & has 2 connections in the rear of the filter going back to the pump. I tried to blow through one of the connections on the rear of the filter & I could, I tried the other & could not, I tried the same one again & then some gas came out & I was able to blow through it. So my guess is that it was clogged. Installed the new filter & turned on the key to let the system prime, tried to start it & it fired right up. I took it for about a 10 minute ride & all seems well.

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Posted: Sun Jul 12th, 2020 11:39 am

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I dislike those 3 line filters very much........
BUT if replacing the filter fixes the fuel PSI problem then I love them!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted: Sun Jul 12th, 2020 12:34 pm

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Mike69

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Jamie, what do you hate about the 3 line filters?.

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Posted: Sun Jul 12th, 2020 10:03 pm

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You will not be able to blow through the second line unless you can blow at about 65 PSI. That one goes to the regulator mounted with the pump assembly. That's the way the non return regulates the pressure, a valve set to pass anything over about 70PSI. Pump pumps through the one line and feeds back to the tank with the other one. The result is regulated pressure to the fuel rail. Might as well be a rail it is incorporated into a spacer between the upper and lower plenum.

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Posted: Sun Jul 12th, 2020 10:10 pm

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Let me add the thing on the rail that the vacuum line goes to is not a regulator, it is a pulse damper. The vacuum line is only to suck the fuel and keep it from spilling if the diaphragm in the damper fails.

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Posted: Fri Aug 7th, 2020 02:56 pm

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Mike69

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UPDATE: On the way home from work today the truck acted up again. I was on the highway doing about 65-70 MPH. When it acts up it only happens for a few seconds. I am not getting any CEL or any codes. I am thinking of hooking up my computer scanner to the truck & see if I could see the fuel pressure when it acts up.

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Posted: Sat Aug 8th, 2020 09:53 am

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30 psi is toooooooo low
2000 Ranger should NEVER have 30 psi fuel rail pressure
My $5 is still on a failing pump
Next time it acts up if you can put your ear to your fuel tank and listen? Does the pump sound like its struggling? Extra whiney like a 2 year old? Not smooth like silk. With the fuel cap pulled you can get a really good listen to your pump.

I dislike the 3 line filters because the 2 line filters were a pita to change for the last 25 years, so adding a third line just makes me angry
(My 88 still uses the little plastic clips, so I can change my fuel filters in 12 seconds each........I love my 88, screw those spring lock quick connects!)

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Posted: Sat Aug 8th, 2020 10:12 am

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Mike69

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Jamie, unfortunately it only acts up when I am driving at highway speeds.

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Posted: Sat Aug 8th, 2020 10:49 am

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yes but the pump is still hot and weak even if you pull off highway and check it I bet you find it sounds like a whiny struggling pump
plus you said:

"Jim, when I am cranking the engine the fuel pressure did not get above 30 lbs."

That should NEVER be the case with a returnless fuel system, 30 psi will just barely get it running and moving down the road, its half the pressure the injectors need to atomize the fuel properly
Should be 64 psi, +/- 4 psi

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Posted: Sun Aug 9th, 2020 09:15 am

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Mike69

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Thanks Jamie, I will check that the next time it acts up.

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Posted: Mon Sep 7th, 2020 09:59 am

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After replacing the fuel pump a couple weeks ago, I had the same problem again while driving on the highway, so last week I pulled codes from the computer & had a PO741 code for the torque converter clutch. So last week I drove the truck with the OD off & it did not act up at all, so it seems like my 2 year old trans rebuild might be a problem & the part that really sucks is that the trans shop that did the rebuild is out of business. :( I cleared the code & I am going to drive it some more this week & see if it sets the code again. Any ideas of any tests I could do to see what the cause could be?.

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Posted: Mon Sep 7th, 2020 10:06 am

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JAMMAN

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Mike, the easiest and cheapest thing you can do is to replace the TC solenoid. They are about 20 bucks, and if you have a good clean oil catch pan you can save most of the tranny fluid. It can be replaced without pulling the valve body. I have one and researched the living **** out of the replacing procedure but didn't actually do it yet. I consider it easy especially for your skill set.

The used the same one in multiple transmissions they can be found about anywhere.

Till then, unless you drive 85/90 wherever you go you will only notice a 1 to 2 MPG decrease keeping OD off. If you do mostly city you will notice no decrease.

Even if it doesn't help you haven't spent a lot of money or time. I would give myself less than 2 hours to replace one even at my slow pace.

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Posted: Mon Sep 7th, 2020 10:14 am

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Idahome

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so the p0741 code is

P0741 is a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) for "Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance or Stuck Off".

The good news is this is a circuit failure code, so the PCM is not happy with the TCC solenoid or its wiring.
Before you drop the pan you can do a few tests of the TCC circuit. First you can confirm the TCC control wires are in tact and making contact from the PCM all the way to the trans (continuity test from PCM plug pin/ wire to trans wiring pigtail)
Next you can actually ohm the TCC solenoid from outside the transmission, see if it checks out
You should be this point have a good idea of what is going on, and now unless you found an obvious issue or the TCC ohms out correctly, it is time to drop the pan and have a look see.

First thing to do if you have not already is clear the code see if it comes back. How long it takes to return can tell you a few things. Circuit failures usually come back RIGHT AWAY unless they are intermittent. Intermittent points to a faulty solenoid not wiring to and from. I use SONNAX solenoids and rebuild parts almost exclusively,

My guess is you need a new TCC solenoid or they fubared the installation of the solenoid or the internal wiring harness. Easy enough to fix with the pan dropped.

Good time to add a drain plug to the trans pan if you do not have one already, dorman replacement pans come with drain plugs now

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Posted: Mon Sep 7th, 2020 12:52 pm

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Mike69

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Thanks for the things to test Jamie & Jim. Yesterday I cleared the code & I will check it after I get home from work tomorrow & report back since I have to drive it on the highway. The PO741 DTC never turned on the CEL, I would think any DTYC would turn on the CEL. I know it is working because it lights up when I start the truck, it stays on for a few seconds then goes off. If it means anything on Friday the last day of driving with the OD off the OD off light started blinking & the trans shifted a little harder.

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