Help all gearheads 3

[RogerAS]

Hey,

Well the ranger is running again.

I had to get a tow truck to take it to the local Ford dealership and let them figure it out.

Towing $70. Service ticket $63.

The dealership wouldn't tell me what they did, really. They claimed they blew out the cylinders with air, as the engine was flooded. Ya right. Whatever it was they didn't want to tell me as it was probably a simple fix. I have a feeling they put in a used computer or replaced a pinched wire.

At any rate the little truck is running better than it has in years. The check engine light used to stay on for some time after the engine was running, but it doesn't come on at all now.

If an engine is going to be controlled by a computer the check engine light needs to be replaced by a simple LED message window that scrolls the cause of the error such as, "EGR Valve Malfunction", or "Number 2 Spark plug not firing" or whatever the cause of the error is. SOmeone with a good electronics understanding needs to invent this device that can be applied post production.

So, the spark plugs/wire replacement that cost $200 for a 14 year old truck saga ends.

[zap]

Glad to hear it Roger and yes, 63 bones tells me it was an easy fix... at least for them.

It's always a nice feeling to be back riding in an old friend eh?

Although not cheap, the ScanGuageII is something I want to pick up once I get a vehicle that can utilize it.

[Countryboy]

If an engine is going to be controlled by a computer the check engine light needs to be replaced by a simple LED message window that scrolls the cause of the error such as, "EGR Valve Malfunction", or "Number 2 Spark plug not firing" or whatever the cause of the error is. SOmeone with a good electronics understanding needs to invent this device that can be applied post production.

That device already exists.  It's known as a diagnostic scanner.  You plug it in and it displays any error codes.  Look up the codes in the reference book, and you know the problem.

Fluke would be more than happy to sell you a scan tool.

[Jon Miller]

'The check engine light used to stay on for some time after the engine was running, but it doesn't come on at all now.'

Have they taken the bulb out?

[luv2weld]

Glad to hear it's fixed. But I'd be a little concerned about the

dealership!!! If they won't tell what they did, maybe they are

expecting it to happen again and they don't want to give up an

easy source of income!!!!

I agree that they couldn't have spent more than 10-15 minutes

on it for the $63 tab.

Further thinking about it----to track it down that quick, it must

be something that happens all the time. Maybe one of the Ford forums

will be able to point you to the problem so you can avoid the

tow and service fees. Just seems rather snotty to me-----I'm

smarter than you and I'm not telling you what I did!!!!

Makes me wanna smack somebody!!!!!! And it wasn't even my truck!!!!!

Ralph

[vawtman]

I looked at a car from a dealer once and the check engine light was craftilly covered with electrical tape.

[spinningmagnets]

It probably wasn't this, but...

Fords are known to have an accellerometer embedded in the computer (I don't know which years), so when it feels a sudden jolt, it thinks its been in a crash and it shuts off the fuel pump and spark to lessen the chance of a fire. Sometimes they just actuate from static or a malfunction. The reset is just a hidden button (I'm not joking).

Back when memory chips were expensive, On-Board-Diagnostics version one (OBDI) flashed dots like morse code, the translation was in a thick book. The newer cars with OBD-III display plain english.

"Never ask a barber if you need a haircut" -Will Rogers

[vawtman]

No not that he was pumping fuel has per the flooded condition.

[terry5732]

I'm guessing you have coilpacks at the end of their life.

They develope cracks in the insulation which allow moisture to penetrate.

They may not work at all today and be fine tomorrow.

Maybe no-go in the morning and fine in the afternoon.

And they appear to have been working fine when the truck got to the garage.

Maybe not tomorrow, especially if damp weather.

[RogerAS]

Hey,

What I mean is a little window in the dashboard that informs the driver directly and is  a part of the OEM. I had a high dollar scanner hooked to this truck and it informed us that there was no communication with the ECM. An aftermarket device that is hardwired to the diagnostic system would be a great asset for any auto and I would buy one as soon as a warranty expired on a newer vehicle.

No, they didn't remove the bulb as the check engine light comes on until I crank the engine and immediately goes out. I had the electrical tape over that dumb light for a couple years until I replaced the EGR valave.

I know it wasn't flooded because I had ALL 8 of the spark plugs out for at least a day and any freakin' gas in there would have evaporated in that time.

I will not return to that dealership for anything. If they can't be honest enough to tell me exactly what they did I see no reason to pay them to do their secret MOJO again.

I know about the crash sensor for the fuel flow, and checked that. It's right below the heater core. It wasn't tripped. The fuel pump came on and pressurized when the key was switched on. However I have a feeling the ignition reset may have been exactly what happened. I took the kick panel off to check the computer connections and noticed the trim extension was not under the upper section when I put it back. When I looked the truck over upon getting time this trim extension was back where it was supposed to be. So they did access the computer at some point.

Anyway I will do some more research and see if I can find out if this happened to anyone else and what the fix was.

Thanks guys.

[oztules]

Dammit, it is still a mystery. It would have been nice to know the answer to the problem... I hate loose ends.

Main thing I guess is it runs for you. Best of luck with it now.

.........oztules

[wiredwrong]

On-Board Diagnostic systems are in cars and trucks built starting in  the '70s and early 1980's. All cars built since January 1, 1996 have OBD-II systems,

"I had a high dollar scanner hooked to this truck"

This high dollar scanner was most likely a OBD-II scanner, they work really well if the "check/service engine light" is on...BUT not on a 92

with Chrysler you can turn the switch on and off or sometimes hold down a button on the dash to flash a code ,If the light on a Chevy was on, you could have used a short piece of wire in the diagnostic connector to flash a code on the dash, on a ford, there is a similar way of checking, but I tend to have less luck finding the problems, here is a link to the steps involved...

http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=13

This is not my page, but a link I saved a while back when trying to solve the problem on an F150, it was a fuel problem, but the codes may point you in the direction you need to go, if problems arise in the future. Sorry I was not able to follow along and reply in time to of helped you with this.