Iv had this shake and loss of power for awail like 5th gr is outta the question . I can begoing 70mph in 4th (when im lucky enough to gwt it passed 60mph) go to 5th gear and watch my speed drop like I'm useing the breaks. It's like I'm always in a lower gear... I can Rev the motor to almost the Rev limiter dump the clutch and it will bog way down and start moving like I was taking off easy I have 30s on now but even the regular street tires wouldn't even chearp. I can't find what the problem is. I have put new plugs (checked gaps) wires coil pack new oil and filter air filter and topped off the tranny fluid just last week as I have never done that and iv owned it for about 3 yrs. .... it ran a little better... iv noticed that when I'm driving it shakes when I'm under 2500 rpm then it smooths out and runs normal as long as I stay above 2000-2500 rpms when I push the clutch in all shaking stops other then like the idle shaking then when I let out it shakes again...is this a tranny problem.. I have a couple videos I cld post but idk how to do that lol

thanks
chris




P.s. it's a 1998 ford ranger xlt 3.0 2x4 5sp MT

 

Welcome to the forum

3.0l Vulcan engine IS a high RPM engine, best torque/power is at 3,500-3,700rpm so it needs to be run at higher RPM that is its design.
Best horse power at 4,700-5,000rpm
REV limiter is only applied when clutch pedal is down all the way, as soon as clutch pedal is up, even a little, REV limiter is off
(long shot would be Clutch switch is broken and "telling" computer clutch pedal is down all the time, so REV limiter is always on, but if you can get RPMs up to 4,000 while driving then switch is OK)

So you drive the 3.0l like a "rented mule/car" lots of RPMs, thats what it was designed for

reads like engine is misfiring causing the shaking, run a can of Seafoam, or similar, injector cleaner in the gas tank and see if things improve.
Also do a compression test or have electronic compression test done
You don't mention the Miles on the engine, so could just be it's compression is getting low so it's power is dropping off.
3.0l vulcan engines ran 9.3:1 compression ratio, so 165 to 170psi would be expected compression

doesn't read like transmission or driveline issue, vibrations would continue even with clutch pedal down if that was the case

I assume CEL(check engine light) works, comes on with key on, and it is not on when driving so no codes.

What the MPG like?

Did the old spark plug tips look good?
light brown color
No blackish residue

Also check the Drivers Door Sticker for the rear axle ratio, read here to get that: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...le_codes.shtml

The label will also have Stock tire size listed

When you put on taller tires you in effect lower the rear axle ratio
Lower ratios = lower RPM vs speed, and with the 3.0l engine you don't want that

Some people ordered 2x4 Rangers for best MPG so got them with lower axle ratios, 3.73 was stock, so they would be 3.08 or 3.45, gutless getting up to speed but better MPG at speed
If they were equipped for towing they got 4.10 axle, better pulling because RPMs were kept higher
Taller tires and low axle ratio could make 5th gear unusable with the 3.0l engine, it needs to stay above 3,000rpm

Check for broken motor mount
Put e-brake on
Open hood
Start engine and put in 1st gear
Let out clutch a bit and watch engine under gap in hood, it will lift on one side a bit, if it lifts alot then motor mount is broken
Do same test but put trans in Reverse, engine will lift/torque the other way to test that sides motor mount
Broken motor mount can cause described vibrations

 

the rev limiter hits just above 5k rpm while driving it never shuts off ( always hit limiter every time I try no matter I'm sitting still or driving 60mph.)I used to be able to cruise around at just under 2k rpm and never had a bit of trouble. I had power when I wanted it and no shaking other then the norm... I have ran numerous cans of sea foam thru everything I could.. never really smoked.. also ran fuel system cleaner also..I haven't done a compression test yet but am going to soon.. the miles o ya lets see 190k and some change to be exact... and yes indeed CEL is on last time I had it read it said my #6 and #1 plug misfires and both banks run lean which I think is caused my the misfires ( both on separate sides) which in turn I think is all caused my bad injectors I THINK lol. I just put new plug, wires, and coil pack and it still said the same thing.. my last tank of gas I was at 225 miles and it was in the red line when I refilled... honestly the old plugs I don't remember by this point but I think they were like a blackish brown maybe.. and as for the tire vs gear I was having this problem before I got these tires... as for a motor mount I don't think any are broke it does shake quit a bit but that's from the rough running....
sry for such a late response iv been really busy...



update..
my tranny started grinding gear when going into a gear while driving and sometime not letting me put it in gear.. my fluid was still full so I bled the clutch a few times (had some air in there)and it seems to have also smoothed the shaking out some I can run 4th gear at 2k rpm just fine as long as its flat or down hill lol. still really no power unless I'm in 1st gear... still kind hear like a faint grinding howling sound something coming from the floor around the shifter while I'm driving and while the clutch is in like I'm coming to a stop.. I'm thinking a new clutch/clutch kit coming soon...

 

3.0l has Clutch pedal in(Park/Neutral) or 0 MPH, REV limiter of 3,000
While driving REV limiter will be around 5,300-5,500, engine damage would occur above that with stock valve springs

Speed limiter is around 85MPH I think

Transmission can't be disconnected from the rear wheels, so if rear wheels are turning so is the transmission.
Clutch disconnects engine crankshaft RPMs from Transmission input shaft RPMs.

You can use this to see if transmission or rear axle is dragging, slowing you down.
Go slowing on a flat road, push in the clutch pedal(don't shift to Neutral) and see if you slow down faster than expected, pretty easy to tell "if the brakes are on"

If it seems to roll out OK then power issue is the engine
Check ATF level in trans to see if it is low, howling noise is not good

Compression test will tell you alot

 

I can go to 5.5k ish rpm in anything 1st-4th obviously not fifth id have to be flying lol but even in neutral,,, even reverse that was a bit scary lol. but it always has hit around 5.5k no matter what...the fastest iv been able to go was about 95ish mph never cut off that was also foot to the floor from 3rd to 5th until it just wouldn't go any faster then I let off and slightly going down hill that was a cpl yrs ago now I feel lucky when I can hit 70 in 4th gear at 4.5k rpm when I hit 5th drops to about 3k-3.5k rpm going 75mph it kind of slowly starts bogging down (unless going down hill) to the point I have to down shift back to 4th to get back up to speed... so lately iv been running up to only 3rd since that gear gives me a bit of power(just above 3k rpm) when I need it 4th gear is more like a highway gear and 5th well I don't even know how to use that gear any more I have a 4spd now lmao also tranny fluid is good i just toipped it off a cple weeks ago helped a little bit and checked it today when i was bleeding my clutch and it was still full..

 

Then do the compression test to take that off the table, 3.0l runs 9.2 or 9.3:1 ratio so you should expect above 165psi, 170psi or so

All spark plugs must be removed for compression test to get good crank speed
Cold engine is fine, never saw value of warm engine compression test unless there was a specific problem.

You could also test engine first with vacuum gauge, 19" - 21" expected at warm idle, approx. 700rpm
But in the end compression test will tell you if it is a compression issue and if not you can look at spark advance and air:fuel ratios

 

ok so I take all the plugs out while doing the compression test right? this is over my pay rate lol never had to deal with any of this stuff.. just always the usual change oil, plugs, breaks, tires, etc. iv been diving into new territory here lately just took the rear end apart on my Durango lol never did that before... also my cold start first start in the am it will idle around 1500 then come down to 1k after a min or so which I figured was normal.. mine idles just under 1000 but most the time at 1000 or 1200ish

vacuum gauge never heard of this either is there a thread about all this stuff lol

 

Yes, all spark plugs out then test each cylinder and WRITE down results

Metal cylinder walls and metal piston and rings sliding on it, with metal valves against metal valve seats is whats inside the engine
These DO NOT make good air tight seals, lol
They are not suppose to, they just need to contain air pressure for a very short time because of the fast RPMs of the engine.
So crank speed using starter motor needs to be fast as possible to get a true compression reading
You are also compressing outside air pressure, at sea level that is 15psi, at 2,000ft above sea level that is 13psi, and it gets less and less the higher you go, so elevation is a factor, but in Indiana it won't be an issue

Vacuum gauge is one tool you should have, $25.
No matter what they add to the outside of a gasoline engine, i.e. electronic spark, fuel injection, MAF sensors, O2 sensors, the engine itself is not changed, it is still a self powered AIR PUMP
So what better way to test an air pump is there than a pressure gauge, in this case Vacuum pressure.
Read here for tests: Technical Articles: Engine testing with a Vacuum Gauge - at Greg's Engine & Machine

 

I will definitely be looking into all that.. I did some videos today on my way home from work.. I also reset the computer by taking the neg batt cable off for awail m light is of and it kind of seems to be running a lil better... I'm going thru the videos now and will be posting a few so u can see what its doing

 

ok so here goes I'm gonna post those vids with the little notes i took while watching them just now i really hope this helps with understanding what the problem may be i also tried to get times that u can jump to on the vid so u don't have to watch a 5 min vid lol

 

first pic is of the cold start idle its been raining here forever now and temps have dropped to low 50s..

second pic is when I got home so hot idle rpm

3rd pic is how it usually idles


p.s. my vids r to big to load here so I uploaded them to YouTube lol I wanted to keep them private and not deal with the idiots watching them and leaving stupid comments lol but o well ill make them public and post a link to them all

 

ok so here is the link to watch those videos.. for some reason there not in order like they should be but they are numbered so just look for vid #1 and start there.. hopefully someone will know what's causing it..


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...l8X9TmGD3jAtRg