Hi guys,

I'm hoping some of you guys could help shed some light on my problem. I have a 92 Ranger with the 2.3. It's the 8 plug DIS motor. 5 speed. New NGK plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, clean TB, clean MAF, clean EGR.

I had some hesitation especially with a cold motor. I get a code 224 (Ignition Diagnostic Moitor) which tells me some cylinders may not firing correctly.

I proceeded with my timing light to verify that all 8 wires were sending spark to the plugs when running, but noticed that cylinders 2 and 3 were not firing at all for the intake side. All other 6 plugs are firing correctly. I swapped the two coils to see if was a coil problem, and the same thing happenedd with the coils swapped - intake cylinders 2 and 3 were still not firing. So I know the coils are good. Tried to check all connectors, and all is okay as far as I can tell. I'm thinking it's the DIS ignition module attached to intake manifold, but not sure if this would be a symptom. Any ideas?

 

i had the same problem in my 92... i never fully understood the design on those motors but anyway my problem was a bad coil and i switched them like you did and had the same result but replaced one on the advise of my brother in law and the problem was fixed... to this day im still baffled as to why the bad coil worked on the other side if you can get a known good one from another truck to try then you will know if the coil is bad of if its something else causing the problem

 

Thanks gatorblue for your response. I tried a new coil today. Although it has better throttle response and seemed to have almost fixed the hesitation problem, the misfiring in cyls 2 and 3 are still there for the intake side when I check with a timing light. Since the truck has 172K miles, I think the original coils are probably due to be replaced anyway. Once I fix this problem, I plan to pick up the 2nd coil just to be safe.

I'm thinking it's the DIS module. Went to a couple of self service junkyards, and had no luck finding one from a ranger or a mustang. They seem to be popular items at the yards. Gonna get a new one tomorrow, and hopefully will fix this problem. I'll post the results.

 

Here's an update- I replaced the DIS module and it fixed the problem. I confirmed with my timing light that all 8 plugs are firing. The truck is much more responsive off idle, and I don't have to slip the clutch taking off from standstill. Also, I no longer get any engine codes.

After the fix, I purchased another coil, just for peace of mind, although there were no performance gains from the new coil.

Although it seems to run well at set cruising speeds, I'm still not completely happy with the acceleration. It just doesn't seem to run clean when throttling up. It idles fine, and full throttle seems to wake it up, but part throttle acceleration is not like a typical motor should be. TPS transitions smootly when checked with a VOM. Maybe fuel pressure regulator? I welcome any suggestions.

 

whats a timing light? I'd like to know how my 2.3L is doing, its been having hesitation and I got about 142K miles on it

 

A timing light is a strobe that is used to check and adjust when the spark plugs are firing relative the the position of the piston. Since a lot of new cars like our rangers now have preset timing via ECU and is not adjustable, timing lights are starting to be history. I still have mine from my high school wrenching days (about 20 years ago).

A timing light looks like a gun and the strobe light is at the firing end. It has 3 wires. 2 to hook up to the neg and pos battery terminals. The 3rd is the spark sensor that clips on usually to the spak plug wire for the the number one cylinder. You would point it at the degreed markings on the front crankshaft pully, and when you pull tthe trigger, the light strobes and will tell you what your timing by reading the pulley marks.

In my case, I only used the timing light to verify that each spark plug wire was live. You can do this also by detaching the plug wires at the coil one at a time and seeing if there is a spark jumping across as the engine is idling. But there is a risk of getting a real good electrical jolt, so I tend to feel the timing light is a little safer.

Give it a go whether you use the timing light or not. Hope you find the problem. Please share if you do. I read so many threads on this topic but no too many results or solutions, so I try my best to give an outcome with my posts.