Hey guys I recently bought a 1994 Ford ranger with a 3.0L v6 and haven't had too many problems with her. The previous owner did almost no maintenance so I had to do some simple stuff such as oil changes and fuel filter changes but beyond that nothing too bad. Recently however the truck has started to chug or buck while I drive or if I accelerate too hard. This typically doesn't happen until I have driven for a while but now she even seems sluggish or like she is losing power. The only way I can describe it is as a misfire but I had the plugs and wires changed and that didn't solve it. I also replaced the fuel pump relay on suggestion and was thinking about attempting to change the fuel filter again even though I did in September. Fuel additives or cleaners seemed to help a little but didn't do too much. Any help would be great.

 

Sometimes can be a sign of a plugged cat. Also, these motors like motorcraft plugs. Not autolite, definitely not NGK, and no fancy splitfires or v3s that are supposed to turn your truck into a wheelie machine.
One way to check your cats is to see if they are glowing after you have driven it for a while. Otherwise a muffler shop or mechanic should be able to take a look at them.

 

Is there any way to check it without a gauge or sensor? I'm currently on a tight budget.

 

Check your air filter. I had the same problem with mine and since I replaced the air filter its worked fine. I spent something like $10-15 on it, so definitely budget friendly!