Yes please keep us posted on your results after you swap the parts out!

 

Put in Autolite Double Platinums and cleared the error code. Fired the truck up, took it on a long drive and the CEL hasn't come back on. Started it up a couple more times and the error has not returned. Looks like a bad plug in cylinder #1.

 

Thank you everyone for your help on this issue!

 

Dynomike what were the symptoms of your truck or what was it exactly doing before swapping out the plugs?

 

When I would start the truck, the idle was rough. I would pop it into drive and it would shudder just a smidge, then go normal. Swapped out the plugs and it was fine. I started it cold 4 times and did not pull the code. Took a long drive and had no problems.

 

Hey, I replaced my heads for only 350.00 from a online place and if you are a somewhat good car mechanic, then it's not too bad. The truck runs awesome now. Like new. It had about 110,000 miles when it started the rough idle at stop lights, the check engine light flashing and the all too familiar codes! I wonder how many of us there are out in the ranger world? Ford should be more responsible and reimburse everyone that had to kill themselves to replace those cotton pickin heads!

 

I'm having the same problem with my 2004, 4x4, 4.0 Ranger.
I first got the P0301 error code with all the roughness others have experienced and since that have had new plugs, wires, coil, compression test (ok), checked for vacuum leaks (none) etc. Now today I started to get the P0316 code also.

It' going back to the shop next week. I hope it's not the head.

Pat.

 

i have an 03' ranger 4.0 4x4 xlt that i got back in december. from day 1 i noticed the exact same symptoms, in addition to bucking at stop lights and then stalling if i didnt giver her some gas and stalling while going down the big hill in town (25mph speed limit). as soon as the engine warmed up it would try to idle at 500-600. i got a buddy to scan it and i got 02's stuck on lean and running lean on left bank. so i replaced the front 02's and threw a set of E3.44 plugs in her. she ran much better but at lights or going down steep grades in town it was still doing the same thing. i then cleaned the MAF to no avail and then replaced it all together, still nothing. replaced tps and a couple other things with no luck. then one night my grandfather and i were looking her over and as he moved the radiator hose the sucking sound i could always hear became more audible. i pulled the hose aside and saw a vacuum elbow with a big gash in it. i waited until the motor was about to stall again, put my thumb over the gash, and almost instantly the motor came up to 900 or so. $5 later it was fixed. runs smooth, more power and i picked up a mile and a half.

moral of the story: even though you checked your vacuum lines for leaks (as i did about 4 times) check again, because sometimes they are hidden under bigger hoses!!!

 

Well, it turned out not to be my spark plug. Had my hopes up, then the problem came back. I'm at a point where I'll just let it be until it truly dies. I put maybe 4,000 miles a year on the pick up and gas mileage/performance hasn't been affected.

Though I will check for holes in my lines, that part is cheap!

 

I finally found out what my problem was. One of the valve springs on cyl. one was broken. Once they fixed that everything is fine again.

They took a long time to get the new spring in because they waited until they got some special tools that allowed them to change the spring without removing the head.
On my Ranger they said the engine needs to be removed to do it because the timing belt was at the back of the engine?

Anyway it's all fine now.

Pat.

 

It kinda feels good not to be alone :D

Joking aside, I have the same issues you guys are having and just got from Autozone with a wire set and 6 plugs. I might return them based on what you guys mentioned here, I'm not a mechanic, and soon I'll be putting the truck up for sale because we're moving overseas, so no sense to pull my last hairs on something I don't know how to do.

What do you guys estimate can cost in a non-name shop to get this done in parts and labor ?

I'd get the heads from the website mentioned here, so around $350 in parts to start, I'm in Houston TX if someone knows anyone they want to recommend

thanks a lot !

 

Hi puntadigital, sorry to hear you are having a similar problem. I hope you don't need heads. I paid a lot more than I needed to because it took them a long time to find the problem. So you might tell them to check the valve springs. Also make sure they get the proper tools. So you might go to someone who works on Fords a lot. I can't remember for sure but the actual work to put in a new valve spring was in the range $300-400. Closer to $300 I think.

I also sold my truck after that....

Good luck.

Pat.

 

Well, lots of changes in the last week

Replaced just the spark plug on cyl 1 and runs great, no rough idle, light went away also :)

We decided to take the truck overseas with us, so I think I'll be spending some money on it in the next few weeks. New rims and tires, hopefully a 3" lift, spray on bedliner, and see if I can get lucky to find a camper shell.

Do you guys can recommend someone on the Houston area to take the truck to have it looked at ? I want to have it checked thoroughly before moving. PM if there's someone you know and would recommend

thanks

 

Well, light came back, idling isn't that rough but still rougher than what it should be.

Now, re-reading this thread it makes me wonder what to do next. I have plugs and the wire set ready, but I believe I'm gonna take it to the dealer like the previous poster did, if the diagnostic is in the $100 range seems to be a smart investment instead of throwing parts at it and the aggravation it produces to someone not mechanically inclined like myself.

The re manufactured heads may be the way to go for me considering the truck is going overseas and I have no idea how much can it cost me to have that done over there in case it can be done, Rangers are mostly diesel there.

How much in labor do you think it can cost to have the heads replaced ?
Is it something else worth doing while changing them?

Mid-December would be a good time for me to get this done, so I'll be waiting for your advice

thanks

 

Seems a lot of people have this issue. I have a rough idle I guess, I have nothing else to compare it to except another coworkers 2005 3.0 Edge, and his idles just as rough as mine. Neither truck has had a check engine light. Seems to kind of just idle a little rough. I have done everything myself, injection flush, cleaned the MAF, oil change and air/fuel filters, plugs, wires and coil. All parts are Ford parts, yet it still persists. I don't know if its abnormal and I'm chasing a ghost, or I'm heading for cylinder heads. Its been going on for the last 6K miles I have owned the truck. The guy I work with says his seems to run rougher then new, but he attributes it to the mileage, same as mine about 100K. I just don't know HOW smooth its supposed to run, I work on Bavarian I-6's that run like sewing machines, most of the time.

 

Curious, ever get this done? Not to make another thread about this, since they seem to be all over here and the rest of the internet, but I now have gotten the CEL with a P0304 and P0316. Happened right after starting the truck after it had sat for an hour. I'm going to check compression but judging by the internet, looks like I will be pulling the heads too. Damn shame this seems to be such a huge issue. I was looking at the head set from DoverUsa. Anyone use them?

 

gotta go to the dealership this week, just got the light again, but it has been running great since the problem was "solved" last time, just replaced crankshaft position sensor and plug on cyl1

just erased the code and we'll see.

I won't be doing anythign at the dealership besides the test, but do you go there and ask for a compression test, or there's a complete test that you ask for ?

 

I just bought a 2006 Ranger with 3.0 engine, with 103000 miles. I the dealer screwed me over. During the test drive I did notice a rough idle, thought it just needed a tune up. The check engine light wasn't one. Two days after getting it home the check engine light came on. I read the codes 304 & 316. I'm going try new plugs and wires first, maybe I'll get lucky. I've never replaced heads before. Should be another learning experience.

 

Nothing beats a proper diagnosis. If you can't do it yourself, pay and have the compression and leakdown run. Plugs and wires wont hurt if they need to be done anyway, but my truck, and a coworkers made no difference. My coil checked out good, but I replaced it anyway with a new Ford OEM unit, no difference. This seems to be a huge issue with this truck from the people I talked to, which IMO is real crappy on Fords part. If you are good with tools, nothing real difficult about doing these heads since they do not have overhead cams. In my other thread, my truck now has reman heads on it from DoverUSA and my truck feels like it has atleast 20HP back in the mid range, runs night and day smoother. I didn't really see any sunken seats that are way pounded in, but I have yet to take my old ones apart and check the valve faces and seats and measure the depth.

 

I have almost the same problem! I am at 95,900. p0301, replaced spark plugs, wires, fuel filter (it was time for it), air filter(it was time for it),, cleaned the maf, cleaned the iac, tested the iac. I don't want to cough up $400 just yet, although I did bookmark doverusa. Anybody with a different answer? (hopefully)

 

Hey, I forgot to reply to this message. I had cylinders 1 and 3 misfiring and the o2 sensor was reading lean (if I remember correctly), what fixed all of it was replacing the coil pack. It is important to note that I did a full tune-up just before, so I knew the wires and plugs were good.

 

My truck has been doing exactly what most of you have been describing since bought new with 14 miles on it. Ford never figured it out. Ever. I have 142K miles on mine with no oil burning issues, no leaks. Just a crappy idle, somewhat resembling a light cam upgrade. Mine is not an Edge model, no Different though. and Is Flex Fuel. which does not receive Ethanol at all. I avoid it.

Seems to be smoother though when the motor runs on BETTER fuel. Better means not containing ethanol, above 88 Octane. And has a good tune up. The exhaust I installed made it smoother while under load such as a stop light with foot on brake.

 

Hey, I had the same codes on my 2000 ranger, I checked all those things and more; however, when I checked the coil pack, that was the problem. Coil pack is only $80 from advance.

 

I have a 2004 Ford Ranger 4.0L SOHC. Lately it has been burning thru plug 5 and I have replaced the plugs 4 times in less than 2 years and about 20,000 miles. The truck has 233,000 miles on it. Today I replaced all the plugs again. 5 and 6 were the bad ones that were missing according to the engine codes. When i pulled the plugs they also smelled funny compared to the others. I just added seafoam two days ago cus I thought that it might be a problem with the fuel injectors. The only other idea I have to try if the seafoam doesnt work would be to try replacing the coil pack to see if that might be the problem unless someone else has any ideas. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Also when I let the truck idle it has a rough idle.