The problem started a week ago when I filled up at a gas station i have used once or twice with the truck before, and with my neon a handful of times with success before. I was on "E" when I filled up. As I pulled out of the parking lot the truck just dies.....as I roll into the street I pop it in neutral real quick and she starts right up. I figure its the new gas working its way into the system and shrug it off. I drove the truck once during the week and had no problem. Saturday morning, on my way to the local shooting range, all of a sudden the RPM just drops to 500. No check engine light, nothing. I try to accelerate, nothing. About 10 seconds later it shoots like a rocket back up to 3000 and runs normally. About 2 miles later, same thing. I get to my destination with no more problems. About 8:15 that night I leave, get maybe 3 miles down the road and it drops back down to 500 rpm. This time I get the CEL, check gauge light, so I decide to pull over, and the truck quits completly. I try to start the truck and it seems like it wants to start, but it just won't turn over. The first few times I tried it the oil pres gauge went nuts....but eventually stopped after 4 tries or so. Oil level is fine, trans fluid level is fine, air filter looks almost new, and I unhooked the neg batt cable for about 10 minutes to see if re-retting everything would work. Nothing. After banging my head (and literally kneeing the hack out of my pass door) for about 40 minutes my buddy finally shows up and I finally decide to just tow the thing. We tried for about 30 minutes and can't get ahold of anybody to tow this thing...until finally a Deputy Sheriff drives by and calls one for me. 30-45 minutes go by before this guy shows up. When we finally make it to the shop I try one last time....nope, it won't start. Finally got home (via roomate who I'm sure would have rather been at home with a cold beer in his hand) about 11. Hope all that made sense.

Anybody have any idea what the problem could be? The shop still hasn't called me back with a diagnosis and its bugging me not knowing for sure what the problem is.

Here is the kicker....I paid for the extended warrenty (48k miles) when I got the truck. The mileage now is a little over 50k. Good one Ford, thanks.

 

I don't know man, maybe your fuel pump is going out, and on the warranty, if you find a good dealership they will still fix it at that mileage. The one I go to back home fixed my old truck when it was like 6 or 7 thousand over.

 

Water in the fuel or some other fuel problem? It sounds like it happened immediately after the fill up.

 

Spark, fuel and air.

Which one is missing?

I'm gonna guess fuel, as in fuel pump.
Spark is easy enough to check, but it's even easier to listen for the fuel pump when you turn the key to ON.

Since it's already in the shop, ask them what # code(s) set the CEL.

Where's Hubert, down by Jacksonville, going toward Burgaw?

 

sounds like a problem I had in my old 93 mustang. driving down the road and suddenly you can't pick up any speed. and your RPM's suck ****. you tap and tap on the gas just to get to 35 MPH to get where your going. I had a mechanic look at it and we just simply unplugged the mass air unit (above the air filter) and it never did it again. supposedly it had just went bad, and a new one would have costed around 200 bucks...

 

last week my 98 would cut out like that- no CEL or anything, so i cleaned the MAF sensor and it helped but not for long so, i got a new one($100.) problem solved!

 

this used to happen to my 2000. when i couldnt get it to start, i unplugged my MAF and it started right up, didnt run fantastic but it got me home. Next day i went to the junkyard and put a new one in, problem solved...

 

is the engine locked up?

my truck did the same thing check guage/cel/dead and I locked up the engine do the the distributor gear sheared and thats what turned the oil pump.

common problem in the 3.0's here check this out..

http://www.rangerpowersports.com/for...d.php?t=203433

 

With my 1993 Saturn when the Alternator started to fail you would get all sorts of wild guage activity and rpm fluctuations. It soon would fail. I am new to Ford Rangers myself (an owner for a whole month) but you may need a new alternator.

Just a thought.

Paul.

 

So I called the shop this morning and asked them if they figured anything out. They told me that everytime they turned the key the truck started right up.....yeah, started right up. Oh you got me good this time Ranger. The best I can figure, based on your guys responses (thanks btw) that it was bad gas and gunked up the fuel pump. The shop thinks that maybe when it was towed there, everything shook up and freed up whatever the problem was. I tried the key after it was taken off the tow truck and I got nothing. I guess it had to sit a while. Since they had the truck anyway I had them change the oil and drove it home today. I don't know what the deal is but I had planned on picking up some fuel injection cleaner and one or two more fuel additives either tonight or tomorrow and top off the tank to try and keep this from happening again. I'm even considering picking up a fuel pump and maybe a MAF sensor just in case. Again, thanks for the replies everybody.

Earl43P, Hubert is some po-dunk little place I wouldn't even call a town between Jacksonville and Swansboro. I can get to either in less than 10 minutes.

 

i see no need for a new MAF, you shouldn't have pulled the battery cable because you cleared any codes it had and now you will never know what they are.

sounds like bad gas or maybe a bad fuel pump, maybe even a clogged fuel filter.

 

lol my last name is huber.