So this started about two weeks ago the check engine light started flashing indicating that the spark plugs were misfiring I hooked up my scanner to be sure and that's what came back cylinders 3,5,6 are misfiring the truck is sluggish getting up shakes a lot when I have the throttle pressed down at a certain pace .. the truck struggles to turn on I have to turn key on 3 times before actually atempting to start it so it'll start up right away as if it's not getting enough gas .. I just put new valve gaskets on ignition coil spark plugs and wires and that didn't solve it .. my cats are clogged now I think... so my guess is that either the fuel injectors are bad or the fuel pumps beginning to shut down but I'm leaning toward injectors just because the spark plugs and how it shakes at 45 mph and 55mph it hesitates to go sometimes ... any tips or thoughts would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance... this is also my first time on this forum !

 

Welcome to the forum

I assume a Ranger and either a 2.9l or 3.0l engine

What year?
What engine?

If the problem started slowly over a few months then maybe fuel injectors were getting clogged up.
If problem happen over a few days then not injectors.

Tap on Cats and muffler with rubber mallet or piece of wood, if you hear internal rattles then yes, probably clogged up
Also put hand over tail pipe while some one REVs engine, you can feel if exhaust flow doesn't match RPMs as they are increased

Test fuel pressure if possible

Year and engine model would be needed for more help on this

 

It's A 2000 3.0 2wd the cats are clogged foresure ill have to do a fuel pressure test this weekend I got the truck about 2 months ago it only has 106,xxx miles on it

 

1998 and up Rangers will have 55-65 psi fuel pressure, they run Returnless fuel system

Pressure should hold with Key OFF above 45psi, for MONTHS, not minutes, hours or days, months and months.

Dropping pressure, key off, usually means failing check valve in fuel pump, it is part of the fuel pump not a separate part.

 

Thanks Ron I appreciate the tips I'll let you know what I find out! I'm just gonna take the wild guess and assume that Ima have to drop the tank to get to the fuel pump since I had to do that on my camaro when the fuel pump decided to go bad

 

If you have a hoist you can take the bed off to get to the fuel tank.

 

+1 ^^^ but I don't think you need a hoist

There are 6 bolts in the bed that hold it to the frame, T55 I think
And 3 screws on the filler tube

There is also tail light wiring to unplug

The bed is not that heavy but not a one man job to remove it, but you don't have to remove it all the way

You can remove the front 4 bed bolts and then loosen the two rear bed bolts, and unscrew them 1/2 to 3/4 of the way
Then depending on bumper setup, you can tilt the bed up and prop it up with 2x4's which gives you access to the top of the gas tank, leave tail lights plugged in.

Sliding the bed backwards is also and option vs total removal, unplug tail lights

Dropping the gas tank is OK but can be hard to get back in in a DIY setting
IMO, the Bed is the way to go

 

Just to add, if you have factory rear mud flaps, I found removing those made the job way easier.
They get in the way when lifting the bed over the rear bumper _ if you choose to take it that far.

And there is one plug that disconnects the tail lights.
The plug is visible between the top edge of the pumper and the bottom edge of the end gate _ a bit off to the left side from centre.
At least that's where it is on my B3000.

 

I have an engine hoist with an engine balancer crank. Chain attached to the tiedowns in a "X" with the balancer at the X and it becomes a one man job.

When replacing the fuel pump also replace the rubber hoses. They do not cost much and they are 17 years old. With the bed off it is also easy to get at other areas that may need attention.