I have a 1993 Ranger with the 4.0. I have never had a problem with it until a few days ago. The truck seems to start over fueling after it runs for a minute or two. It seems like there is oil mixed in but it smells mainly like fuel. It is smoking horribly with a white smoke after it has been running for a minute. IT is so bad that when I tried to drive it down the road it looked like I was fogging the area (it was at 7am so hopefully none of the neighbors realized it was me!). I normally pride myself on being able to fix my cars but this one has me stumped.

Here is what I know for sure:

The truck has 198,000 miles on it and this is the first major issue
It has been sitting for about 6 months without being started (I bought another truck and
was driving it.)
I did a compression check and all 6 cylinders are at 140 psi.
When I pulled the plugs there were a few that looked like they were ashy in color.
I replaced the plugs with new iridium plugs
There is water coming out the tailpipe when it runs (not coolant)
I replace the PCV Valve
There is no coolant in the oil
I did notice oil in the plenum but there was no oil in the PVC valve hose or the hose that
leads off the oil fill neck.
When I test drove it down the road it was lacking power
The check engine light is not coming on but does work

I am thinking about replacing the intake and plenum gaskets but wanted to make sure there isn't something else I need to be looking at before I go and put everything back together. I don't want to start replacing random parts so I am hoping someone has seen this before. Figures when I decide to start driving it to work again, something finally breaks.

 

Wirelessly posted (Timberwolf)

****tty gas? If its been sitting for 6months....could be water in the fuel

 

Something else I noticed.....a lot of places are saying the truck takes copper plugs or the part number ends in P.....mine is AWSY-42PP. My understanding is that means double platinum. The parts house swears the new iridium plugs are better and better fuel efficiency because they fire hotter. Anyone heards anything about this?

 

Maybe a blow head gasket or cracked head or intake gaskets… sounds to me like a coolant leaking in to a cylinder or two.

Do you lose any power ?

Has your coolant level gone down ?

Just thinking out loud.

Water dripping from the tail pipe could be just condensation ?

No coolant in the oil just means the block is ok still could be a head gasket or head.

 

I thought about that but it ran on the same tank just fine before this. I used 1/4 of the tank before I parked it. Honestly, at 4.20 a gallon I am hesitant on draining the fuel and tossing it unless I can be sure.

 

There isn't any coolant in the oil, the exhause does not have that coolant smell, and no it's not losing coolant. I thought it was a bad valve seal but thought the compression would be off if it was. Plus it's only starts to smoke after a minute or two of running. Plus the truck starts right up.

 

Wirelessly posted (Timberwolf)

Has it been in a garage or sitting outside? Did you add some fuel stabilizer when you let it sit for six months?

 

It was sitting outside and yes on the fuel stabilizer.

 

Wirelessly posted (Timberwolf)

To me it sounds like a fuel thing. It smokes for two mins then clears and fires right up.......check your fuel filter....sediment could have been sucked up as it has been sitting for a bit. Hope it works out well for you man.

 

It's the opposite....it is fine for about two minutes then the smoke starts. It seems like there is a way to test the fuel so I'll look into that. But the oil in the plenum is one of the another symptoms.

 

the smoke just sounds like condensation to me...does it go away after the truck warms up?

 

No, it smokes really bad! I fogged the neighborhood this morning. I thought it was just residue or condensation and I took it around the block. Bad idea! Plus it smells of gas to the point I still smell it on me and in the house (yes the windows were closed) from an hour ago.

 

I did find an article saying the 93s had a problem with the fuel pressure regulators so when it stops raining I am going to check the pressure. After that I am tempted to replace the intake and plenum gaskets. They are $40.00 for a Felpro set.

 

water leaking outta the pipes could be from using ethonal gas or superunleaded or w/e thats just my first thought when i see that.

 

It has to be water in the gas. I would get rid of that tank of gas and get a new one and see if it goes away.

 

ok almost figured it out. It's either the fuel pressure regulator or an injector(s). When I was checking the pressure it would spike to 70 then drop to 0. I tried this several times and the same results each time. I noticed if I turned the key on then immediately off it spiked at 70 and slowly leaked down. If I turned the key on an left it on it suddenly dropped to 0. I also noticed something kept clicking irratically. since I think the regulator is vacuum regulated, that leaves the injectors. I am going to pull the plenum and try to figure out which one it is since they are $60 each.