question time...
 

what is this?? noticed it today when i was doing weekly check. a hose has come lose and the nipple that it attaches to is cracked and deteriorating (probably why the hose came off). Attachment 137477
so reattached the hose i best i could, and zip-tied it, hoping it will hold
Attachment 137478
added some wishful thinking and dreaming for good measure
Attachment 137479
the hose that came of has in the process melted my cable wrap and electrical tape. so i need to get this fixed, properly. and where does this thing mount as it is kind floating there. is something missing?? pics would be helpful. sorry rather new to fords.
thanks in advance. :biggthump

that looks like thr DPFE sensor. i would bet you also have a check engine light?

nope. no check engine light. truck runs fine. was thinking had something to do with the coolant, as that was a little low

i would bet my weeks pay that is the DPFE sensor, no it has nothing to do with your cooling system.

What is DPFE?

Dpfe sensor is the delta (differential) pressure feedback egr (exhaust gas recirculation) it monitors the pressure on the egr valve to make sure it is working.

01 ranger 4x4.. you seem to know alot about this.. so what bad things can happen if this isnt taken care of?

sorry dude, wasnt questioning your knowledge (just thought it may have something to do with cooling due to the white substance all over the dpfe and area, from my experience, coolant). after some brief reading, you are 110% right, it is the dpfe sensor. wondering why the CEL never came on??

does this generally mount to something?? as can be seen in the pic above is just sort floating there. i know the newer vehicles have them mounted on the firewall, but where is mine supposed to mount up??

i only know about it because mine went bad on my truck a few years ago. its a pretty common problem on the fords. mine just threw a code but didnt effect the way it ran at all but ive heard others say it can make it run funny. not sure how though

yeah, sorry if i sounded like a dick, it didnt really come out right. that white substance just looks like corrosion on the aluminum housing. what year is your truck? mine (2001 SOHC 4.0) is mounted on the side of the intake but your pic looks like the OHV 4.0 and im not sure where it mounts on those. im suprised too it didnt throw a code. did you drive it with the hose disconnected?

check your cluster bulb.... I bet it's throwing a code...but there's a burnt bulb that's blocking it from view...


Yep...DPFE. I'm thinking the DPFE just floats there like the newer SOHC 4.0's do....the DPFE doesn't actually mount to anything on the sohcs....it just sorta floats there on the hardlines.

It's the DPFE. I had one go bad on my 3.0 but it didn't cause driveability issues, just a $56 hole in my pocket. I'll take a picture of the one on my new 4.0 OHV so you can see how it mounts up tomrrow.

kewl. thanks. thanks for everyones help. the truck is a 94 4.0 ohv (sorry forgot to mention that). yeah i was driving it for like a week (maybe even longer as there might have been a hole/ inlet exposed that i did not notice earlier) with the hose disconnected... no codes, cluster bulb works fine. guess it matters which hose is missing as one inlet measures prior to the restriction and one after. the only damage was the exhaust heat on my cable bundle running above the detached hose. if you look in the first pic i posted, you can see the cable bundle right above the hose and it looks like someone shot it. didnt damage the cables and insulation inside, but the outside is toast.

the reason i said i thought it might have something to do with cooling is that when my volkswagon blew a hole in one of the coolant lines, it leaked all the side of the engine. in the process of being leaked and heated repeatedly, it left behind a similar white corrosion. after doing some reading lastnight, i realized its because condensation forms in the exhaust gas and it must have been shooting out through a small hole onto the engine block. its why ford designed the computer to ignore any codes/msgs if the the ambient temperature is below 32F; as these units tend to freeze up and malfunction from the condensation gathering inside the unit, leaving the egr either opened or closed.

well guess im off to the store to pickup a new one. is this one off those stealership only parts or would auto supply chains carry it as well?? again thanks to everyone for their help.

CRAP. Sorry, I was caught up with putting my truck back together. When I get to the shop in the morning I will take a picture before I do anything. I get home around 3 pm EST and i'll post it here as soon as I get home.

To answer your question, the DPFE sensor was like $56 for my 3.0 ranger. It looks exactly like the one on my 4.0 so it's probably the same thing. I got mine from AutoZone.

kewl. thanks dude.

Here's how it mounts on the intake. It's my 98 4.0 OHV by the way...
Attachment 137170
Attachment 137171
Attachment 137172

tom, thank you so much. when i get the replacement dpfe, i will be sure to look into mounting it there. i did notice, or it could be just my imagination, but i think my mpg has gone down slightly since i reattached the bypass tube to the dpfe. maybe the unit is shot or maybe my egr valve is now stuck, dont know. going to have to sit down with an amp meter and do some probing.

thanks again to everyone for their help.