I thought the fuel filter might have been the problem, so I replaced it, but the truck still stutters. The stuttering mostly occurs in the lower rpms. Noticeable during acceleration, instead of a low steady tone, it stutters. Tonight it seemed worse, shaking the truck a tad. No check engine light yet.

The truck has 65k on it.

Could it be:

The spark plugs? Stock originals..
Fuel pump? Stock original..
PCV Valve?(not sure if that is the right acronym as I am brain dead) stock original..
Dirty MAF? (I do have a K&N)
Bad Oil? (should still have another 2k of life)
Oxygen sensor? Stock original..
Bad Gas? (filled up 2 days ago)

Should I remove the tuner and just take it to a mechanic?

 

Installed new spark plugs.. cleaned the maf.. recharged the k&n..

still ****ing stutters..

could it be the wires or the distributor cap? fuel injectors?

I filled up with shell gas.. and a chevron fuel system cleaner.. could that have ****ed it up?

 

i dont think its anything you did, last time mine stuttered i hit the coil with a rubber hammer and it quit! how many miles do you have? i would def check the plugs and wires.

 

65k

I like the hammer idea.. lol

How do I figure out if it is a bad wire or coil?

 

The previous owner of my ranger said it stuttered but he noticed that the coil was actually cracked a little at the bottom and he replaced it now it runs like a clock.

 

Replaced wires and it still does it..

at least I am getting some basic maintenance out of the way..

Next on the hit list:
Ignition Coil
Fuel Injectors

but those will have to wait till friday.. hopefully I get paid on the 4th..

So far $129 spent replacing/cleaning parts that weren't the problem..

1. Replaced Fuel Filter
2. Replaced Spark Plugs
3. Replaced Wires
4. Cleaned MAF
5. Cleaned K&N

 

yah after watching that vid i think its your coil pack, and if your going to replace that might as well get the screamin demon from stuffforyourranger.

 

They dont make one for my 2.3L

The only one I have found so far is Built to Last Duralast! $55 aint too bad..

I will change it either sunday or monday.. and if that dont work then Im gonna give up and pay for my local shop to fix it..

 

Try disconnecting the battery for about 15 minuites and remove the tuner. Force the PCM to relearn it's base settings.

 

Ignition Coil Replaced.. and it runs great!

and of course..

I get a ticket for a rolling stop..

 

Mine was bogging down at cruising RPM's and I cleaned the Idle Air Controler thing and it stopped

 

were's that?

 

screamin demon makes coils for the 4.6 same coil, also pull the plug off the coil while its running, you either see spark or you wont. if not its bad. its how i found out my primary coil 1 and 4 was bad, never thought about the hammer tho. soon as ifix the tranny ill try that.

 

I dont know where it is on yours but on mine its right before the throttlebody on the intake

 

idle air control shouldn't be anywhere near the maf, it should be mounted on the throttlebody with one senser plug. it has two phillips screws most likely holding it in place and will be mounted on the firewall side of the throttlebody. a pita to get to due to egr, but thats not knowing what year truck you have. the only sensor near the maf, i thought was the map sensor mounted on the firewall. am i wrong?

 

Thats what I meant its by the throttlebody.

 

its mounted on the manifold

 

Hey guys, I'm troubleshooting the exact same probem on my gf's 2.3 Isn't there 2 coils on the 2.3? I'm actually going to replace it/them tonight after work, and was wondering how tough it is to change?

 

on the old 2.5L, Yes.

on the 2.3L Duratec, No. Just one coil.

Easy, disconnect battery, remove plugs one at a time and transfer them to the new coil matching the numbers, remove other clip thing, unbolt old, rebolt new, reinsert clip thing, the 4 bolts used an allen wrench I think.. reconnect the battery and crank er up!

 

Its a 97, if that helps at all. The 2.3 with the dumb idea of 2 plugs per cylinder. Thats why I ask, 8 plugs = 2 coils?

Oh, and how in the HECK can you pull 35mpg? I can't get 25, even 23 outa this damn thing!!! Your one lucky bastard lol!!

 

I think so, 8 plugs, 8 wires, 2 coils.. 4 wires per coil.. crazy.. maybe someone with a 97 will chime in..

 

Alright, I tore into it last night. Replaced the coils and the IAC valve. While it didn't completley fix the misfiring, it seemed to get better once it warmed up. The IAC was done due to it staying at high rpm's and not coming down right away when I'd shift.

However, the coils made a HUGE power difference. And I just put the el cheapo "built to last duralast" coils in, not the high performance ones. The butt dyno said like 20hp better!!

We're going to see how it drives this weekend, and if it's still missing quite a bit then it's going to a mechanic to get the ignition and valve timing checked out.

Thanks for all the help!!!

 

I went spark plugs, fuel filter, plug wires, then coil.. then it was fixed.. "knock on wood"..

 

I've done plugs & wires, and now the coils, might look into fuel filter I guess. I duno, I might "accidentally" drive it off a cliff... at least then I'd be done wrenching on the damn thing!!! LOL!!

It does it at all rpm's, though its tougher to hear at higher rpms but it still studers and misses, and isn't as noticeable under heavy acceleration, so I'm thinking it's probably not the fuel filter.

 

I did the fuel filter because I thought it may be chocking the engine as it was at lower rpms.. also I hit 65k so it was due..