The truck is a 2008 ranger, sport. (3.0l) EDIT: Manual transmission, so i guess PCM issues wouldnt be felt in the shifting)

Today on my drive home from work. i looked down and my tach, and speedo were at 0, and my odo read - - - - - - - - - . Other than that, the motor responded normal, everything seemed fine. Radio on, all accessories working.
within about 20 seconds, everything jumped back to where it should be and everything was normal again.
About 1 minute later, everything dumped to zero again, and odo went back to dashes.
at this point i was about 400 meters from home, so i pulled into the driveway, and shut it off. Turned the key back to on, no tach or speedo check, odo still dashes.. Tried to start... no crank. Everything else still fine.

Sor far i checked all the PCM fuses and relays. all visually looked fine, so i swapped fuses and relays around to see if one was bad and just not showing it. Still no change. (can feel a click on the pcm relay when the key is turned. so it SHOULD be working. swapped it for the blower relay, and the blower still works.)

visually inspected all the grounds i could see from the top of the engine bay, they LOOK ok.

now for the questions...

Anyone know which ground the PCM uses?
Anything common i may have missed?
Is there anything in the ignition/dash that would do this? becasue the odo is all dashes.. im assuming that means its not the anti theft.
Where can i purchase a new pcm worst case scenario?
What info do i need to get the anti theft programmed to my keys?

Frustrated at this point. any ideas?

 

2008 Ranger has a digital dash, it has its own computer(microprocessor) built in.

So not a PCM issue

Instrument cluster has a Test Mode, also called Engineering mode: http://www.carlogic.org/bg/data/Ford...ler%20mode.pdf

Also Google: 2008 ford ranger instrument cluster engineering mode

If you need to replace the instrument cluster you can't just swap in another one.
The Cluster is "married" to the PCM at the factory
When you turn on the key they exchange IDs if either sees a "no match" then engine will not start.
The Odometer was the reason for this, i.e. people doing "Rollbacks" on high milers by installing a new dash.

If cluster is bad Ford Dealer orders a new one with same odometer reading as the old one, or gets odometer reading from the PCM if odometer is not working at all, it is also stored in PCM, just FYI.
Then "remarries" it to PCM after it is installed
Not sure there is a work around for this.


But hopefully it is just a loose wire causing loss of power or ground, problem with that diagnosis is that the odometer doesn't show dashes with key off and on normally, so loss of power is a long shot

 

i can enter test mode on the odometer and it cycles the gauges and all the lights no problem. would this still be a cluster problem?

another note... with an engine diagnostic tool on the OBD port... it fails to detect ECU (works fine on our car, and used to work fine on the truck)

with the no start... it doesnt even crank. which is why i immediately assumed PCM

 

update... so i got frustrated with it, and left it alone for a few hours.
decided i would go try a few more things before bed... and i clicked the key to aux.. and the odometer read the mileage.

sooo i turned the key and it fired up no problems.
I didnt touch a single thing since the last time i was out there.

I have no idea what the problem is, and im afraid to drive it around, i dont feel like paying a tow bill.

any more ideas? lol

 

Another update.

I failed to mention I had an installer put in an alarm system about 10 years ago to date. It had to go back to them several times as the alarm system kept randomly getting triggered. They said something about having to throw in a diode or relay in to stop the anti theft from triggering the alarm when it would pulse.

Not sure if there is a lick of logic to that as I know nothing about automotive electrical. But it worked fine until a few years back when I broke the remote. It's been sitting in disarm mode since then and I haven't touched anything to do with its wiring.

They also installed an aftermarket deck at the same time which still works fine. I doubt anything on the deck would cause problems.. but just trying to add as much info as possible.

I can't see it being the anti theft as from what I have read if the anti theft is triggered it will crank but not start. But hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in on that.

 

Ford's Anti-theft also disable Starter Relay, so no crank

Just to confirm, the dash gauges and odometer dropped out WHILE driving and it didn't effect engine operation?

But only when it drops out on startup is when you get the no crank/start?

Does the ignition key feel OK when you turn it, doesn't feel loose or sticky at all?

Ignition switch itself is under the steering column, the key pushes and pulls on a rod that slides the switch into its 4 positions, ACC, OFF, RUN, START
In RUN the switch sends out 12volts on 4 separate wires to power various fuses and relays.
Once engine is started try wiggling the key to see if dash is effected

If OBD reader powers up when connected to OBD port but fails to detect PCM/ECU then that would indicate a Data Bus problem which would also effect the dash.

If vehicle does start, have you tried connecting OBD reader at that time?


Below are wiring diagrams for Data Link and Instrument cluster
The DLC is the OBD port you plug into

 

they dropped out while driving. then came back, dropped out, came back, and dropped out again all in the same 2km stretch of road. this doesnt include the fuel gauge (it has been fine the whole time). when it would drop out, the CEL would also light up. and would go out when they came back.

Once i shut off the truck, and tried to restart, the gauges were still out, and it wouldnt even crank. all the lights on the dash work. no matter if the gauges drop out or not.

Ignition feels normal. not loose, not sticky. wiggling it like hell all around i cant recreate this issue.

when the gauges are dead, the obd2 will not read. when it comes back to life, it will read normal, and no engine codes.


I made this post right after it happened (minus the time to play with all the fuses and relays/look for bad connections for a couple hours). and i had to leave the truck alone for about 6 hours before it mysteriously came back to life...

I have driven it for 3 hours around the block since and nothing out of the ordinary apart from neighbors probably wondering wtf im doing casing the block over and over. the issue started after about 2 minutes of driving after being parked for 9 hours originally. hasnt happened since.

I dont want to just say mystery solved itself and all is good... becasue i have no idea what is causing it, and i dont feel like being stranded a long ways from home, but im lost on what it could be at this point.

 

Engine won't crank/start unless instrument cluster "checks in", so if odo and some gauges are off line I would say instrument cluster is as well, so PCM will not allow startup.

Not all gauges are straight digital, i.e. oil gauge and fuel gauge still use analog senders

It is a puzzle I don't see and obvious common link were it would quit working without engine problem if it was PCM

 

ok, well that makes sense.

Its just strange that that the cluster seemed to be fine with the "Engineering mode" but still not display mileage.

I guess ill just have to try and diagnose it again next time it happens. maybe it was just a loose wire that got bumped back in place when i slammed the door or something.

ill update this if it happens again and what i did to get it going.

Thanks for the info

 

OK, I guess thats all you can do with intermittent issues

 

2011 Ranger Sport 4x4 Manual. I am having the same issue as described here. I got towed home for the 4th time in 2 yrs. now sitting in my garage. Dealer replaced & reprogrammed keys after 2nd brake down. I believe that I checked all relays, fuses & grounds. All seem good. I think PCM is the problem. Expensive guess if it’s not the cause. What was the resolution with the 2008 Ranger.
Thanks In advance for any help

 

2011 Ranger Sport 4x4 4.0 with manual. This scenario has happened 4 times in past 2yrs. 3 times in past month: While driving my tach, and speedo drop to 0, and my odo reading - - - - - - - - - (only dashes), all dash warning lights come on, & pats light flashing very fast. Other than that, the motor responded normal, everything seemed fine. Radio on, all accessories working. After 20 seconds, everything back to normal. About 1 minute later, everything dumped to zero again, and odo went back to dashes. After shutting off vehicle, Turned the key back to on, no tach or speedo, odo reads dashes, all warning lights on & pats light flashing rapidly, no crank, no start, and no communication at obd port. Then for some reason it may start again. But then not start again. This seems to be when out and I need to get it towed. I had Ford dealer check it out after 2nd breakdown. They programmed new keys. Then it happened 1 month after new keys. It was towed to dealer, but it started working when there. They found nothing wrong. Fourth time now, So I decided to tackle this on my own. So far I checked all fuses and relays. Changed fuses and relays around to see if one was bad and just not showing it. I cleaned & visually inspected all the grounds I could find. I am getting power to the pcm connector. My question: can you bench test this PCM & repair if necessary? Or where else can I look?

 

Welcome to the forum

2011 Ranger

If dealer reprogrammed keys then you had a PATS(passive anti-theft system) issue which caused the No Start
So was the THEFT light on dash flashing when you tried to start vehicle?

And is it flashing now when you try to start?
PATS is in the instrument cluster in 2011 Ranger, not the PCM, just FYI

What was the issue in the next TWO times it was towed?

And whats the symptoms on this last time?
Does engine crank(starter motor works)?

Do dash lights all come on with key on, does THEFT light come on and then go off or does it flashes?
If it flashes leave key on and wait 45-60 seconds and it will start to flash a 2 digital code, a 1 and then 1 to 6 flashes, and it will repeat

Most PATS issues can be from low battery power, a good battery will test like this
12.8volts is a new battery
12.5volts is a 3 year old battery
12.3volts is a 5/6 year old battery and time to shop for battery sales
12.2volts and lower is a finished battery, replace if now


2011 should be on 2nd battery and may be time for the 3rd, test voltage

 

Thanks for your quick response. 1st time it stopped working, 2yrs ago. I opened the interior fuse panel cover and it started working. Which led me to believe the problem was in that area. I pulled all fuses and connectors in this area, checked and cleaned up any grounds. No issues for 2yrs. About 1 yr ago my son lost 1 key. So I had an aftermarket key made. No issues. Then about 6 months ago the 2 original key was lost. We only used the after market one. Then 2 months ago the truck did the “no start, no crank, Odo dashes, all gauges on, pats flashing fast ( but then just stays on after a few moments), This time I towed it to the dealer. When they checked it next day it started. They couldn’t find anything wrong. I told them the issues I was having, so they programmed 2 new Ford keys. 2 weeks after that, the same thing was happening. Luckily it was in my driveway. I spent 1 week going through all fuses, relays, grounds and Any connections. I couldn’t get it to crank or start etc. So I towed it back to the dealer. Guess what, it started when I got it there. Nothing that they could do for me. Now approx 2 months later, it’s happened again. It’s in my garage. I don’t want to take it anywhere. FYI it has a AGM battery that is fully charged. It’s about1yr old.

 

Well the flashing THEFT light means its a PATS issue so not a PCM issue for sure

Google: Ford HEC test mode

HEC = Hybrid electronic cluster, in 2004 and up Rangers got the HEC's and the PATS is inside these

You can run thru the tests and see if there are any codes that might help diagnose the issue
You can also access the codes with a code reader, but need to access B and C codes, not the P(power train) codes

There are really only 2 parts to the PATS in 2004-2011 Rangers
The HEC
And the Transceiver, its a powered antenna loop around the ignition key slot, its not a "matched" part so can be swapped out with another one with no reprogramming, its just a powered antenna, has 12v and ground, then 2 signal wires

If THEFT light is not flashing a code after 45-60 seconds then it may indeed be a PATS issue in the cluster, but maybe the 2011 is different since you can read B codes from display so they don't flash a 2 digit code

Here are some of the PATS B codes: https://www.launchtech.co.uk/common-...lt%20codes.pdf

These are for all models of PATS so some won't apply to your model

 

Thanks, I will try that and let you know how it goes. What I can’t get my head around is, while acting up, this has gone back to normal on its own. With out doing anything! This just doesn’t make any sense to me.

 

???

Its not a mechanical system, its electric, so intermittent faults are normal and expected, could be simple as a loose connector or wire, if you can get any B codes that may point the way

 

FYI, I wiggled some wires under the dash and it started up. I did the same thing yesterday but it didn’t start. I will concentrate in this area. Clean all connections and grounds and I hope it will finally be resolved. Thanks for all your help

 

Interesting how you mentioned the truck starting once after you removed the cover by the fuse box. The 2004+ trucks are well known for corrosion in that area (mainly the fuse box connectors) and it will cause all sorts of weird and strange issues depending on where the corrosion is. It's always worth a serious check when you're experiencing problems like this.

 

+1 ^^^^

This article: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...horn_mod.shtml

Has nothing whats-so-ever to do with your issue..............................but

It is a good view of your SJB, the body computer and power source for cab electrics

Never a bad idea to unplug and plug back in ANY connector, you can also give it a look for corrosion, just unplugging and plugging back in CLEANS the metal contacts in ANY connection
So even under the dash, if you "see it" unplug it and plug it back together, can ONLY help
The transceiver is plugged in at the base of steering column under the dash, 4 wire connector

The article tells how to use the levers on the larger SJB wiring connectors to release them for visual inspection, then reconnect

 

My 2007 ford ranger 2.3 liter has been having the speedometer, rpm, dials drop off,& the odometer show dashes.(I've had it towed twice) So I've seemed to have fixed the problem by ordering a new cylinder lock with the programmable keys that were MADE for it.(not programmed copies from the lock smith) my keys were loose in the lock,id taken it apart and cleaned the tarnish off the metal plates in it and it started after that once. Since there were no codes I followed the test procedure here and got 16.( no communication between module & eec) Again i took the ignition lock off (cleaning the contacts) and decided to throw the part at it. It works! I suggest anyone with this problem to just change the ignition lock.

 

In a 2007 the Instrument cluster has the PATS software, it reads the key in ignition, then sends the "OK" or "Not OK" to start to computer
And in 2007 the Cluster and Computer need even more of a data connection, Computer sends cluster speedo, odo, temp, tach, ect...........data to display

Code 16 would indicate there was an issue with this data link
And dashes in the Odo display or no speedo would confirm that

Messing with the key cylinder wouldn't effect the data link UNLESS there was a loose wire near the steering column under the dash or on the transceiver(black plastic ring around key slot)

But loose transceiver wire would be a different code
Code 16 is the link between cluster and computer, not transceiver and cluster

Glad its working again but................be aware you may not have seen the end of the data link issue

 

Thanks,well I considered something along this line and somehow just think that the keys I had made for this ignition & programmed by the dealership were somehow faulty or too "crisp" for the old ignition lock. Id like to find out though if member ninja had original keys or not? I've gotten this vehicle to start a run for a ways by going over it and have nearly tried everything simple short of going under the dash with a voltage meter and find where my missing or low voltage is. I guess if its in working order then id have to wait until the module&pcm have trouble again to find the problem. Its definitely working again did i get lucky? Or why would this ignition lock cylinder change be the progressive step that "fixed" this lock out problem albeit temporary tenuous except that the keys were not always recognized sometimes needing to manually hold the key all the way in to get a door bell. I don't like throwing parts at a problem but it seemed like it couldn't hurt to replace an old one if that's all that was accomplished. Thanks again.

 

ninja hasn't been here in 3 years, so don't hold your breath.

 

After having gotten a factory technician wiring manual i luckily figured out which wire(connector c144_ female side-14290_pin45) i could move with my finger while driving to get all the guages to spring back on after reading dashes for the odometer & and no speedometer or tach resulting in anti theft light blinking and lock out upon engine shutdown.After I took the connector apart it seemed like the locking tabs for them all were not really holding the terminals in very tight. (maybe they are secured completly with the guard/guide in place) I may get that 20 or 22 gauge tyco terminal to replace it if the wire is actually going to break completely but for now I just electrical taped the wires that sort of hang downward from this connector and it seems to be about fine now. There is a lot of wear and tear to the underside of a small cabined truck and maybe it got damaged located where it is to the left of the steering column. Hope this helps figure this out for someone because it has been very inconvenient for me. Thanks. John B.