Hey guys just bought an 09 FX4 ranger 4.0 4x4 it has the 31 spline Torsen rear axle and leather interior. I will probably just be doing a lot of reading trying to get familiar with all the ins and outs of the truck. Well just wanted to introduce myself

 

Hello

Good truck, 4.0l SOHC has good power and is a good engine.
The plastic thermostat housing was prone to leaking.
And the PCV hoses would crack at the elbows, under side, giving you 171/174 codes.

Torsen axles use synthetic oil only, with limited slip additive

 

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome aboard! I'm sure you will find new friends, tons of information and great ideas for your Ranger on here!

 

Thanks guys I did a lot of research before I bought the truck to make sure it was what I wanted. Just did all the basic maintenance all new fluids and filters. I will be changing the spark plugs out next week with oem plugs. The truck has 86k miles so I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect shape.

 

Heads up on the spark plugs.

Ford uses a Waste Spark system.
The Coil Pack only has 3 coils inside, but there are 6 spark plugs.
So 2 spark plugs are "fired" at the same time, the Pairs of spark plugs are for the Matched Pair cylinders, cylinders where the pistons are both at Top Dead Center(TDC) at the same time.
To balance a V6 engine there are 3 matched pairs that rotate 120deg apart

One piston of the pair will be at TDC at the end of compression stroke, the other also at TDC but at the end of exhaust stroke.
So a spark is "wasted" on the cylinder at the end of exhaust stroke.

To fire 2 spark plugs from one coil the wiring needs to be in Series.
So one spark plug sparks from center to tip the other spark plug sparks from tip to center(reverse spark).

The coil pack is wired like this:
3 4
2 6
1 5
Front

Those are the Matched Pairs
3 4 = matched pair, 1 coil
2 6 = matched pair, 1 coil
1 5 = matched pair, 1 coil

(5 6 4 side is easy to miss wire so heads up on that as well)

The 1 2 3 spark plugs will spark from center to tip
The 5 6 4 spark plugs will spark from tip to center

So bank 1 and bank 2 will wear out spark plugs differently.

And there in lies the heads up, never use Single Platinum spark plugs, waste of money.

Use regular copper or double platinum.
Single platinum will either have platinum tip or center, so on one bank they will wear out just like regular copper because that is what they are.

On some model years you will find 2 OEM spark plug numbers, Ford used signal platinum plugs on those years, 3 platinum tips on one bank and 3 platinum centers on the other bank, so 2 different numbers.
Hey, when you are talking 100's of thousands of spark plugs single platinum savings adds up, lol.

 

Thanks for the info I did read up on that already. 09 only has one part number sp412 is a nickel plug so that is what I will be using. I did notice that when I turn on my heater it will blow cold air for a second before it gets warm. It does this every time anyone have input on that?

 

I think around 1995 and up Rangers got a Heater bypass valve in the engine compartment.
This means heater core in the cab has no coolant flow unless HEAT is selected.
So on a cold day when HEAT is selected it would take a few seconds for warmer coolant to push out the cold core coolant and then heat up the core so fan would blow warmer air.

Bypass valve is usually vacuum activated, you can test if it's vacuum hose is air tight, a small crack/leak could slow down full opening of the valve, delaying warm up time.

And just a heads up on spark plugs
4.0l OHV spark plug is 1/4" shorter than 4.0l SOHC spark plug, auto parts guys can goof, after all a Ford 4.0l is a 4.0l, right, lol
So compare length on first spark plug pulled.

Gap is .054

 

I check the engine compartment and it does have a vacuum actuated valve on the heater hose. That explains the delay in heat, thanks. I called the dealer with my vin number to get the part number for the spark plugs. I will probably just buy them through the dealer because I get a discount through my work. They are only $2.65 a piece.

 

I check with local Ford dealer when buying any parts like that, they often run sales on filters, plugs and wires
Got motorcraft spark plugs and wires for my 4.0l OHV for $15 less than discount parts store had them, only they weren't motorcraft.

 

Welcome! Cheers from the Sin City!