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Ford Ranger Truck Repair Questions and Answers

Question: 1998 Ford Ranger mileage: 103,000. When I step on the brakes the right directional light up solid with the brake lights. The bulbs all seem to be intact. Is it a ground? Is it a Switch? If so where?

Answer: You are apparently getting feedback from your brake light circuit to the turn signal circuit. Verify that the taillight bulbs are the correct one. If your car is equipped with a wiring harness for a trailer verify that it is not shorting out between connections.

Question: 2000 Ford Ranger mileage: 87,000. The engine light keeps coming on and the computer reads EGR valve, but I already had that replaced. What do you think could be the problem?

Answer: The problem could be the pressure feedback exhaust sensor. They need to be replaced in just about every Ford Ranger eventually.

Question: 1996 Ford Ranger mileage 133,000. Truck starts and idles well. However when it gets warmed up (probably 20 minute drive) bucks jumps lurches almost acts like it is shutting off and on. This started happening after I had tune up (in July ran very well until Nov.) new dist, wires, plugs, coil, fuel injectors cleaned. Started just an occasional jerk then got so you did not dare drive it far. One garage said needs new throttle control valve, installed did not fix, next time EGR valve and PVC valve, installed still no fix. Next time they retarded timing ran well for maybe 2 weeks, no power but didn’t jerk. Now they are suggesting idle control motor? Another said the fuel pump. Any suggestions before I donate it to charity? I don't mind spending the money to fix it but when it doesn’t fix it I get frustrated. Should I take it to a Ford garage? Please help!! I love my old truck and hate seeing it like this!

Answer: First, scan for fault codes. If you find errors codes, repair the problem. If not, you may have a failing fuel pump which would require replacement along with the fuel filter. You might want to check with friends and neighbors to locate a more knowledgeable automotive repair center.

Question: 1998 Ford Ranger mileage: 70,900. Yesterday it the engine died as I was driving, and I had to wrench the steering wheel hard to get it into a parking lot before it stopped rolling. Problem was a bad ground connection. Reconnected the ground wire and it started up just fine, however there was a little trail of red fluid under the truck, and some red fluid leaked under the hood. Now when I turn the steering wheel a good deal to the left or right and begin accelerating the steering wheel shudders momentarily.

Answer: The red fluid was probably power steering fluid from the power steering reservoir. The fluid leaked out as a result of the steering wheel being turned with the engine off. If you refill the reservoir and drive the car, the power steering should start functioning properly. The shuddering is the result of air in the system. As you turn the wheel, the air will work its way out.

Question: 1997 Ford Ranger mileage: 190,700. I have been driving this truck for quite some time now. Up until recently, I have never had a problem with power or acceleration. Even though this truck has a lot of miles on it, it always had plenty of get up and go. Now it stutters, and almost refuses to go up hill, no matter the grade. If the hill is too steep, I have to keep it in second, and go 25. I just replaced the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, gas filter, oxygen sensor, gas tank fuel line, oil filter, and heater coil. So far, none of these replacements have helped, but they were needed. Any idea what might be wrong?

Answer: First thing we would do is a compression check to verify the condition of the motor. If this proves okay, next we would do a fuel pump test. Finally, check the catalytic converter to be sure it is not plugged.

Question: 2002 Ford Ranger mileage: 42,000. The engine of my Ranger shuts off. Most of the time, it works fine, but sometimes, after a stop, it just shuts off when I accelerate away. Sometimes I can get it started again right away, sometimes it won't start at all and it acts flooded. It also shuts off sometimes on the freeway, when I'm accelerating after changing gears. Sometimes it kicks back in right away, sometimes I have to pull over to the side of the road and wait. It always starts again eventually, but it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. I called Ford and they said I don't have the right serial number to be included in the recall on ignition coils. My regular mechanic can't reproduce the problem. Another mechanic thought it might be spark plug wires, but my regular mechanic disagrees. I am at wit's end. What do you recommend?

Answer: Your stalling may be the fuel pump. If that has been recently replaced, then scan the computer for fault codes.

Question: 1994 Ford Ranger 4x4 mileage: 115,000. Bob & Ken, I have a problem with the four-wheel drive on my Ranger. One day I was using the four-wheel drive and realized that only the two back tires were pulling. Also, there was some (rattling) noise coming from the front passenger side wheel (even after the 4 wheel drive was disengaged). I have since taken off the front wheels to check out the automatic locking hubs to see if there was something wrong with them. One hub looked a little suspicious like some of the metal had been worn down inside. I then jacked the truck up off of all four wheels so that I could engage the four-wheel drive to see what was actually pulling and what was not. The back two wheels were both pulling. The front on the other hand was not. The drive shaft leading from the transfer case would engage but the shafts leading to the wheels were barely even spinning. You could stop them from spinning by holding them still. My question is do you think that the hubs are bad and I need to replace them, or is something messed up in the "gear housing". I know you really can't know for sure from my description but if you have any advice that you think I could use, it would be greatly appreciated. Jason

Answer: The automatic locking hubs seem to be a high maintenance item on these Ford Rangers. Yours may need to be replaced.

Question: 1999 Ford Ranger mileage: 95,000. Recently my truck has difficulty shifting into overdrive at around 45 MPH. Sometimes it shifts great and other times it does not, only into overdrive I have had the modulator replaced but this did not help. It also just goes into a coasting mode when you let off of the accelerator, Rpms drops to idle. What do you think is my problem, is it time for a new transmission?

Answer: With 95,000 miles on your vehicle, it is possible that you will need a transmission overhaul. However, before doing it, check the overdrive solenoid as it may be sticking causing the coasting problem you are experiencing.

Question: 2002 Ford Ranger mileage: 83,000.  About 2 weeks ago I noticed a rather annoying belt squeak. The sound came only after initially cranking over the engine, turning on the A/C, and turning the corner or steering one way or the other.  The noise is quite an attention getter and usually provokes a chuckle of superiority from pedestrians and motorists.  To take it a step further my beloved truck stalled at a stoplight today.  It was very hot today 95+ degrees and again, the shrieking wild animal noises come when the A/C is on.  HELP.

Answer:  A fan belt starts to squeak because it is slipping on the pulleys.  This in turn causes the belt to glaze over.  Over-tightening the belt to stop the squeak will cause premature failure of the components driven by the belt.  We would advise replacing the drive belt in this situation.

Question:  2001 Ford Ranger  mileage: 80,000.  The engine just passed California's smog testing and behaves well except in one circumstance. After operating the vehicle at highway speeds for 2-3 hours the auto-trans shifts into and out of overdrive lock-up and the idle speed has reached as high as 2K RPM.  After letting the truck sit about 60 minutes it idles and drives correctly again.  This has happened in both the warm desert and cold valleys.  I first noticed it at 70K miles originally associating it with frigid intake air in the cold weather until the problem repeated in the heat a few days ago.  Operating the truck for about an hour on metropolitan highways does not seem to bring this about.

Answer:  From what you have described, we believe, unfortunately, that your transmission is failing.

Question:  2003 Ford Ranger mileage: 15,000.  I have a similar problem with my truck. Seems that on certain days, mostly on real warm days, when someone gets into the passenger side door the door doesn't want to shut (according to the computer).  Then when I am parking my truck, the dome light will stay on.  I copied down your suggestions and am going to try this out.  All this to say, My ABS and brake light stay on all the time.  I have had it checked out several times at the dealership and they can't find a problem.  A few years ago, I was coming back from a trip to Nashville and when I got just outside of St. Louis, I hit a major puddle of water on the highway.  About 20 miles later the ABS and Brake light came on and I immediately stopped to get it checked out.  The guy said the sensor must have gotten wet and it should fix itself, but the brakes are fine.  Anyway, the brakes work just fine only on very cold days does the light go off and it looks fine.  Do you know what I can do to fix this problem?  Are there sensors somewhere that I can clean up or replace?  Where should I start, since the mechanic can't find the problem?  Thanks.

Answer:    The “ABS” (antilock breaking systems) light will “light” when there is a malfunction in the braking system.  The fault code is then stored in the computer.  The computer must be scanned to retrieve these stored faults to pinpoint the malfunctioning component.  Because the ABS light indicates something is wrong, a trip to you neighborhood automobile service center sooner rather than later is recommended.  Your ABS system may not be functioning.

Question:  1997 Ford Ranger 4WD mileage: 117,000.  Hi, My problems started with a leaky slave cylinder, which I had repaired, since it was an internal slave the mechanic suggested doing the clutch as well.  After the repairs, I am having problems shifting the vehicle into 1st gear from a standing start.  The mechanic tried to bleed the slave again it did not help.  I noticed the clutch fluid was very dirty as well.  I took it to another shop that had a pressure bleeder and they sucked all the fluid out and fully bled the system.  This did not help.   The mechanic suggested replacing the master cylinder which I did have done by another shop and the problem still exists.  It does seem to get worse, when the car gets warm, after about a half hour.  One mechanic suggested that they might have over ground the flywheel when they did the clutch and the slave cannot push the clutch out far enough.  To find this out it would mean dropping the transmission again.  Any ideas?  Any help you could offer would be much appreciated.

Answer:    The problem you are experiencing with your clutch may be due a rough surface on the reground flywheel.  If that is the case, driving the car for several weeks should smooth out the rough surface.  We would suggest putting your transmission in first gear as you are rolling to a stop to eliminate the difficulty of getting the car into gear.  If the flywheel is “over-ground”, you would notice an extra amount of free pedal-travel on the clutch pedal.

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