Ford Ranger Intermittent Misfire (P0303)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ธ.ค. 2024
- Ever had to chase a random misfire on a six-cylinder Ford product? Join DIYDave as he chases down this frustrating, intermittent code on a 2008 Ford Ranger, and enlists the help of some videos produced by FordTechMakuloko to identify and solve the problem.
I hope your channel blows up huge! You have a scientific approach to diagnostics and I really appreciate that
Well thank you!! My channel is pretty small by YT standards, and I don't do this full-time like some do, but I appreciate those who view and am always happy to know I've helped someone!!
Irmão sou do Brasil e quero falar com voce me chamo Filipe aí tem whatsapp??
Thank you, Dave! Your video helped me find the problem with my misfire as soon as you mentioned the crack along the front of my coil pack. Third Ranger I've owned, first time ever I have had to spend money for parts! The 2005 Ranger Edge is back on the road! Thanks again!
Awesome!!
Dave, thank you!! Switching the coil wires to move the misfire to the complementary cylinder is genius! I knew nothing about “waste spark” systems before your video. In my 4 cylinder Ranger, I was able to move my misfire over from cyl 3 to cyl 2. Guess I’ll be getting a new coil pack today! Thanks again, excellent work; also, very cool that your son gets to be a part of this too. Working on cars with my dad was a special time. Cheers!!
Thanks so much, Robert!! I'm so glad the video was helpful!! Thanks for watching!!
How much driving is needed to regenerate that kind of code after swapping wires?
@@Madasin_Paine takes about 5 minutes unless you have already tried it.
@@greggraham1605
Practice!
😀
I have the exact color, year, and model truck as your son and this week the check engine light came on and it wasn't running as good as it normally does. The same codes read on it to for cylinder 3 misfire. The mechanic was saying I needed to either change spark plugs or replace the distributor cap! I decided to look at the ignition coil pack and sure enough there was a crack in the same location as the one on your truck! You saved me a lot of money! I just ordered the replacement coil pack and will try installing it myself and save hundreds of dollars! Thank you for this video.
That is SO AWESOME to hear!!! That's why I do these videos, to help someone with a problem and save some $$. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Your a great father Dave, this is top quality content sir.
Thank you so much!!
My husband is extremely thankful for your video. This fixed the problem. I wish I had come to TH-cam first!
That's awesome! I'm so glad it helped you!! Thanks for watching and letting me know!!!❤️
I've got an issue with my '03 Ranger 3.0L giving me a rough idle on startup and misfires on cylinder 1 until its been running for a couple minutes. Went through the gamut of cleaning throttle body, checking for vaccum leaks, etc. Stumbled across this video and used your trick. The misfire moved from Cyl 1 to Cyl 5 (its reciprocal). Definitely an ignition coil issue! I've been chasing this gremlin for a couple weeks now, and your video helped me find it. Already got a new coil, plugs and wires on order. Thanks!!!!!!
That's awesome, Eric! Thanks for sharing!!
I hope that’s my issue as well, I changed the spark plugs and wires but not the ignition coil and now I need to check the coil, so did you switch 1 to 5?
@@eduardohernandez301 I did, and the misfire moved. Just switch wires between 1 and 5, as it shows in the video (or whichever the reciprocal one is for your suspect cylinder) Changed the coil and its been like a champ ever since! By the way, the crack on mine was in the cream colored sealant on the underside of the pack, so the only way to find it would be removing the pack itself!
Love the videos. Found you from the recommended list from Scotty Kilmer. Been DIYing everything sense covid. Memories are flooding back of working with my dad on cars. Been watching videos constantly to learn as much as possible and yours seem really helpful
Thanks so much for trying out my channel! I'm glad you're finding good info in the videos!! Thanks for watching!
Thanks captain, had my mechanic scan the codes and he concurred with your assessment
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you - have a misfire code after tune up - nice to have seen this - going to garage for a brake issue and will mention this to the guy - at least I can know before getting a ridiculous bill for work
Hope it helps you!!
You are a smart smart man. You explain mechanics very professional I wish I could talk like that
That's very kind of you! Thank you very much for the gracious words and thanks for watching!
I had a similar problem with my 2008 4 cyl 2.3 L Ranger. I was getting intermittent P0302 codes indicating misfire in #2 cylinder. No problems accelerating or at highway speeds but when I started up, particularly on a rainy day or when the engine was hot, I could feel the misfiring. I had recently changed the plugs and wires so it eliminated them. Since the coil pack on this engine is DIY easy, I changed it, like Dave described. No more check engine light or misfires.
Awesome, Stan! Thanks for watching!
My Ford ranger changed plugs now it has like a cough cough what could that be.
2000ranger
Same prob.. mine 301
Well, I'd sure give a look at that coil pack..
Thanks!
Okay by the way today I looked and there was a hairline crack across the coil pack and it runs right underneath the number one spark plug across so went and replaced it $86 but the problem is solved so your video paid off appreciate it thank you
That's awesome!!! I'm so glad it helped you solve the problem!!! That's what I love to hear.. that these videos actually help someone!! Thanks for letting me know!!
Huh, sure enough. Same problem, same crack, same location. Appreciate the help in the video.
Awesome!! So glad to hear the video helped!! Thanks for watching!
Thanks Dave! You saved me some stress and some extra money!!! This issue had me going crazy and I appreciate your video and detailed description and instructions
Awesome! I'm pleased it was helpful!!
@@DIYDaveOK Turns out my issue is cylinder valve recession. Tearing into it today
@@STAY-GOLD-VINYL Oh dear, that's going to be a big job. Sorry it wasn't something simpler. Good luck on that job; let us know how it goes!!
Thanks Dave, that's a great video, good info, very helpfull .well done .
Thanks for the kind words!! Appreciate the comment!
I've been having intermittent misfires on 6 and consistent misfires on 2. Definitely a bad spark plug cable on 2. Starting to suspect my coil pack has a crack arching 6 and 2. Definitely pulling out for an inspection!
Did you replace the wires and coil pack.
Hot damn this is helpful and informative! I'm going to try switching the coil pack and see if it moves. Thanks Dave
Awesome, Mebibyte! Glad it helped! Thanks for watching!!!
My truck had the exact same code and the exact same crack in the coil pack!!! Wow.... definitely a flop on fords end!!! Thanks again
Awesome! Glad this helped! Thanks for watching!
excellent, and thank you.
Now....here's what you didn't do, which I did do immediately after watching the video. I got out my old-school timing light, put that on number one wire on the coil this evening, and just pointed it at the underside of the hood. There it was.....I could see the intermittent misfire, switched to #5 on the coil ...same. (my misfire code was initially #1..then I got a #5)....now I move it to #4 or 6.....I can see a clean uniform flash.
Back on #1...I pointed it down to the crank damper, my big white timing mark jumping around. SOLVED. thank you.
Denso Coil pack on Rockauto, $57, Delphi, about 50 bucks.
Quick fix on my 4.0L exploder. Thanks for your vid
Great! Thanks for watching!
Been looking for a small truck lately. Settled on Ranger/ B series. Love these vids, the newest model I like the size of ended in 2012. At least these little beasts last 700k km.
Dad: Matt I fixed your truck, Now son you will set up my fancy ass new wall mounted Tv
LOL well not quite 😁. I'm also the house electronics and IT guru. Already mounted a TV in what used to be my daughter's room. 😁
Where does the grey vacuum line at 18:22 hook up? Mine is off. Thanks
I will have to study the video a bit more carefully to track that down. Will try to get you an answer ASAP.
That looks like it at 5:15.
Ill be switching my coil pack in the morning ,,,Thanks Dave
Awesome! Let us know how it goes!!
Awesome video,, great information!!!
Thanks for watching!
Been chasing a cylinder 5 misfire for a couple weeks. Idles rough at red lights otherwise runs fine. Changed everything and still a constant misfire. Compression test showed negative compression on cylinder 5. Ots likely an internal engine problem in cylinder 5. Stuck valve or something.
Oh man that's too bad. What year? Don't overlook the possibility of a broken valve spring. Do you hear any unusual noises from the engine?
@@DIYDaveOKits a 2003 3.0l no noises. Just a rough idle. Has new plugs and wires. New iac and tps. Cleaned the maf sensor. It's not burning oil either. Tried running additives to see if that would help but nothing. Mechanic says the head has to be torn down to see what's going on in there.
@@_JEBUS Might be able to take off the valve cover and turn the engine just to see if the rocker arms for that cylinder's valves are moving properly. A smoke test through the intake might show where the leak was occurring, eg through an exhaust valve without tearing it down. Otherwise it could be rings. Keep us posted, hope it works out! Wish I had better ideas for you but compression issues rarely have a simple solution.
My 1999 Ford ranger with a 3.0 flex fuel just started doing that exact same thing. I replaced spark plugs, wires and in the process noticed my spark plugs serving the numbers five cylinder was very obviously worn down comparing to the others. I will be doing a compression test soon
@@hvacexplained9341 It turned out to be a leaking exhaust valve from cylinder 5. Turns out ford had a recall for using cheap heads on these trucks for years. What happens is the valve seat wears down over time that leads to an exhaust leak. Flashing cel is due to too much unburnt fuel going through the catalytic converter and a slight misfire. Fix wa new reman cylinder heads from from adv cylinder heads. They weld steel re inforced valve seats on them so hopefully it doesnt happen again. Hope this helps.
saw that mine was cracked, ordered the part, and so we’ll see tomorrow
Buying one with a slight misfire soon so hopefully this is the problem and a I get a good deal on a good truck🤘🏻
I wonder if the old coil pack had cracks between the individual coils, causing bridging or shorting out internally
I'm having issues with my Ranger. It's got a 4.0 eng. It's misfiring on cyl. #4. There was an issue with the wire and I fixed that. The misfire is still there though. When I remove the wire from the coil pack, I can still hear snaps from towers 1 and 4. So this video is making me think the coil pack is going bad also.
Thank you guys!! Great video
Thanks Jose!
Replaced the MAS, plugs, wires, and coil on my 2001 3.0 Ranger Edge and still misfire on No. 4 cylinder. I’m thinking fuel injector now. But no codes for injector.
Would almost start to wonder about cam-crank correlation, or possibly even a slightly restricted exhaust. Good luck and thanks for watchng!
@@DIYDaveOK Not getting a crank position sensor code but with a Ranger is not out of question! Just fixed minor exhaust leak at the spring joint with the donut the other day. It only has 85,393 but was former park Ranger vehicle. Probably beat it like a government mule!
Been having very similar problem with a 98 Ranger 4.0 Mine is PO304. I also thought it was a transmission issue at first. I know the 4.0 and 3.0 have a different coil pack but I will check mine for a crack. Thanks for the video
Great! Let us know how it turns out! Thanks for watching!
Wow good. I saw a 2002 ranger v6 and 3 sparks plus misfire and I want buy it try to fix it hope the problem same as I guys just did
FYI, just checked my 4 cylinder and it has a similar crack with the exact intermittent misfiring
You were moving 3 and 4 around when it comes to the spark plug wires.I hope they got put back where they belonged.Ha ha.
@@icemancometh8679 It's was a waste-spark system and those were complimentary cylinders. The truck was fixed and runs perfectly to this day.
I'm getting really great fuel mileage since I did away with the 15 inch wheels and replaced them with 16 inch wheels. A major better difference for the better.
Help! 2019 Ranger 2.3l. 99k. Time to change packs and plugs. Altho running fine Ford recommended. Anyway, it was fine and then 10 miles from home went to fuel up from total empty tank. Left engine running. Bad habit. Went to leave and running really badly. No power. Obd said misfire cyl3. Came home to put old parts back on after trying the swapping trick several different ways. The old plugs and packs are back on but the obd is telling me misfire 3 and 4! I'm stumped. It was fine with the old ones and now I can't see why I have misfires. Plz help. TIA
I'd almost start looking at things *incidental* to the parts you replaced, like perhaps a vacuum hose knocked loose, connector to crank or cam sensor loose, something in that vein. I'd even suspect bad gas isn't impossible! Let me know how it goes.
@DIYDaveOK Thanks man, I really do appreciate the speedy response 🙏 I'm just baffled lol. But yea I'll keep yall posted.
@@scottyengland607 I'll be glad to help as much as I can 😊
Also, just to make sure, *all* original parts are back but the misfires continue?
@DIYDaveOK Thanks. Yes. I put all of the original oem parts back on. Mostly because I was tired of trying to chase a brand new coil/plug that was probably faulty. Then I drove it to the shop. The man thought it may have been the fuel injection. When we went to pick it up he charged me 1 hour labor and said all he had to do was replace one of the coil pks. One of the ones we already had! Swore he drove it for about 10 minutes. Long story short, we left and half way home it's not throwing cel but still fouling out, jerks and bogs down like it's gonna die. So it didn't get fixed. It's not nearly as bad but it is still there occasionally. I'm picking up another new set of coils and plugs to eliminate the possibility of 1 or more of the firstset were just defective. Not sure if it might work itself out the more I drive. Wish me luck 🙏
What coil pack do you buy? I’ve popped/fried 3 from auto zone I’m just gonna go get a motorcraft one even though I still have warranty on the auto zone pack.
Absolutely get OEM. No aftermarket Chinesium on this one.
Hey don't forget that you guys switched those two wires on the coil during the beginning of the video! Let me know if you ever remember to switch em back!!
Oh we did. Truck ran perfectly for the remainder of the time we owned it. This was *the* fix!
I got a new coil pack and it appears to be defective as well.
Dang!! If that thing is bad out of the box, I think I'd take it back and get a new one!! Arrgh!!
Is 2 and 6 same firing timing - complementary fire?
They both receive spark, but only one of each cylinder is under compression. That's where they get the "waste spark" moniker.
I have a 2006 Manual. Bought it a week ago with 126k miles and it drove just fine for that week. Recently drove home from work with no issues at all but upon starting it up in the morning I had an engine light and I could not put it into gear. Scanned it and had 5 codes, as follows : EVAP system leak detected (Large Leak), Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected, Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected, Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected, System too rich bank 1. I got all of these codes at the same time. Not sure what the hell is going on
Well at first blush (and obviously this is a long-distance guess) I think you're dealing with separate issues. The EVAP leak could be nothing more than a gas cap seal that's failed or possibly a hole in the filler nozzle or in the charcoal canister or failed vent valve. For the misfires and rich codes, I'd suspect at least one leaking injector. You might consider removing the spark plugs from the noted cylinders and see if they smell of gasoline. If it has low or minimal power you *could* be looking at a plugged/obstructed catalytic converter. Just a few ideas. Good luck!
@@DIYDaveOKalright awesome I appreciate the insight here! Def gonna look into these things.
@@DIYDaveOKanother thing that I failed to mention was the fact this thing burns oil, as the previous owner left it sit for 3 years. It smoked upon startup for about 60 minutes and when it stopped the oil level was basically none. Filled it up did a change and it smoked again.. just gotta figure out why
Glad to help if I can!
Already switched the coil pack still says cylinder 4 miss fire wires are new unless they’re bad ?
If after switching the wires the misfire stays in the same cylinder, then it's time to focus on that cylinder, such as a bad spark plug, compression issues, or valve timing problems. That's where I would look next.
Thanks for making this video.
Question though, if it's Jr's truck, why is dad turning the wrenches?
Ahh well dad got into working on cars as a later-in-life hobby. Son is an accountant now.
I have a 2002 ford ranger Edge 3.0 and I have code P0304 mis fires # 4 cylinder I have changed the spark plugs and wires and the coil assembly still having same code any suggestions please?
Well if you changed the coil I'd swap the complimentary plug wires and see if the misfire follows the wires. if it doesn't, you may be looking at plugs, or possibly an exhaust restriction issue, maybe even other possibilities. Good luck!
Exact same problem, thank you so much
AWESOME Ricky, thanks for watching!!
Im about to sell my 4cyl ranger and this just happen. I wonder if I should fix it before I sell it or sell it as it is.
Hard to say. The 4 cyl doesn't use the same coil pack so you may have a different problem.
Thank you great information
i had a p0305 code and a noticeable misfire. changed all wires, plugs, coil pack (2000 ranger 4.0 OHV motor) and stayed the same. switched around plugs (#5 & #4) and got a misfire of #5 & #4.
Hmmm.. At that point I think I'd start suspecting fuel delivery to those cylinders.
@@DIYDaveOK as in a fuel pressure test or injectors?
@@DIYDaveOK ya racking my brain because p0305 was happening before the initial spark plug change and stayed the same until i switched around #4 & #5. is their a difference between left side / right side spark plugs because of the wasted spark system?
@@Robert-bm5fz If you switched plugs and the misfire followed the plug switch, to me that points to the plugs, and perhaps even the gap on the plugs (possibly even a hairline crack on the plug or firing/sparking in the cap of the wire?) Look in the boot for any evidence of white "ashy" discoloration that might suggest spark in the wire proper. Barring that, I'd start to look at fuel delivery (injectors).
@@DIYDaveOK ya kind of where logic is leading me too. plugs and if not that a fuel pump test (?) since its now more than one cylinder. i already obsessed changing coil and wires and triple checking those things. i appreciate you actually getting back to
me on this. if you know of a sensor that might cause this let me know. so far thats always been the case with this truck so i am stuck on that (lol).
Great video thanks for the help!
Thanks for the kind words! Glad it helped!
excellent video, thank you
Thanks for watching!
If the original Motorcraft one is known to have a defect, why would you replace it with the same exact model? I'd get a different brand... That's just me. But good video.
Every place I checked had only the Motorcraft pack. The problem has not recurred since I made this video. Thanks for watching!
Hi Dave , I had the same thing to my 2002 3.0 , I replace the coil fix the problem runs good , good video thanks for the help , help if u can it’s always running low on coolant I keep having to refill it every two months ?? 🤔 , ✌️ out 😎
Awesome! Glad to have helped!
If you're losing that much coolant that often, I'd check for any possible leaks around the water pump, hose, or thermostat housing. Might even pressure test your radiator and radiator cap.
You might put a big piece of dry cardboard under it overnight to see if anything is leaking while it is parked. Is it running hot at all? Any strange smoke out the exhaust? Always have to be cautious of possible head gasket issues, but we'll be hopeful it's not that serious. Let me know what you find out!!
@@DIYDaveOK thanks I will look at that , A good pressure test will tell me thanks for the help . God bless you .✌️ out , 😎
Can this cause the transmission to not downshift going down the freeway at speed?
I don't think so. This is really tied into a random misfire more than any transmission issues, although I suppose a bad enough misfire could start to feel like a transmission issue.
I would suspect more of a throttle position sensor just doing it's job. If you have an engine misfire, which equal less power, you will be deeper into the throttle pedal. Depending on how far you have the pedal pushed (to keep up with traffic), you could be causing it be stay in PASSING gear....and not shifting on up to OD@@DIYDaveOK
Holy ***** went outside to look, there was the crack. This video might have saved me lots of time and a buck.
AWESOME! Love to hear we helped someone! Thanks for watching!
@@DIYDaveOK The job ended up being so easy, I made my 13 year old do it.
@@helmeteye That's awesome!!! So glad you were able to find the problem and have him help you fix it!!! Makes the videos all worthwhile!
Ignition Coil connector/ pigtail goes bad too. I had 2 go bad on 99 B3000. Didn't find it until I spent $$$$'s changing coil, wires, plugs... everything.
STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS S658
Thanks for the tip! My primary coil would not give any sparks on my 97 Ranger. REPLACING THE COIL PACK CONNECTOR FIXED IT. Sadly I tried replacing the cam position sensor,$55, the coil pack $60, and even the ECU (Engine Control Unit) $150.
@@MrGregson23 It suycks throwing money at a problem when it's something like a bad factory molded wire connector you'd never suspect. I found it by accident.... when the engine was running rough, I started wiggling wires everywhere. When I wiggled that coil pigtail connector, it smoothed out for a brief second. 9 months later.... it happened again.
I have a '95 isuzu 2.3L OBD-1 that wouldn't start intermittantly. Took me months of parts changing. Then when the weather turned colder, I realized it was not starting only when it was below 65 degrees out, I figured out it was the temp. sender for the fuel injection brain. I spent $300 in parts & dropped the fuel tank 4 times changing bad NEW fuel pumps. In the end... it was an $11 part HIDING way up under the intake manifold. Cured it instantly.
@@jeffrandolf5673 As a last-ditch effort I thought the connector might be bad. The connector looked fine but 20 years of vibration wore out the contact inside. I ordrered a connector from ORieleys for $50. but it did not fit right. I cut off the connector and used 3 slide-on female blade connectors, size 18. Cost $8 at Autozone. These tiny blade connectors have a crimp-on connector for the wire. Just had to put some insulation in between the blades to make sure they did not touch.
@@MrGregson23 Yep... both mine looked perfectly fine. But the heat from the engine makes the small wire connections brittle, inside the molded part that YOU CAN'T SEE. And you'd have to cut it off to do a continuity test, that might not prove it bad, as it's intermittent, when vibrating around, when the engine is running.I refused to believe that the 1st replacement one, a 9 month old part could fail, again? But it did.
Another thing I was told, is that #5 spark plug fails, a lot , on the 3.0Litres. My #5 spark plug has failed, cracked, 3 times in 9 years. Odd. I keep spares in my glove box,
My truck is missing. It shows no codes. I changed the coil pack and it is still missing.
Dang, that's frustrating. Misfires on that engine beyond the coil pack can have a lot of different causes, unfortunately.
my 1991 3.0 ranger got 27 mpg what you talking about willis??
Was your Ranger a stick or an automatic? And did it have air conditioning? Thanks for watching!
@@DIYDaveOK 5 speed stick
dont remember if it had air ot not tbh
@@crisknapp1990 That's almost certainly the biggest difference - my son's is an automatic.
Great video. 👍
Coil didnt fix my misfire on my 2000 3.0 Changed plugs and wires too, no difference.
Man at that point if you're getting a consistent misfire I think you might have to look at getting a scope and checking cam/crank correlations. Did you try swapping plugs or wires between complimentary cylinders to see if the misfire moved with the wire? You may have a faulty crankshaft position sensor or possibly camshaft sensor. Might also be worthwhile to have a compression test to see if a cylinder isn't sealing properly.
@@DIYDaveOK wouldnt all those things throw a code?
Very possibly would set nothing more than the misfire, eg p030X (X= #of cylinder)
Do you disconnect the battery before starting the work?
Is it required? No, but there's no harm in doing so. The coil pack carries no current when the car is off.
Thanks
thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Wow couldn't tell what was louder that bird chirping or the motor thing sound rough
Yeah when that misfire would kick in it would sure let you know about it!! Been smooth as silk ever since! Thanks for watching!
I get 21mpg on my 3.0 L v6 Ford Ranger. That is mixed highway and city driving.
I have kinda the same problem but it wont turn on
Does it crank but not start?
The lights and things turn on but when i try to start it, it just makes a sound like when you hit metal against metal or like something falling onto it
Thank you...
gonna try this
Are you related to famous wwe manager Jim cornett??
Hmm, no, don't know who that is. No relation I know of 😁
mine had cracks everywhere
Flashing check engine light. ,can’t fix it 2006 ranger 2.3
Any flashing check engine light is sign of a chronic, ongoing misfire. I'd put a code reader on it and try to figure out which cylinder and go from there.
@@DIYDaveOK so I changed the spark plugs and wires , it’s the 3rd cylinder and I don’t know what to do next. Someone said check for a vaccine leak or compression test , iek I’m gonna change the coil pack . It’s my only vehicle , I can’t afford a mechanic I’m trying to learn all this on my own and it’s killing me
@@JoeRogansForehead I would definitely check the coil pack. How is it running otherwise? Does it seem to be missing or losing power?
@@DIYDaveOK there’s a steep hill and my truck could barely get up it . when it’s idiling it’s pretty rough , it definitely dosnt drive like it used to but it’s not that bad , very slow and can’t really accelerate fast . But not being able to make it up the hill like I pushed the gas and it wouldn’t go any faster , that scared ne
Uh oh if you're losing power and have a flashing check light that makes me concerned you have a plugged catalytic converter. If you have a code reader I would look for P0420 codes.
I put in spark plugs and I have no spark
@@Lannied-d1y Ugh, there are a lot of possibilities. What year Ranger?
@@Lannied-d1y 1s
My 3.0 got 20 or better running it hard
I found out use some electrical tape over the check engine light works well. 😂
car companies all have same problem they build junk then want you 2 pay them 2 fix it
Jim Cornette's brother.
LOL I didn't even know who that was until I Googled him and I must admit there's some resemblance there. No relation 😁
@@DIYDaveOK Uncanny.