Well you do realize that Ford stands for found on roadside dead so it is what it is funny thing is I had a 86 Ford ranger 4x4 short box with the crappy 2.4 4 cylinder that dadgum truck could not reach 80 mph on the highway unless you were going on a steep downhill but it was a great little truck for the woods and hunting season which is where I loved it the most it was a pretty bad mud hole that ended up killing it when I say I blew the motor I found chunks of a piston outside and blew it straight through the side of the dad gun motor and that was the end of its life.
I remember those back in the day they did used to rattle and make weird noises but for me I just thought normal since it is a Ford good thing is you can always get your money back from scrap👍
So, this is where the Ranger started to go downhill. Now, you can buy a Ranger for an arm and a leg, and need to auction your kidneys to pay for the gas it guzzles. I was so disappointed when I test drove one about six years ago. I went on a test drive of maybe ten clicks, and I could see the needle move visibly. Edit - I know what's wrong now! It's a Ranger!
Wes: "Got no brakes, got no license plates, no insurance, half the lug nuts are on the floor by my feet, the transmission is making a terrible racket ..." Sounds like a line from the Blues Brothers, just needed you to add "We're on a mission from God". Great video and great diagnostic work !
I drive a 2.9 every day and mines almost got 500,000 miles on it and it’s a great truck I don’t know why people say these are bad trucks when I’ve had my whole life and they’ve been great to me?????!!!!We enjoy your videos!!!!
My motto with cars, ya gotta drive em and keep em oily. A car that sits and isn't driven will go to crap pretty quickly... Great job Wes!!! Like you said, it was kinda funny that you had the $1,500 Pico hooked up to a $300 truck. With all the wires, it looked like a patient in the ICU on life support and it then turns out the main fault is down to some dodgy new part, probably the cheapest new part, of all the parts, the previous owner threw at it.
Watch enough Mustie1 and you'll learn that the gas in the tank according to the previous owner has only been sitting a "few months/years" is at least twice as old as claimed.
I had an ‘88 Ford Ranger XLT with the 2.9L with a 5 speed. It was a rocket ship compared to my brother’s Toyota with the 22R engine. It had a factory “hi rise” lift. It was a great little truck, very reliable. I was the original owner and had it about 12 yrs. Sold it with over 150k miles which is an estimate because I had put on 30” tires early on. Minor issues over the years typical maintenance items, brakes, batteries, water pump, cap and rotor etc. the worst thing I had go out was the fuel pressure regulator and the a/c stopped working probably from non-use. Loved the truck, just family out grew it. Kinda funny your XL has cruise control on the steering wheel yet my XLT didn’t.
84 had the solid-lifter 2.8 with a computer- controled 2-bbl carburetor. Its distributor did have a TFI module. The 2.9 was a derivative of the 2.8 but not many engine parts will interchange. Bell housing bolt pattern is same.
I had one of those rangers in black with a 2.3L 4x4, and I’ll tell ya what that lil truck was un-killable. Off-road it was unstoppable because it didn’t have enough power to spin the tires so it had to go lol. I was actually rear ended by a six wheeled dump truck so hard that my head hit the top of the cab separating the seam above the door all the way to the back glass enough that you could stick both fists in the crack, broke my neck and I still drove it home. I received a phone call the next day from the hospital advising me to come back in a had a cervical fracture lol. I drove the lil truck around as a beater for two or three more years before giving it to a guy because he didn’t have a work vehicle.
Blake, think they are from Australia, the bugs, in their plagues in the country, coat windscreens there within a few minutes, so these were made as a answer to that. (No.2 answer).
Sounds to be like the lightning whirler might have something wrong with the digikals...Oh, I don't know....There's no fuel-make-it-happener so you can't pour the fire juice down....great. VCG is probably the best channel here on the interwebs.
Just gotta give you credit for being one of the few real mechanics I've seen. You aren't just throwing more parts at it, you diagnose it. That's rare these days. I enjoy watching you figure it out since this new fangled stuff is way beyond me. (Points and a carb was good enough IMO! )Well done!
I had an 88 bronco 2 for one of my first vehicles. Like most people I reminisce about it, but 3 engines later I eventually moved on. I got it for 700 dollars back then. I actually check the fuel pressure the same way on said bronco and would you believe the accuracy from a full arms length away was so good I got a full stream dose of gas directly into my eye. You alway remember your first shot of gas in the eye.
The EEC-IV system seems to run rough for a few miles until it 'learns'. Not sure what it is learning, but it seems to make things smoother once it finishes.
@@minuit242 my truck runs rich for the first 5 minutes of operation, and levels out afterwards. Obd 1 only had 2 perks, and one is the cost of the diagnosic tool.
@@williambell7763 the relative ease of diagnosing the problem. You can get to whatever the problem is easy as hell on an obd1 as the sensors are limited.
@@cavalierliberty6838 thats a really good point, I never thought about it like that. But there's been times where I get frustrated with the computer and just test the sensors instead, couldn't really do that on an obdii with way more sensor (likely wouldn't have too but still)
And to think the other guy that worked on the truck might have started out by changing the temp sensor with the faulty new one. Then everything just snowballed from there with the parts replacement game.
Ordered a 1986 Ranger Super Cab STX 4x4 5 speed brand new from a local Ford dealer. First year for the Super Cab the 2.9 and multi port EFI. Absolutely loved that truck and experienced no problems with any components. I also never experienced the horrible valve train noise that you described. Mine never sounded like the one you are working on. I never understood the bad reputation of this engine and electronics. I drove that truck for 28 years and put 250,000 miles on it. It was great in the mud, and ran 75 to 80 miles per hour on the freeway effortlessly. I sold it simply because I wanted a full size truck. Wish I had kept it.
I can remember Frank Fritz, I have seen him driving that truck years ago! Funny! I don't watch anymore, but watch nice balanced people like you and Matt from Diesel Creek! 😊😊
Wes, I once serviced my old car (pre OBD2) and did not fully remove all the air from the coolant to the extent that the coolant temperature sensor was not able to sense the coolant temperature. The engine remained in open loop, ran rough and gulped fuel. I got an oxygen sensor ‘out of range’ code and found it coated in soot, sufficient to block its function. I used a butane torch to burn the soot off the O2 sensor and then burped air out of the coolant. The engine was now able to enter closed loop, running lean enough to prevent O2 sensor fouling. Silly mistake but a lot of consequences.
Fun stuff! I like the resurrection of these older trucks! Get a bigger 80's or 90's rust free 4x4 from down south that won't run and fixer up!! That would be cool!
I have a renewed appreciation for GM OBD-I -- at least it has live data! (And your "scan tool" can be a laptop with WinALDL and a simple DIY interface circuit.)
Wow Wes it's hard to imagine that this thing is fighting you so hard troubleshooting it. Being that you are an ultimate troubleshooter and very thorough and this thing's kicking your ass. Absolutely great video almost good to see you over there with Matt Diesel Creek. Couldn't even imagine what you two were up to.
Hey Wes. Figured out what the problem was on my 2006 Honda Accord on the cruise control. It was the main switch on the steering wheel. Was thumbing through u tube and came across cliffs garage and had 2 options on fixing it. 1 was buying a new switch for 140 dollars or 2. The simple and cheap way is. There’s a little push pin that acts like a toggle switch and said by super gluing the pin down will fix the problem. Just thought to pass this onto you if you ever come across a similar problem. Thanks. Also enjoy watching your videos and learning a lot
Same here. '89 Supercab XLT. Great truck, horrible engine. It was funny to hear him say they commonly had cracked heads since I had to replace those in high school. That '89 was the first of three Ford Rangers. The only other small truck I would have ever considered was a Tacoma.
Nice find 👍. On the transmission to be on the safe side service the lube in it whatever it calls for and while you’re there service both differentials old as that truck is. Looking forward to seeing next video of Frank Fritz’s 86 Ranger.
I had thr same engine in a bronco 2 4x4 with the 5 spd also. Paid 700.00 in florida and we use to have a little friday nite trail ride club threw Eglin air base. Never broke and my friend bought it from me and its still going.
You rattled off your inventory before going on the test drive and my first thought was you're half a pack of smokes away from joining The Blues Brothers.
I had a 1989 bronco with a very intermittent ignition problem. It was enough to burn out the module every 6 months but never happened often enough to diagnose. I would have loved your Pico scan tool to diagnose it. I love seeing these kind of harder to solve problems for the hobby mechanic.
So many rabbit holes! Had some laughs along the way though. Shame about the rust but it's a nice truck I think, complete with 'luxe' 80's dashboard. Probably best you didn't film Mrs Wes pushing a truck, can you imagine the comments! :-)
My mom has a 89 ford econoline van 302 in shape with 100k miles....I noticed a big problem with the electrical system that caused gremlins was the wiring harnesses get corroded very easy causing everything from tail lights to fuel pump relays to work intermittently. Clean the corrosion off & a year or 2 later the corrosion is back causing problems.
@@michaelbrinks8089 That same Taurus had a fault in the wiring that led to the drivers door. Half the time when I tried to power the window up or down, the courtesy light in the door would turn on instead. This was really annoying if it started raining.
@@OnTheRocks71 That reminds me.....I was gonna look online to see if I can find the reason why Ford's wiring harnesses get corroded so easy or what causes their well known electrical gremlins....I know for example any 2 different metals touching together, like steel & copper will cause fast corrosion...The tail lights & turn signals stop working despite the bulbs still being good. Due to the green corrosion build up, I suspect the metal in the light socket/harness is different than the metal bulb connectors. Same with the relay pins are a different type of metal than the female harness it connects to.
Bringing back memories! First motor I ever worked on was helping my dad put new heads on his 1984 Ranger in 1990 ish. It was the first project of the next 30 years of wrenching! Thanks for sharing 😊
My first thought was that the Sun tach was causing the ignition problem. They were notorious for it. It was always the first thing to disconnect when an engine started having intermittent problems.
I love to watch your videos but this one is awesome for a different reason than most. The excited explanation of the pending trip to the store to buy some marbles was fantastic. That made my day hearing that excitement.
i had 5 of those first generation rangers. absolutely loved them. one thing i can say is get a relocation kit for that tfi module. it puts the heat sink in the clean air stream and eliminates the module replacement every year. also for some strange reason that system does not like aftermarket tachs. the ford self tests KOEO and KOER will tell you all you need to know. it was the best self diag on the market in those days.
These are incredible trucks---every one I find seem to have 220K miles on it, and that's a bit on the scary side. But I don't think they were meant to go for 35 years. I strongly compliment you on your troubleshooting logic.
“Typical Ford, goes about 80 MPH in reverse.” Reminds me of a quote by Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes. “We like to be able to get out of trouble as fast as we got into it”. Lol
I had a 1986 ford ranger 4x4, 2.3 motor, 5 speed. Everything worked, inspected and passed emissions. I sold it for a sandwich. A co-worker needed a vehicle, I didn’t as I already had 2. I am almost 6’3” and it was a real tight fit.
I hav been having a devil of a time figuring out my 88 bronco 2 and I think you may have just found my issue because i have never checked the tempature sensors im going to try it today thank you for having the patience to run this issue down.
That's a perfect run around parts getter truck. Just a good complete fluid change and she'll be good. 100% worth the 300 bucks. Can't wait to see the underside of her
I really like your videos, they are real, your sense of humor shows up, and an excellent troubleshooter. Which is why your skill level confirms why I would starve being an auto technician/mechanic.
Brilliant diagnostics as always! Sharp work spotting that defective temp sensor pin issue! Ford really does NOT understand connectors. I've heard crazier stories - like a HAIR across a fiber-optic connector making an engine do all kinds of bizarre, unrepeatable misbehaviors. Your generalized experience and skill with testing tools is so much fun to watch. Not exactly Sherlock Holmes, maybe Mike Hammer (if the tool fits!).
Holy cow that was a puzzle to figure that out. Great job and patience. So much junk crammed under the hood I can not imagine working on that. Thanks for the video.
well as you know wes just some vehicles need to be taking out onto the road and give them a boot full and it clears them out and gets them running right again also good find at least you know how to fix this issue in the future also thanks for another great video
Watched a recent old ford ranger video where the guy bought one for cheap with a hard to diagnose problem. The ECM/ECU was located under the hood exposed to the elements....Everything tested good, the ECU also tested good but truck still had issues staying running & running smooth....Finally after days & an exhausting search of checking everything, they decided to to try a new ECU. The truck started right up and ran fine despite the tester saying the old ECU was good.. Had a weird mystery problem on a Chevy Z24 years ago. Car started up & ran good but would randomly die & not restart until it sat for a day. I checked & tested EVERYTHING with no luck. Turns out bugs had crawled inside the fuel rail on the previous owner when the car sat apart over night. The gas caused the bugs to harden and float around like little corks in the fuel rail, randomly clogging the injectors. By luck I found them when I had the fuel apart for 3rd time.
I have been going down this same rabbit hole off and on for like a year and a half when I had time..... This was the problem. A bad new coolant sensor. Had replaced it as well and apparently the new one was bad. Pins were pushed down into the connector. Thanks for the video! Its running like a dream now!
I have a sable with the 3.0 v6. They only sound bad when people don't take care of them lol. Otherwise the lifters are a little noisy. I've owned 3 all with the same engine.
Really enjoying your videos Wes. I retired from wrenching quite a few years ago but I remember well the nightmares of the TFI systems. You were talking about the rough idle after replacing the sensor, you do know they have adaptive learning on the idle don't you? That was why it was better once you did your test ride. You probably should have left the base idle set where it was until after running it a few days and especially after getting some fresh gas in it. REALLY good catch on the sensor though, That one would have had me pulling hair out.
Around 22:00 there is a plug wire arcing out on the driver side near the exhaust manifold by the dipstick you can see it arching out which is your ignition drop out
Reminds me of my 99 silverado with the 4.3l. Started skipping when warm then just died. Took me a month to find a coil wire broken inside the plastic... tugged and saw the wire stretch and break. Soldered together and running great still years later. 276,000 miles so far.
Great work tracking down the issues. I was yelling at the screen to test the TPS though. One thing with these old Fords, try flooring it during cranking. This actually shuts off the fuel injectors while cranking in case it's flooding. Also unplug all of the extra sensors. It'll run w/out pretty much everything but the ignition module and TPS, but in limp mode.
Let do it Wes, I finally received my Tpps for my 2000 dodge and if the rain ever stops then I can install it and tell you if it solved my surging issues! No matter I appreciate you bringing it to my attention Wes! Nothing you can’t do brother and I saw you with Matt and his track loader! I love your channel Wes! 👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Wes, here in the SE those trucks beat up, rusted, no paint, seat springs sticking you places you don't like being stuck, busted out rear window and running on 3 cylinders still sell for between 1500-2000 bucks. Good investment
I'm hooked I graduated trade school in 82 taking a adv DIESEL course for another yr. cherokee iowa I landed my first job troubleshooting was everything and every part was rebuildable 40 yrs now I can relate to your process
You and Matt from diesel creek are my go to guys. Great vids from both of you. You already helped me fix my truck. Thanks and keep doing your thing. I’ll be watching
He was making a good faith effort to redact the document, which worked pretty well. How long did you pause and stare at it to see through the tape- and why???
@@giggiddy I didn't pause it and was able to read a woman's name. So someone who did pause it could probably read it all. Some really weird people in the world.
Love your videos, you know what you're doing. Frank Fitz, American Pickers, stopped watching that show years ago! What a couple of putzes they are!!! Subscribed today!! Keep up the good work.
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Here is the light I'm using. Many people asked about it. amzn.to/2VHdjfo
Well you do realize that Ford stands for found on roadside dead so it is what it is funny thing is I had a 86 Ford ranger 4x4 short box with the crappy 2.4 4 cylinder that dadgum truck could not reach 80 mph on the highway unless you were going on a steep downhill but it was a great little truck for the woods and hunting season which is where I loved it the most it was a pretty bad mud hole that ended up killing it when I say I blew the motor I found chunks of a piston outside and blew it straight through the side of the dad gun motor and that was the end of its life.
I'm more interested in that drill powered winch!
I remember those back in the day they did used to rattle and make weird noises but for me I just thought normal since it is a Ford good thing is you can always get your money back from scrap👍
Just picked up one of these off the truck. Love it love it! Got two other guys in my shop to get one too.
So, this is where the Ranger started to go downhill. Now, you can buy a Ranger for an arm and a leg, and need to auction your kidneys to pay for the gas it guzzles. I was so disappointed when I test drove one about six years ago. I went on a test drive of maybe ten clicks, and I could see the needle move visibly.
Edit - I know what's wrong now! It's a Ranger!
Kiddo with wheeled transportation and a ramp. Time to teach him a new phrase...."Don't tell Mom".
hold my juice box, watch this
that´s not just a phrase, it´s law no 1..
Dad hold my root beer
I could only hit the like button once!!!, but I tried
Enjoyed your cameo appearance on Diesel Creek.
Awww, ya beet me to it.
6ft4 and Matt's crawler loader still looks huge!
Was hoping for them to do a project together!
@@dans_Learning_Curve yes, i was waiting for that too!!
And Cole the cornstar
Your diagnostic always amazes me even though it’s basic to you. You teach me with every video and I appreciate it.
Diagnosing vs throwing parts at it. Anyone can throw parts in until they get lucky.
He's a perfect channel to watch to earn your YCM (TH-cam Certified Mechanic) badge.
Him and Eric O surprise me everytime they speak. I strive to be a quarter of a mechanic they are
Jesus loves you alot trust in His death 4 salvation and be saved from eternal hell
Wes: "Got no brakes, got no license plates, no insurance, half the lug nuts are on the floor by my feet, the transmission is making a terrible racket ..."
Sounds like a line from the Blues Brothers, just needed you to add "We're on a mission from God". Great video and great diagnostic work !
As Derek from Vice Grip Garage would say: "Perfect!"
Gvn
I've been on this road before. Used to be a "shortcut road" :) 43:00
I drive a 2.9 every day and mines almost got 500,000 miles on it and it’s a great truck I don’t know why people say these are bad trucks when I’ve had my whole life and they’ve been great to me?????!!!!We enjoy your videos!!!!
I think Eric O over at South Main has said several times new does not mean good.... Great diagnosis
i love that man
My motto with cars, ya gotta drive em and keep em oily. A car that sits and isn't driven will go to crap pretty quickly...
Great job Wes!!! Like you said, it was kinda funny that you had the $1,500 Pico hooked up to a $300 truck. With all the wires, it looked like a patient in the ICU on life support and it then turns out the main fault is down to some dodgy new part, probably the cheapest new part, of all the parts, the previous owner threw at it.
Yep, and the older the Vechicle, the more you have to drive the crap out of it, esp for Fords.
“Don’t even think about it, child.” Oh, he’s thinking about it; like father like son. 😜
Let'r rip
Wes- I hope you and your lovely wife will enjoy the youngster while he's at this age. They grow up too fast.
He'll do it once...
Those early brain boxes are known to fail
@@WatchWesWork A chip off the old engine block. 😎
Watch enough Mustie1 and you'll learn that the gas in the tank according to the previous owner has only been sitting a "few months/years" is at least twice as old as claimed.
I had an ‘88 Ford Ranger XLT with the 2.9L with a 5 speed. It was a rocket ship compared to my brother’s Toyota with the 22R engine. It had a factory “hi rise” lift. It was a great little truck, very reliable. I was the original owner and had it about 12 yrs. Sold it with over 150k miles which is an estimate because I had put on 30” tires early on. Minor issues over the years typical maintenance items, brakes, batteries, water pump, cap and rotor etc. the worst thing I had go out was the fuel pressure regulator and the a/c stopped working probably from non-use. Loved the truck, just family out grew it. Kinda funny your XL has cruise control on the steering wheel yet my XLT didn’t.
“It’s all the way over there” has also been a major challenge in my life. Keep fighting.
That was an amazing catch and diagnosis. Your knowledge of electrical systems amazes me every time. That would be a great little run-around truck!
Man, body and interior wise, that’s one of the nicest rangers of that style I’ve seen for a long time.
MAJOR PARTS CANNON on that one! Cool find Wes, OBD1 EFI systems are always fun to diagnose :)
Yes. These Fords are such a pain. Easy to see why EEC-IV did not become the standard for OBD2...
@@WatchWesWork is the 84 Bronco v-6 the same or different ?
@@davekimbler2308 I'm pretty sure 84 Bronco V6 was a 2.8
@@slowstang88 I’ve not even opened the hood yet ! Lol. I traded a 92 Roadmaster for it and $1500 cash !
84 had the solid-lifter 2.8 with a computer- controled 2-bbl carburetor. Its distributor did have a TFI module. The 2.9 was a derivative of the 2.8 but not many engine parts will interchange. Bell housing bolt pattern is same.
I had one of those rangers in black with a 2.3L 4x4, and I’ll tell ya what that lil truck was un-killable. Off-road it was unstoppable because it didn’t have enough power to spin the tires so it had to go lol. I was actually rear ended by a six wheeled dump truck so hard that my head hit the top of the cab separating the seam above the door all the way to the back glass enough that you could stick both fists in the crack, broke my neck and I still drove it home. I received a phone call the next day from the hospital advising me to come back in a had a cervical fracture lol. I drove the lil truck around as a beater for two or three more years before giving it to a guy because he didn’t have a work vehicle.
Love those bug shields.
How much something costs means nothing if youre enjoying what youre doing.
unless it's meth
Blake, think they are from Australia, the bugs, in their plagues in the country, coat windscreens there within a few minutes, so these were made as a answer to that. (No.2 answer).
My son does that evil laugh when he's about to do something crazy. Lol
That crazy laugh is the child equivalent of “Hold my beer - and watch this!”
This was comment I was looking for. That laugh was positively evil!
I like your kid, he sounds like he is having fun Like childern should :-D
As Derek at VGG would say “give er the ole I-talian tune up. That will bring her right around.”
That and a litre or two of Berryman's down the yap
nope. no it wont. but were gonna give it a try any way. BRING THE THUNDER!
Derek is awesome! I love VGG
Sounds to be like the lightning whirler might have something wrong with the digikals...Oh, I don't know....There's no fuel-make-it-happener so you can't pour the fire juice down....great.
VCG is probably the best channel here on the interwebs.
"Get out on the highway and feed er the onions, that should help.....probably not".
Just gotta give you credit for being one of the few real mechanics I've seen. You aren't just throwing more parts at it, you diagnose it. That's rare these days. I enjoy watching you figure it out since this new fangled stuff is way beyond me. (Points and a carb was good enough IMO! )Well done!
I had an 88 bronco 2 for one of my first vehicles. Like most people I reminisce about it, but 3 engines later I eventually moved on. I got it for 700 dollars back then. I actually check the fuel pressure the same way on said bronco and would you believe the accuracy from a full arms length away was so good I got a full stream dose of gas directly into my eye. You alway remember your first shot of gas in the eye.
Ouch, 3 engines is enough!
The EEC-IV system seems to run rough for a few miles until it 'learns'. Not sure what it is learning, but it seems to make things smoother once it finishes.
My experience is that most OBD-1 era fuel injection does this. My older Jeeps run kind of poorly for a while after the memory is disconnected.
@@minuit242 my truck runs rich for the first 5 minutes of operation, and levels out afterwards. Obd 1 only had 2 perks, and one is the cost of the diagnosic tool.
@@cavalierliberty6838 whats the other?
@@williambell7763 the relative ease of diagnosing the problem. You can get to whatever the problem is easy as hell on an obd1 as the sensors are limited.
@@cavalierliberty6838 thats a really good point, I never thought about it like that. But there's been times where I get frustrated with the computer and just test the sensors instead, couldn't really do that on an obdii with way more sensor (likely wouldn't have too but still)
And to think the other guy that worked on the truck might have started out by changing the temp sensor with the faulty new one. Then everything just snowballed from there with the parts replacement game.
I had a 1988 Ranger 2.9 5speed that I drove 400K Miles without replacing even the clutch, before I sold it! Nothing but GREAT TRUCK! Mine was 2WD.
Ordered a 1986 Ranger Super Cab STX 4x4 5 speed brand new from a local Ford dealer. First year for the Super Cab the 2.9 and multi port EFI. Absolutely loved that truck and experienced no problems with any components. I also never experienced the horrible valve train noise that you described. Mine never sounded like the one you are working on. I never understood the bad reputation of this engine and electronics. I drove that truck for 28 years and put 250,000 miles on it. It was great in the mud, and ran 75 to 80 miles per hour on the freeway effortlessly. I sold it simply because I wanted a full size truck. Wish I had kept it.
Loved it. Seeing a 86 come back to life after one simple faulty part.
Notice the highlighted "55" on the speedometer, from the days of the 55 mph national speed limit.
1974
They had a lot of speedometers to unload after the speed limit was repealed. I think Ford finally ran out of the 85mph speedometers by the mid 90’s.
The V6 has mechanical lifters. Adjust the valve lash and it will run quiet
Tell me hot you adjust the lifters on that engine please
Good find Wes! I enjoy watching you work through the diagnostic puzzles.
I can remember Frank Fritz, I have seen him driving that truck years ago! Funny! I don't watch anymore, but watch nice balanced people like you and Matt from Diesel Creek! 😊😊
Wes, I once serviced my old car (pre OBD2) and did not fully remove all the air from the coolant to the extent that the coolant temperature sensor was not able to sense the coolant temperature. The engine remained in open loop, ran rough and gulped fuel. I got an oxygen sensor ‘out of range’ code and found it coated in soot, sufficient to block its function. I used a butane torch to burn the soot off the O2 sensor and then burped air out of the coolant. The engine was now able to enter closed loop, running lean enough to prevent O2 sensor fouling. Silly mistake but a lot of consequences.
Finally someone knows fight there. Been there too more than once.
Fun stuff!
I like the resurrection of these older trucks!
Get a bigger 80's or 90's rust free 4x4 from down south that won't run and fixer up!!
That would be cool!
I have a renewed appreciation for GM OBD-I -- at least it has live data! (And your "scan tool" can be a laptop with WinALDL and a simple DIY interface circuit.)
Wow Wes it's hard to imagine that this thing is fighting you so hard troubleshooting it. Being that you are an ultimate troubleshooter and very thorough and this thing's kicking your ass. Absolutely great video almost good to see you over there with Matt Diesel Creek. Couldn't even imagine what you two were up to.
I was worried about the boys if Mrs. Work and Mrs. Creek were also getting together and comparing notes! 😉
He eventually prevailed though, damn thing runs good now
Hey Wes. Figured out what the problem was on my 2006 Honda Accord on the cruise control. It was the main switch on the steering wheel. Was thumbing through u tube and came across cliffs garage and had 2 options on fixing it. 1 was buying a new switch for 140 dollars or 2. The simple and cheap way is. There’s a little push pin that acts like a toggle switch and said by super gluing the pin down will fix the problem. Just thought to pass this onto you if you ever come across a similar problem. Thanks. Also enjoy watching your videos and learning a lot
My first vehicle was a ranger with a 2.9. I can still hear that damn tapping to this day.
Same here. '89 Supercab XLT. Great truck, horrible engine. It was funny to hear him say they commonly had cracked heads since I had to replace those in high school. That '89 was the first of three Ford Rangers. The only other small truck I would have ever considered was a Tacoma.
@@markosborn1394 same exact experience. Mine was also a 89.
Looks like that Ranger is on the FRITZ
😂😂😂
Poor FRITZ! :D
Lol
Hey, I've been hearing that my whole life.
@@markfritz315 Better the Ranger than Smokey Bear:O
26:30 love the two waffle cone holders they put on the bar in front of the engine. Very forward thinking :)
That was one heck of a find with that coolant temperature sensor. Well done!!!
Nice find 👍. On the transmission to be on the safe side service the lube in it whatever it calls for and while you’re there service both differentials old as that truck is. Looking forward to seeing next video of Frank Fritz’s 86 Ranger.
I had thr same engine in a bronco 2 4x4 with the 5 spd also. Paid 700.00 in florida and we use to have a little friday nite trail ride club threw Eglin air base. Never broke and my friend bought it from me and its still going.
You rattled off your inventory before going on the test drive and my first thought was you're half a pack of smokes away from joining The Blues Brothers.
Great buy Wes i drive a old truck love them, saw you at diesel creek noticed you did not crawl under the nasty loader with Matt.
That is the cleanest Ranger I've ever seen. That includes the ones the I saw in the 90s when they weren't that old
Then again, maybe I've only seen ones beat to death..
Don't look underneath.
@@WatchWesWork that's true for any ford though. 🤣
@@WatchWesWork Bet that thing's rusted to death underneath, no surprise there
I had a 1989 bronco with a very intermittent ignition problem. It was enough to burn out the module every 6 months but never happened often enough to diagnose. I would have loved your Pico scan tool to diagnose it. I love seeing these kind of harder to solve problems for the hobby mechanic.
So many rabbit holes! Had some laughs along the way though. Shame about the rust but it's a nice truck I think, complete with 'luxe' 80's dashboard. Probably best you didn't film Mrs Wes pushing a truck, can you imagine the comments! :-)
Judging by the speed it cranked over, it would be interesting to see what the compressions were like.
Getting unsettling flashbacks to my 90's Taurus and it's easily offended ignition. Spout connector. Crank sensor. Cam sensor. DIS module. Heat soaked DIS module failure. Bad grounds. Missing grounds.
**thousand yard stare**
My mom has a 89 ford econoline van 302 in shape with 100k miles....I noticed a big problem with the electrical system that caused gremlins was the wiring harnesses get corroded very easy causing everything from tail lights to fuel pump relays to work intermittently. Clean the corrosion off & a year or 2 later the corrosion is back causing problems.
@@michaelbrinks8089 That same Taurus had a fault in the wiring that led to the drivers door. Half the time when I tried to power the window up or down, the courtesy light in the door would turn on instead. This was really annoying if it started raining.
@@OnTheRocks71 That reminds me.....I was gonna look online to see if I can find the reason why Ford's wiring harnesses get corroded so easy or what causes their well known electrical gremlins....I know for example any 2 different metals touching together, like steel & copper will cause fast corrosion...The tail lights & turn signals stop working despite the bulbs still being good. Due to the green corrosion build up, I suspect the metal in the light socket/harness is different than the metal bulb connectors. Same with the relay pins are a different type of metal than the female harness it connects to.
Great video Wes! 🙂👍 Nice job with the wiring diagnosis. Glad to see it run down the road again. Can't wait for part 2 🔧
I love bronco and rangers!!! Super dependable cars!!!!!! I have been driving them for 30 years plus!!!
Bringing back memories! First motor I ever worked on was helping my dad put new heads on his 1984 Ranger in 1990 ish. It was the first project of the next 30 years of wrenching! Thanks for sharing 😊
The Florida pool pump motor bearing repair guy approved ! that was good info Wes !
This is a strange comment considering I live in florida and have had to pool pumps die becaues of bearings this year lol.
@@rsdna9698 I 'm the guy that fix that happening !
Love it when a WWW video drops!!! I sure wish I would’ve known when you were in PA! You were SO close! Great video as usual Wes!!!
That Sun tach adds 50 more hp 😂 Great pick! 😁
My first thought was that the Sun tach was causing the ignition problem. They were notorious for it. It was always the first thing to disconnect when an engine started having intermittent problems.
I love to watch your videos but this one is awesome for a different reason than most. The excited explanation of the pending trip to the store to buy some marbles was fantastic. That made my day hearing that excitement.
i had 5 of those first generation rangers. absolutely loved them. one thing i can say is get a relocation kit for that tfi module. it puts the heat sink in the clean air stream and eliminates the module replacement every year. also for some strange reason that system does not like aftermarket tachs. the ford self tests KOEO and KOER will tell you all you need to know. it was the best self diag on the market in those days.
Wes makes a trip to see diesel creek and now he got an old ranger, Matt must be rubbing off on him 👍
Since Matt has a couple of Rangers, maybe Wes went for a parts run?
These are incredible trucks---every one I find seem to have 220K miles on it, and that's a bit on the scary side. But I don't think they were meant to go for 35 years. I strongly compliment you on your troubleshooting logic.
These small old trucks are impossible to kill
Probably meant for about 5-10 years.
I look forward to you content. Luv the can do attitude you have. Keep up the great work. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
I use to keep a spare module in my glovebox because they were so prone to failure
Master class in OBD 1 diagnostics mixed with new technology and a lot of patience! Took me back to early 80's shop days!
I just figured out the problem!
Someone put some dialectic grease on the electrical connections.
Wipe them off and she'll run like new!
Good call!
@@WatchWesWork
Thanks Buddy!
I learned that right here!
“Typical Ford, goes about 80 MPH in reverse.” Reminds me of a quote by Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes. “We like to be able to get out of trouble as fast as we got into it”. Lol
I must remember this PMSL.
Wes you are determined genius!!
Wife: "I honestly don't know why you're filming me right now"
Wes: *promptly turns camera off*
I know why he is filming her, she's pretty.
Smart Man.
He saw the warning sign.
He's filming her because he wants to show her off. (I would too)
Girls and boys, you missed the clue!
He started filming 'hufflepuff' with the words: "let's see what the old girl will do!" (4:45) 😂
I had a 1986 ford ranger 4x4, 2.3 motor, 5 speed. Everything worked, inspected and passed emissions. I sold it for a sandwich. A co-worker needed a vehicle, I didn’t as I already had 2. I am almost 6’3” and it was a real tight fit.
I hav been having a devil of a time figuring out my 88 bronco 2 and I think you may have just found my issue because i have never checked the tempature sensors im going to try it today thank you for having the patience to run this issue down.
As vicegrip garage says, give it the Italian tune up 😁
Pretty much what happened, yep
ItalYAN tune up!
"I guess barely running is better than not running at all!" - Wes.
Had to pause the video and share that little tid bit.
That's a perfect run around parts getter truck. Just a good complete fluid change and she'll be good. 100% worth the 300 bucks. Can't wait to see the underside of her
I suspect rusty af like every Illinois pickup ever
To old. Once they sit, they deteriorate. Find something 10-15 years old to use as a parts runner.
I really like your videos, they are real, your sense of humor shows up, and an excellent troubleshooter. Which is why your skill level confirms why I would starve being an auto technician/mechanic.
ox sensors on these have a pigtail wire harness that get burned and if you can get one from your ford dealer it will idle and run
Brilliant diagnostics as always! Sharp work spotting that defective temp sensor pin issue! Ford really does NOT understand connectors. I've heard crazier stories - like a HAIR across a fiber-optic connector making an engine do all kinds of bizarre, unrepeatable misbehaviors. Your generalized experience and skill with testing tools is so much fun to watch. Not exactly Sherlock Holmes, maybe Mike Hammer (if the tool fits!).
If you do a bit of Googling, you can find that Frank Fritz mentions this very Ranger in several interviews!
Do you have a link? It would be cool for him to sign it or something lol
Impressive. Question: Do you ever tell your customers to watch TH-cam to see what was all involved in their repair?
Probably not unless asked
Holy cow that was a puzzle to figure that out. Great job and patience. So much junk crammed under the hood I can not imagine working on that. Thanks for the video.
I just bought a 1992 Ranger for $600 with working A/C. It's a 2.3l 5 speed. Body has some dents but isn't rusted out.
HOME RUN on the introduction Wes!!
well as you know wes just some vehicles need to be taking out onto the road and give them a boot full and it clears them out and gets them running right again also good find at least you know how to fix this issue in the future also thanks for another great video
The problem is the computer they had problems with the capacitors leaking oil residue on to the Circuit board that’s a big problem for older Vehicles
Watched a recent old ford ranger video where the guy bought one for cheap with a hard to diagnose problem. The ECM/ECU was located under the hood exposed to the elements....Everything tested good, the ECU also tested good but truck still had issues staying running & running smooth....Finally after days & an exhausting search of checking everything, they decided to to try a new ECU. The truck started right up and ran fine despite the tester saying the old ECU was good..
Had a weird mystery problem on a Chevy Z24 years ago. Car started up & ran good but would randomly die & not restart until it sat for a day. I checked & tested EVERYTHING with no luck. Turns out bugs had crawled inside the fuel rail on the previous owner when the car sat apart over night. The gas caused the bugs to harden and float around like little corks in the fuel rail, randomly clogging the injectors. By luck I found them when I had the fuel apart for 3rd time.
I have been going down this same rabbit hole off and on for like a year and a half when I had time..... This was the problem. A bad new coolant sensor. Had replaced it as well and apparently the new one was bad. Pins were pushed down into the connector. Thanks for the video! Its running like a dream now!
That engine cranking and trying to start reminds me of my childhood. Used to hear a lot of them do that. And our 90 3.0 Taurus sounded like that too.
I have a sable with the 3.0 v6. They only sound bad when people don't take care of them lol. Otherwise the lifters are a little noisy. I've owned 3 all with the same engine.
Really enjoying your videos Wes. I retired from wrenching quite a few years ago but I remember well the nightmares of the TFI systems. You were talking about the rough idle after replacing the sensor, you do know they have adaptive learning on the idle don't you? That was why it was better once you did your test ride. You probably should have left the base idle set where it was until after running it a few days and especially after getting some fresh gas in it. REALLY good catch on the sensor though, That one would have had me pulling hair out.
Double faults are the worst to find :-(
Well, apart from new bits that don't work properly
Around 22:00 there is a plug wire arcing out on the driver side near the exhaust manifold by the dipstick you can see it arching out which is your ignition drop out
It's a reflection from the PS cap. Got a few comments about it.
@@WatchWesWork it was deceiving as the reflection was at the same time as the miss great video as always
@@WatchWesWork rip your inbox
Reminds me of my 99 silverado with the 4.3l. Started skipping when warm then just died. Took me a month to find a coil wire broken inside the plastic... tugged and saw the wire stretch and break. Soldered together and running great still years later. 276,000 miles so far.
Great work tracking down the issues. I was yelling at the screen to test the TPS though. One thing with these old Fords, try flooring it during cranking. This actually shuts off the fuel injectors while cranking in case it's flooding. Also unplug all of the extra sensors. It'll run w/out pretty much everything but the ignition module and TPS, but in limp mode.
It does have one hell of a starter though!
Great family, remember the blinker fluid
And the muffler bearing sounds a bit rough
“So basically, we’re good” I laughed out loud. God I love this Channel and DieselCreek!!!
Let do it Wes, I finally received my Tpps for my 2000 dodge and if the rain ever stops then I can install it and tell you if it solved my surging issues! No matter I appreciate you bringing it to my attention Wes! Nothing you can’t do brother and I saw you with Matt and his track loader! I love your channel Wes! 👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Wes, here in the SE those trucks beat up, rusted, no paint, seat springs sticking you places you don't like being stuck, busted out rear window and running on 3 cylinders still sell for between 1500-2000 bucks.
Good investment
Ahh good old Ford too bad the new ones aren’t as hard to kill as the oldies
Looking forward to seeing more videos on this truck!
According to a reputable (?) TH-cam source, you’re supposed to squeal like a little girl when the front wheels roll down the trailer ramp.
I totally was expecting the Vehcor scream
I'm hooked
I graduated trade school in 82
taking a adv DIESEL course for another yr.
cherokee iowa I landed my first job
troubleshooting was everything
and every part was rebuildable
40 yrs now I can relate to your process
You and Matt from diesel creek are my go to guys. Great vids from both of you. You already helped me fix my truck. Thanks and keep doing your thing. I’ll be watching
I love your sense of humour Wes, your videos are so entertaining
5:58 note to self, masking tape, blue or otherwise, does not work make for a good redaction material when you hold the document up to the light...
Fine I'll just blur it out...
@@WatchWesWork not complaining, just advising
He was making a good faith effort to redact the document, which worked pretty well. How long did you pause and stare at it to see through the tape- and why???
@@giggiddy I didn't pause at all, it was clear as day when he held it up
@@giggiddy I didn't pause it and was able to read a woman's name. So someone who did pause it could probably read it all. Some really weird people in the world.
Enjoyed it Wes!
Thanks Hank!
Love your videos, you know what you're doing. Frank Fitz, American Pickers, stopped watching that show years ago! What a couple of putzes they are!!! Subscribed today!! Keep up the good work.