My 86 Ranger seems to Sputter...

I have an 86 Ranger 2.9 F.I. Standard shift.....The truck seems to sputter or miss when in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. But not all the time. I have changed spark plugs, distributer cap and rotor. The trucks fuel mileage seems to suck too. The truck runs fine when it gets up to speed, on the highway. sometimes it stalls when I come to a stop too. But always starts right up. Cant figger this one out....need some help!

I have the same problem with my 88 Ford Ranger. did the same things, distributor, plugs, wires... sounds like mine is running very rough. My fuel milage is gone down alot and it wants to sputter sometimes going down the rode. It smells like gas is mixed in with my exhaust. Everyone recommends changing the fuel filter. I have no idea where it is or how many there may be. I've looked in the Chilton book and it doesn't list it. If you figure out where it is and try it let me know if it works or what you did to get yours fixed.
Email me PTaylor@phelon.com

if it smells like gas is coming out of the exhaust, i would say it may not be the fuel pump--if it was, there wouldn't be enough gas... i don't exactly understand why it doesn't have the problem in high gears, but could it be that you shift at higher rpm's in higher gears, so the problem isn't as noticable? you may want to consider getting your timing adjusted, it sounds like it may just be getting out of tune...

Let me describe the problem a little better, maybe you guys can point me in the right direction. Coming home one night I went thru a large mudhole, nothing deep, just alot of water everywhere. No problems getting home. no stall, ran like it normally did. I was about two miles from home. Woke up the next morning and the Ranger ran rough. You could hear that the exhaust wasn't right, it smelled like there was raw fuel mixed in with the fumes. It also shook as it idled. I really don't know how to describe it any better, just like the engine was maybe firing wrong and that it was vibrating the Ranger. After driving it, I noticed that it was slow and draggy when accelerating. But when you got it going it seemed fine. Also, sometimes when the engine was cold and trying to get up a hill, it would maybe sputter (not really a backfire but like it missed a fire and lost power just for a half second).I changed the plugs, plug wires, distributor and rotor. Same problem, no improvement. I pulled the plug wires one by one and restarted the Ranger each time. all were firing and the Ranger really didn't seem to notice it was missing one fire. I've had recommendations on changing the fuel filter but I don't know where it's located and also maybe adjusting the timing with the distributor cap but I don't know if that can be done. Someone did what's called a "dollar trick" with the muffler, basically putting a dollar in front of the muffler and seeing how it flutters. I have no idea what the hell that was about. Someone said one of the valves could be stuck or maybe an injector is clogged. The point is, There could be almost anything wrong and I'm reaaly not a mechanic. I'll gladly take suggestions and try them if I can. I'm not sure if the midnight mud run I did on the way home had anything to do with it cause I've done that many times before, but all it takes is one time and it did screw up after that night.

OK people I am the have trouble with a Ford Ranger till you finally fix it guy!!! I owned a 1988 Ford Ranger for 4 years. I replaced 2 engines, countless plugs, wires, rotary bugs, fuel additives and 1 $436.00 fuel pump in Chicago on a family trip! Nothing worked. Now with that said, Im going to tell all of you how to fix yours and hopefully save you from any more wasted time or money. OXYGEN SENSOR folks. Thats right, the o2 sensor located underneath tapped into the right exhaust manifold.I really hope this helps all of you.

OK Sounds like a good starting point. Will try. Advance Auto list 4 different ones ranging in price from $39 to $58. My question is.....
If it were a Oxygen sensor, wouldn't it give an indicator light on the dash as something being wrong with engine (check engine light or something?) I get no indicator lights on. Also, maybe a diagnostic would detect that but not sure how to go about that. Also, where is the fuel filter located on the 88 rangers. I have a 2.9L FI engine 4X4.

If the sensor doesn't work, you might take the truck to an auto parts store, some give "free" diagnostic tests...... You may find that its an intake gasket that needs replacing..... if you do choose to replace the gasket, make sure you replace the bolts too!!!!

Could be the O2 sensor, But I'd also check the timing on it too. Could be that your fuel's not combusting completely and there's where you get the raw fuel smell. the timing adjustment is cheap, but on a 2.9 it's a pain to get at the bolt that holds the distributor down. good luck on the fix.