# 97 ford ranger 2.3l ,4cyl  misfire HELP ?



## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 26, 2010)

I have check everything , plugs,plug wires,coil packs,injectors,E.C.M.,compression check,and i still have a #1 cylinder misfire ????


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## Twenty five ought six (Sep 26, 2010)

Have you double checked the plug wires to make sure you have the right wires going to the right plugs?


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 26, 2010)

yes, the firing order is correct


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## GoldDot40 (Sep 26, 2010)

Is the engine 'missing' or skipping while it's running? What were the numbers yielded by the compression check on that cylinder? On all other cylinders?


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## Gaducker (Sep 26, 2010)

Need more info??????


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 26, 2010)

It is a dead skip #1 is not firing whatsoever,compression was about 150psi,the others are about the same.Injector is pulsing and spraying. changed plug  and wire to see if problem would move but no luck also coil packs no luck also replaced ecm with one from a salvage yard still no luck .


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## truckguy07x (Sep 27, 2010)

may be a wiring problem, may have to trace the wires back as far as you can, i had a 1994 nissan altima i raced on the dirt track and it had a #2 cyl skip, dead on that cyl, i replaced the plug,plugwire,injector,injector plug,traced all the tires to make sure there wasnt a cut,broken or wire grounding that wasnt supposed to, then changed the ecm and it runs like a top to this day.


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## TSMITH (Sep 27, 2010)

sounds like a valve train problem,do a running compression test there should be no more than 5 psi difference between any cyl,may have carbon deposits,weak valve spring,bad valve seat or sticking valves,can also check with a vaccum gauge it should hold steady and not jump around


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 27, 2010)

thanks, let me take a look


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 27, 2010)

i got compression,my #1 plug wire will not fire from coil pack changed coil pack and same issue,#1 ignition coil is not working?compression is good between all cyl.


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## bobman (Sep 27, 2010)

crank position sensor good?


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## sasquatch hunter (Sep 27, 2010)

*help*

get an ohm meter and check the ground wire for that coil.  make sure it is tight.  

sounds like a bad wire/bad wiring connection.

just curious, how do you perform a running compression test?  i've never heard of that.

where did the replacement coil that you tried come from?

when did the problem start?


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 27, 2010)

all wires show good back to ecm,did compression test by placing gauge in each plug port and turn the engine over psi then sticks on the gauge did each one like this and compared.The other coil came from the other side it has two coil packs the problem did not move.The issue started shortly after hitting a hole in the road.


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## GoldDot40 (Sep 27, 2010)

Have you tested the plug/harness for the coil pack for power? If you have....and it does have power, find the ground on the plug. Run a jumper ground wire from the coil pack to something with a sure ground. It sounds like an electrical problem with getting a completed circuit to the coil pack.


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 27, 2010)

thanks,let me try that.


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## sasquatch hunter (Sep 28, 2010)

*waste spark*

is this one of the rangers with the waste spark system.

does it have 2 coils for each cylinder?

it's a 4 cylinder, but has 8 plugs and coils, right?

if so, when you moved a coil from the other side, you just swapped sides on the non firing cylinder.


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## TSMITH (Sep 28, 2010)

sasquatch hunter said:


> is this one of the rangers with the waste spark system.
> 
> does it have 2 coils for each cylinder?
> 
> ...



yep


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## TSMITH (Sep 28, 2010)

also if this is a 2 coil system the pcm only fires the right side of the engine on starting and only fires the other after engine is running. so is there no spark from both coils for #1 ?


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 28, 2010)

only one of them has no spark


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 28, 2010)

on #1


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## sasquatch hunter (Sep 28, 2010)

*my .02 cents*

i think you need to do an ohm test on BOTH  #1 coils.

then replace the bad one(or two)


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 28, 2010)

on each coil pack i have a three wire plug and thats it ?


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 28, 2010)

one wire for #3 and one for#4, i guess #1 and #2 use the same wire ? on the coil pack plug.


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## sasquatch hunter (Sep 28, 2010)

*nope*

you need to remove the coil packs from the vehicle and test them individually.  

there are certain restistance ranges for each post on those coils to the output side.

if they are out of spec in any of tests, they are bad.

i don't have a service manual here in front of me, or i would give you the specs and directions on how to test them.  maybe someone else has that info.


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 30, 2010)

thanks


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Sep 30, 2010)

coil packs are showing good


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## sasquatch hunter (Sep 30, 2010)

*well*

alright, how did you test for fire? and how did you test the injector?

we're missing something


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## LRanger007 (Oct 1, 2010)

Many coils will emit a spark, but don't have adequate voltage.  Swap the coils around or get a good coil and see if the misfire cylinder changes.  I have see people spend all day thinking they have good fire and it is only a weak spark.


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Oct 2, 2010)

I have swapped the coils around and no luck,i pulled the plug out and held it to ground to see and no fire checked with timeing light also, checked injector with a test light to see if i had a pulse on injector plug,injector is spraying because plug is wet with gas .Also ohmed it out and it shows good its got to be between 10 and 20 ohms it measured 15.


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## THUNDER CHICKEN (Oct 10, 2010)

? any more ideas ?


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