Top 5 Problems Ford Ranger Truck 3rd Generation 1998-2012

In this video, we're gonna be going over the top five problems in this 3rd Generation Ford Ranger.

Now there's nothing wrong with this vehicle. There's nothing wrong with buying one or owning one. Every vehicle has their problems. These are the top five that we have found with this one.

Number one, cylinder heads. Now, if you have a misfire or your engine's running rough, you have a check engine light that's flashing, you want to do the basics. You want to check your wires, you want to check for spark, you want to check your fuel, sometimes fuel injectors aren't so good in these either. Now, if you check out all that stuff and everything seems good, the next step is gonna be a compression test. You're going to take the spark plugs out, put this tester in and check all the cylinders. If you have one cylinder that's less, chances are those valves are either burnt or there could be a crack in the head. And if that's the case, you're gonna have to replace the head.

Number two, the flex fuel sensor. Now, you may experience a no-start condition where the vehicle won't start, or the engine runs really rough and also a check engine light with a P0176. The flex fuel sensor is located right here, and if you're having trouble finding it, if you go back close to the fuel tank and just follow the fuel lines, find your fuel filter, and then go up a little bit further and it's gonna attach to that sensor right there. Even if you're not using E85 gas, it still needs to sense the gas, send the signal to the computer and let the computer know how to make adjustments. Once it stops sending a signal or not sending a good signal to the computer, then you're gonna start having issues.

Number three, transmission issues. So you may experience some shifting concerns. You definitely want to check your fluid condition and level. Now, if the conditions of fluid is good, there is some adjustments that could be made to the intermediate band and also the valve body itself. There is an updated spacer plate, which between those two could correct the issue without having to replace or rebuild the transmission.

Number four, O2 sensor wiring. Now you may notice on the rear O2 sensor that there might be some wiring that's messed up. The bracket might have broke and it's rubbing on the exhaust right here, or even on the shield up here. And once it rubs through to bare metal, then you're gonna pop a fuse and it's gonna make the engine run rough. It might not run rough right when it starts, but eventually, it's going to run rough. You might end up with a check engine light and some blown fuses. Same with the front O2 sensors. Something could have rubbed on the insulation of the wires and caused a short. So in the fuse box under the hood, if you notice that this 15 amp fuse is blown, that's the number 13 fuse, definitely check out that wiring.

Number five, multifunction switch, or combination switch. So you may have some wiper issues and there's a lot going on on this switch that controls the wipers and the turn signals as well, and also the high beams. So you may have issues with the wipers, the turn signals, or the high beams. A lot of times it just needs a new switch.

So those are the top five problems that we have found with the 3rd Generation Ford Ranger. If you enjoyed this video, make sure you subscribe to our channel. Make sure you ring the bell, turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our videos.

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