Ford Ranger push rod V6 idle all over!
 

My workhorse is a Ranger. Pushrod 6 3.0.

Idle sticks at like 3k sometimes, drops, then climbs! Peddal all the way up.

What would cause something like this? No error codes.

yikes that sounds dangerous no? parked right lol?

throttle cable freeze something somewhere?

frozen/gunked-up icv (or carb jets depending ...). get it in a heated garage overnight and see if you still have the problem in the morning?

If you don't get an answer here try Pelican Parts Off Topics discussion. Lots of talent there to answer....
G

I had a 1990 2.9l Ranger for a while. Never had that problem, but for the problems it did have I found some pretty good ranger forums. I think one was called Ranger Station. The help is out there...

There are a couple of pretty good Ranger forums out there. I have found them very helpful when troubleshooting my B4000.

Fuel injected. It lives indoors at my shop or in my garage when it snows. Cable not sticking, it's an electronic or idle issue.

I'll check ranger forums. Thanks.

vacuum leak?


( trks guide to troubleshooting - first assume something is dirty. if not, assume some cheap piece of plastic or rubber has broken or come unattached. if not, then i gots troubles ...)

FixOrRepairDaily JK

Idle air control valve
Throttle position sensor
Dirty throttle body

Found
Off
Road
Digging

Found On Road Dead :D

209k and only one valve spring!

I've busted the leaf springs, gone through 6 clutches, how many shocks and ball joints, and so on. Was surprised it's just a 4wd with a pushrod 6. Very basic. Maybe 3+ oil leaks and a small coolant leak. Head gasket time soon.

Sounds like you have had a good time with er. Now is the time to retire the old girl. Or, wait for the next Tow, Drag In Sale and get $10 grand for er.:cheers:

Fast Only Rolling Downhill :)

Sounds like the Idle Air Control could be sticking. That would usually throw a code though. I would pull that and clean the contacts first.
Also make sure the air conditioning compressor isn't activating intermittantly (bad relay), that would cause the same issue. Remember, the heat system runs through the compressor at certain settings.