Scanners ?

Beatnik

What's this ?
What do you like ?

I've got an old one (2011 ultragauge) that basically gives and clears codes and pending codes "when they show". I would like to have one that will give more info. I'm fighting a misfire right now on my Ranger and I figure the computer knows which cylinder it is, but I can't access it until it decides to give a code.
 
motorcraft star wont fix this, you need SBDS or a followon that will graph CAW (crank angle word) which shows instantaneous rpm and finds misfires. on a good note, most dealers ditched SBDS since the EECIV machines they are meant to work on, have been out of print since the early 90s and hence you can get them for a few hundred dollars (but beware, the case hardened PS2 is completely unavailable to repair)
 
Last year my Father's 2002 2WD F-150 with the 4.6L and 145K or 90K miles started bucking under load (on hills or when accelerating hard) and we thought maybe an issue with the AT trans, than maybe ignition coils as it started to be more of a missing problem but it turned out to be the exhaust system plugging up as the muffler had filled up with rust from internal decay in the pipes before it. The pipe cracked open just before the muffler freeing the poor engine which ran nicely then.

I have heard of other brands having cat converter failures that caused a plug up resulting in the same symptoms.

If that's not it maybe do a leak down test first, then individual cylinder ignition & fuel tests! With a cheap temp reader aimed at the exhaust manifold you also may see which cyl is lower in temp if the design allows that check.
 
mine is launch viii crp129 .. reads most cars ..could do with a better one really . also have just bought vcds for vag group vehicles . that is very good as can remap the whole car if so wished ..
 
I can probably do a test on the O2 sensors to check the catalytic ?

I'm looking at a more Ford specific setup, I have two Rangers. One is eventually going to be an engine swap project that will probably be a computer nightmare.
 
If that's not it maybe do a leak down test first, then individual cylinder ignition & fuel tests! With a cheap temp reader aimed at the exhaust manifold you also may see which cyl is lower in temp if the design allows that check.

These are good suggestions. It's just a gasoline engine and you can go through all of the basics yourself. I've used the infrared thermometer trick ^^^^ on individual header tubes with success.
Fuel pressure check.
Clogged air filter.
Check under the hood in the dark for ignition spark jumps.
Pull one plug wire or injector harness lead at a time to isolate the problem cylinder.
Read the plugs.
Manifold vacuum gauge.
Timing light.
You can use a pressure gauge on the fore O2 sensor port to check for a plugged catalytic.

I watched seasoned people overlook some of these basic things. My favorite scan tool is a snap-on modis that I have free access to. I've only used it to check all of the individual sensor conditions and stored codes when I needed it. I do know that it has an ignition scope and a few other features.
If I had a situation where that can't help, I would likely take it to a reputable shop or possibly the dealer and pay them for a diagnostics service. Fortunately I've not had to do this, but I'm not into chasing problems for a week.
 
I can probably do a test on the O2 sensors to check the catalytic ?

I'm looking at a more Ford specific setup, I have two Rangers. One is eventually going to be an engine swap project that will probably be a computer nightmare.

What year(s)? What do you plan on swapping in?
 
thats actually a fairly common swap to make v8 splashes. you are talking the windsor 5.0 and not the DOHC motor?
 
For a 1st gen. 5.0, a standalone EEC-IV harness is still easy to find/modify. Painless wiring may still make a new harness. The factory 5 forums and the cobra assembly manual shows you how to modify an oem mustang harness for a few different situations.

Are you doing a later OBDII ecm, keeping current dash cluster, emissions testing?

Cool project. I wouldn't be opposed to building something like this in a 4x4 for a personal beach cruiser.
 
I haven't given it a lot of thought yet. If I could find a wrecked Mustang for low money or stumble onto a salvage yard car and start gathering parts. Emissions\inspection is a concern, guessing I would have to swap everything ? Got some research ahead for sure. My daughter rear ended a newer Mustang in it four years ago and it's just sat with a smashed bumper and grill.

I plan on clearing the garage out, pushing it in and start toying with it. It would drive in if the fuel pump hadn't sat. I'm thinking of going old school hot rod style. I had already put Explorer buckets and console in.
 
You want an Explorer as the donor. More modern controls, a better engine, and its got the frame mounts you need. The Explorer engine is actually the best 5.0 Ford ever produced, possibly excepting the mid-90s Cobra that actually has a lot of parts shared with the Explorer. Only thing sort-of lame on the Explorer is the cam and valve springs. They're great truck stuff, but if you swap the cam to get more RPM, the valve springs need to change too. A stock one in a Ranger should be an absolute hoot to drive though.

As for emissions stuff, most states allow a swap of a same or newer year engine only, and the only thing 2000 or later with a 302 is the Exploder.
 
So if I did that, would the truck show as an explorer on the obd2 ? It doesn't have pats to deal with, but the donor might.

This little guy took me 287k on the little 4 banger and had more to go. She about 2k on the belt and front bushings/joints. I liked it much more than the one next to it. Oxidized, some surface rust, but dent free.

00ranger.jpg
 
i did similar years ago .. swapped the whole loom and electronics ..worked straight away ..knowing what i know now i might still do the same to save headaches .
 
So, do you think the scanner program I linked to would be a good investment seeing I'll probably be driving and tinkering with rangers for a long while ? Can I do more for the same investment with something else ? I see those Snap On Ethos units in the pawn shops, but I don't think they have halve the enhanced features the Auto Enginuety does ?
 
well the numbers themselves dont sit up to me, BUT that they are on 4-5-6 which on ford is the drivers side bank....is this SFI? or a throttle body? Is there anything on the motor that can affect 1 physical bank (not a logical bank - ask for explanation) for your truck
 
Back
Top Bottom