I have recently been having very poor gas milage with my ranger around 10-11 mpg. I was told by a Ford mechanic that the problem was a Flex Fuel sensor. I was wondering where that is located at.. i have a 2001 3.0 liter flex fuel ranger.

I believe they have 2 to 3 sensors one around the engine, one along the fuel lines and one at the fuel pump.

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The flex fuel sensor was present only on 1999 and 2000 FFV Rangers. You won't find one on your 2001 FFV.

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2003 FX4 Level II, Supercharged 5.0L V8, Headers, Duals
BW4406 manual transfer case, Aussie Locker, Torsen L/S, 4.10's
Bilstein 7100 rezzies, Cadillac/Mustang rear discs, Duff traction bars
Keypad Entry, Lock LEDs, ABS switch, sway bar discos
Heated seats, Explorer EATC, Trip Computer and consoles

2003 XLT 2.3L M5OD-R1 reg cab, 2011 Taurus SEL, 2016 C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid

Good call I did not catch that.

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im getting confused. I have been told they do, and don't have them.. It doesn't make sense because o"reillys sells a flex fuel sensor for a 2001 ranger?

If Bob says it doesn't have one, trust me, it doesn't.

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(Formerly)
FireRanger
2003 Edge 4.0 4wd

How to: Aux light wiring, relays, & fuses
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How To: NO HEAT Troubleshooting Guide

ok, back to the drawing board i guess on why my ranger is a POS.

what part would read the amount of alcohol in the gasoline then?

It's hard to find any documentation on this but here's my understanding of how it works for 2001~2003 FFV Rangers:

Whenever the Fuel Level Input increases, the PCM assumes that a refueling event has occurred. The PCM strategy then looks to the oxygen sensors for a lambse shift that would indicate a fuel composition change. If it sees a shift, it then readjusts the air/fuel ratio to bring it back to stoichiometric for whatever gasoline/alcohal mix is present.

So, the short answer is that there is no specific part that measures fuel composition only.


I would check for stuff that could affect any late model Ranger, FFV or not. These might include things like a dirty MAF sensor, incorrect fuel pressure, dragging brakes, restricted exhaust, failed oxygen sensors, etc.

If you have a check engine light, have the code read to give you a starting point.

And, OBTW, if you are running a high percentage of ethanol, your mileage WILL drop significantly because ethanol only has about 65% of the energy content of an equivalent volume of gasoline.

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2003 FX4 Level II, Supercharged 5.0L V8, Headers, Duals
BW4406 manual transfer case, Aussie Locker, Torsen L/S, 4.10's
Bilstein 7100 rezzies, Cadillac/Mustang rear discs, Duff traction bars
Keypad Entry, Lock LEDs, ABS switch, sway bar discos
Heated seats, Explorer EATC, Trip Computer and consoles

2003 XLT 2.3L M5OD-R1 reg cab, 2011 Taurus SEL, 2016 C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid

The one of those i am not sure about is the oxygen sensors. My boss looked at the readings on the scanner and he didn't blink an eye about it. :/ I'm just about to "peddle" this turd so i am free of its problems. The gas around here is either 10 or 15 percent ethanol i believe.