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  #1  
Old 07-11-2011, 04:55 PM
rongrob rongrob is offline
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Default Ranger looses power when hot

Hi, my little 97, 4 cyl, 5 spd ranger (97,000 miles) is having problems. When it gets hot, it looses power almost to the point that I cant drive it up a steep hill, even in first gear. When it is cold or at night it drives fine. The temp gauge seems to work fine and it never goes past normal temp. It also surges when accelerating, ,which it never did before. All this started about a month ago as the weather is getting hot here in Georgia. It is throwing a code, that says to replace the vapor canister, but this has been like this for 2 years. I also just replaced the catalytic converter about 4 months ago, the old one had a leak in it.
What should I be checking for???? This is getting frustrating,as Im going to have to park it until fall/winter.
thanks ron
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Old 07-13-2011, 11:01 AM
sgtsandman sgtsandman is offline
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Default Re: Ranger looses power when hot

I had something similar with a Toyotas I owned in the past. It turns out the garage set the timing wrong. Check your timing and see if it is off.
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Old 07-13-2011, 11:06 AM
03RangerFX4 03RangerFX4 is offline
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Default Re: Ranger looses power when hot

Maybe it needs a good tune up. Good luck!!
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Old 07-13-2011, 06:44 PM
rongrob rongrob is offline
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Default Re: Ranger looses power when hot

Thanks for the suggestions. Ill check the timing, but I think it might have to do with the cooling system. I might have a bad clutch fan and possibly a bad thermostat. I did some checking on it today and the head is really hot while the radiator hoses are fairly cool. There might be some blockage in the head or hoses,, etc.
thanks ron
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Old 07-14-2011, 06:27 AM
03RangerFX4 03RangerFX4 is offline
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Default Re: Ranger looses power when hot

You might have a stuck thermostat. At least it's not over heating as that is a bad thing. Easy way of checking the stat is to boil water on the stove and drop the stat in, if it opens or closes its working fine, if not then its bad. Probably cheaper just to replace. Just my opinion.
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Old 07-14-2011, 07:25 AM
modelageek modelageek is offline
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Default Re: Ranger looses power when hot

Quote:
Originally Posted by 03RangerFX4 View Post
You might have a stuck thermostat. At least it's not over heating as that is a bad thing. Easy way of checking the stat is to boil water on the stove and drop the stat in, if it opens or closes its working fine, if not then its bad. Probably cheaper just to replace. Just my opinion.
just replace it with a new MOTORCRAFT(trust me get a MC)...$10 from rockauto....
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