Ford Ranger has next to no power even when floored

[Brian]

My 1995 auto 2.3 Ranger started doing this about a week ago. It barely goes up hills and only goes maybe 20-25 mph when floored and it takes almost five minutes just to get it going that fast. I noticed last night after work that the fuel pump doesn’t seem to be turning on anymore, but I thought a vehicle couldn’t start with a dead fuel pump? The Ranger has slowly been losing power for quite some time now, but it’s never been this bad before.

When driving with the windows down I noticed a “whooshing” sound similar to driving through water that would stop as soon as I took my foot off the gas. Also, the truck has been drinking gas. I just put 5 gallons in yesterday and it’s already below the E mark and that’s after just a 35 mile round trip. Does this sound like the fuel pump to you folks?

Topic

[Erin]

Other things – does it not idle above a certain point in park or gear? Any chance the trans is dragging?

First of course is check out Eric’s video…
Now for the other junk…
Pulling codes is not a bad idea but if it is a clogged cat, you may get some misleading codes. My ex used to have this 94 Jeep Cherokee with a 4.0 with a clogged cat. Would not rev above 2500 park or drive. TPS O2 sensor, and maybe a CCV code popped up (something crazy). Tried many repairs. Finally we disconnected the exhaust between the exhaust manifold and the rest of the system. Engine ran fine and boy did that truck move! Was it loud? Moreso than an L.A. riot. We got lucky, $120’ish for a new cat installed.

If you do decide to disconnect the exhaust to test it, make sure you have two brand new bolts handy because the old ones are likely to break. And when you start it up after disconnect, it is gonna be REALLY loud. 80’s heavy metal fans will complain about the noise.

An exhaust shop could probably test it but you already know they are going to sell you a new one no matter what. BTW when we bought the Jeep it was like that.

[Stephen Bowen]

I’ll go along with what’s been said. $200 is a victory. I get the same type nonsense about my bronco II. Yeah it’s old…dented here and there.. It’s also on it’s 3rd transmission. But this truck (knock on simulated wood) is still solid with the frame, and it’s never left me stranded.

Oh yes it’s tried my nerves on more then one occasion. But Eric put it best. A Reliable POS? While people may poopoo things–It’s comforting knowing that it’ll always get you to point a to point b. May not do it in style..But it does it.

For the ones complaining about me buying a new truck? I just smile and tell them “Well, Opinions Vary. This is paid for.” and smile and walk away.

S-

[EricTheCarGuy]

It does sound like you’ve got it solved, thanks for the update. Honestly, it’s not a good idea to disable emissions components like that. In fact, that shop could get into trouble for doing that. That said, a fix is a fix. At some point you should replace it with a working cat however. Even better if you were able to find the initial cause of the problem that clogged it in the first place. Things like misfires or other performance issues can cause a converter to clog. These will also effect overall engine performance as well.

Thanks for the updates and for using the ETCG forum.

[Author]

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