One more reason I hate FORDs....

[uglyangelracing]

Ok so Ive been borrowing my dads Ranger because the K5 Is getting new axles. Well in the floods we had here yesterday I was heading to work and learned one more reason not to buy FORD. The duct for the aircleaner runs down into the right fender. So with all that water that lil 3.0 is a wet/dry vac.
So long story short Im hopeing that its just push rods but I guess the K5 is on the back burner until next week. So anyone ever waterlocked a 3.0 Ranger? Going to start pulling it apart tomorrow. Never in the K5 but hey it was Found On Road Dead

 

[randy88k5]

Yes I have. Well, not me, but we had to rescue a bunch of Exploders who tried the same water hole after seeing us do it all the time.

I know the damn spout your talking about. Such a stupid design. Well, probably not destroyed...yet.

You need to take all the plugs out, and crank it for several minutes (giving the starter a break every few seconds). Disconnect and ground the coil before cranking. Pull the fuel pump fuse too if you wish. The #6 plug is the worst cause you have to fight with the AC evaporator. You gotta pull it cause the intake filled up, and as each intake valve opened, water went in.

We were able to save the 3 Exploders that got stuck. You think they would learn...

Dont be shy with WireDry either. I even shot some WD40 into the cylinders while working. Let me now if you still have a problem...

 

[Bubba Ray Boudreaux]

So were you in too deep of water or going too fast??????????

You either keep the vehicle away from areas it shouldn't be in or you improve it so you can go those places.

 

[uglyangelracing]

LOL yeah I wish it was going to be that easy. No I definitely bent/broke something. Worst design Ive ever seen. I drained the oil/water LOL. About 3-4 gallons and removed plugs and cranked. It runs but sounds Harder than clacking but not a bang when running. Hopefully the push rod is the weakest link in the engine.

 

[diesel4me]

Oh-Oh--"Ford Exploder" syndrome??

We have had a lot of flooding in nearby towns here too,but raynham was spared,at least in my nieghborhood--we did get 6" of rain overinght friday into saturday though! ..time to buld an ARK,not a K5!

I had to drive my diesel around friday night..no plugs or wires to get wet! --but when my power steering belt got wet,I lost both the steering AND power brakes --made for a few hairy moments,but luckily I didn't hit anything..or anyone!.. I left my Ford in the garage--that thing is 6" off the ground--It'd make a nice submarine!

Many Ford "Exploders" with the V6 motors had quite a few engine failures due to the exact problem you just described..sadly,most of them hydrolcked,and connecting rods either bent,or exited out the side of the block-- --another one of Ford's "better ideas" I guess..helps sell more engines and new trucks.. I remember hearing about this on the 6 o clock news a few years ago--many owners planned a class action suit against Ford for designing an "off road capeable" vehicle with such a poorly designed air intake..you'd think a 4x4 engineer would know better!

We had one come into my friends shop with a bad skip--he tried checking the codes,and it came up saying # 3 cylinder lean--he replaced the intake gaskets,they appeared to be leaking(squirting carb cleaner on the intake made the rpm's go up!)..but after he was done,it ran the same!.Owner said to tune it up,it was a long time since the last one--so he changed plugs,wires,cap,rotor,checked for a flat cam lobe,everything checked out good...but the skip was still there!..he told his customer all he could guess was maybe it had a burnt valve..the customer told him to pull the heads,and let him know what he found..

After we took the heads off,and all the valves appeared to be perfect,we sat there scratching our heads..My friend called a few other techs he knows,and asked them if they had any ideas..one said "you know,I had a nissan that had a skip,like a dead cylinder,I thought it needed a valve job--so I sent the head out to have one done--and as I was cleaning the carbon out of the cylinders,I turned the engine over by hand,and noticed one piston would only come up about 1",then start going back down again!! WTF??

He took the oilpan off,and found the connecting rod was so bent,it only pushed the piston up and down about 1" --he quickly called up the machine shop,to cancel the head work!-he added Ford Explorers do that a lot too!"..the nissan's rod never touched the cylinder walls or the piston!.

We turned the Explorers engine over,and sure enough,one piston had only half its travel!-(#3 )-then we pulled the pan on the Explorer,and sure enough,that rod had a big kink in it!!--never touched the block or piston though.. ...

We had to call the owner and tell him what we found--he wasn't happy-(he said his teen age son borrowed it to "go fishing"the night before it started skipping )-then we told him Ford was facing a lawsuit over that situation,and he said to "just put all the parts in the back of the truck" and he would send a tow truck to take it away..I never found out if he ever got anything from Ford or not(never heard any more on the news either!)..I do see a lot of Explorers in the boneyards around here,they probably all need engines....

 

[uglyangelracing]

Well I figure I will start by pulling the valve cover and checking to see if any rockers are loose. If they all seem tight on diffewrnet degrees I will pull the oil pan. This alot more than a bad skip though. Either way as long as parts are available I should have it finished by Tuesday night.

 

[Poohbair]

...so you sucked a bunch of water into the engine, and it broke... and you wanna blame that on it being a Ford??? Tell you what, you get the K5 running, fire that bitch up, and let it idle while you pour a gallon of water down the carb... then come preach about how much better the Chev is than the Ford.
Im not bagging on any brand of rig here, but come on man... that is PURE operator error! Don't blame your F up on the badge!

 

[uglyangelracing]

...so you sucked a bunch of water into the engine, and it broke... and you wanna blame that on it being a Ford??? Tell you what, you get the K5 running, fire that bitch up, and let it idle while you pour a gallon of water down the carb... then come preach about how much better the Chev is than the Ford.
Im not bagging on any brand of rig here, but come on man... that is PURE operator error! Don't blame your F up on the badge!

OK you dont believe me go look at the air duct on a 97 Ranger. You will see what I mean. Crown of the road means water collect on the right. What truck maker puts an air intake tube leading down to the lower right hand fender well? I could drive my blazer through 4 feet of water before that damage happened. So know what your talking about before you put in your 2 cents.

 

[Poohbair]

OK you dont believe me go look at the air duct on a 97 Ranger. You will see what I mean. Crown of the road means water collect on the right. What truck maker puts an air intake tube leading down to the lower right hand fender well? I could drive my blazer through 4 feet of water before that damage happened. So know what your talking about before you put in your 2 cents.

Im not sure how you girls do things in Mass., but over here in Washington (especially the Seattle area) we get "water collect on the right" on a weekly basis... so I should expect to see every 97 Ranger broken down w/ a engine full of water? Doubtful.
Im guessing that you borrowed your Dads truck (strike 1), thought you would be cool and drive through some deep water, more than just water on the side of the road (strike 2).
So, now you broke it... fine... but the biggest problem is the fact that you can't just man up and admit your mistake (strike 3)... instead blame it on it being a Ford... Good work... act like a girl... that will make it all better.

Here is your Whoopie cookie, oh, and I never put in my "2 cents"... I always put in my entire dollar.

 

[uglyangelracing]

The funny thing is this is a chevy site. I wouldnt expect a ford to get any excuses made for it. You have shown your true blue and its quite wrong. LOL Oh and for a note for you to get the idea of whats up in this state. We have had rain for a week straight and are under state of emergency for floods. If I was driving a bone stock chevy truck even that wouldnt have sucked water like this. So if your such a ford luva then I'm sure you can find a site for that. But on here we help each other and have a good laugh. We do not insult and condicende our fellow brotheren.
PS LOL Tow truck kid said that he towed atleast a dozen rangers and explorers that got water locked this weekend.

 

[Desert Rat]

My 90 Ford Bronco had the air intake stock routed to over the top of the radiator nearly touching the top of the hood as high in the front as you could get it. It was an excellent design. On the other hand, the 90 Suburban I just replaced the front end on for a friend has the air intake in the front radiator support about 8 - 10 inches lower than the Bronco. Some things I like better on a Chevy, some things I prefer on a Ford. There is a difference between brand loyalty and brand blindness.

 

[Poohbair]

The funny thing is this is a chevy site. I wouldnt expect a ford to get any excuses made for it. You have shown your true blue and its quite wrong. .

Your a douche bag... I own 2 Toyotas, 2 Chevys, 1 Kia, and 1 Mercury... not a Ford in the bunch, even though the Merc is close enough... And by your logic I should only be a fan of 1 brand of anything??

LOL Oh and for a note for you to get the idea of whats up in this state. We have had rain for a week straight and are under state of emergency for floods. If I was driving a bone stock chevy truck even that wouldnt have sucked water like this. So if your such a ford luva then I'm sure you can find a site for that. But on here we help each other and have a good laugh. We do not insult and condicende our fellow brotheren..

First of all, it is bretheren, not brotheren. 2ndly, I consider ALL people who wheel my bretheren... not just people who drive Chevy products... so again, your a douche bag.

PS LOL Tow truck kid said that he towed atleast a dozen rangers and explorers that got water locked this weekend.

And I am sure that the only tows he did ALL WEEKEND were the dozen Rangers and Explorers... didn't tow any Chevys, Yotas, Datsuns, Lexuses, Dodges, Hondas, etc... Nope, just a dozen Rangers and Explorers... cause it was the factory's fault... Yup, thats it... and again, your a douche bag.

 

[sledheadak]

seen 2 3.0s that sucked water.both took out pistons and rods and 1 even holed the block.most of the newer rigs draw their air from inside the fender to help lessen noise.chevys included.

 

[uglyangelracing]

My point started out being me joking around about a crappy ford. I was all out for haveing a good laugh tonight. Most people who had a comment positive or negative on the subject made for good conversation. But its people like poobair who seem to bring negative energy to the stew. Its really a shame and it turns a fun time into someone feeling the need to insult others.

 

[Bubba Ray Boudreaux]

The funny thing is this is a chevy site. I wouldnt expect a ford to get any excuses made for it. You have shown your true blue and its quite wrong. LOL Oh and for a note for you to get the idea of whats up in this state. We have had rain for a week straight and are under state of emergency for floods. If I was driving a bone stock chevy truck even that wouldnt have sucked water like this. So if your such a ford luva then I'm sure you can find a site for that. But on here we help each other and have a good laugh. We do not insult and condicende our fellow brotheren.
PS LOL Tow truck kid said that he towed atleast a dozen rangers and explorers that got water locked this weekend.

Well considering my coworkers and I have to depend on Ford every day. Like has been said, operator headspace and timing. Every make has it's good points and bad points. Put a good driver in anything, and they'll get there. A driver who makes bad decisions will tear up anything and everything.

By the way, it's kind of uncouth for noobs to pop off to older members trying to tell them what this site is about.

 

[Poohbair]

My point started out being me joking around about a crappy ford. I was all out for haveing a good laugh tonight. Most people who had a comment positive or negative on the subject made for good conversation. But its people like poobair who seem to bring negative energy to the stew. Its really a shame and it turns a fun time into someone feeling the need to insult others.

Your right... FORDS SUCK...!!!!!! What a stupid air intake!!!!!


...wow, what a knee slapper!!!

You ever think of joining the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, cause your a riot!!

 

[Bubba Ray Boudreaux]

And while we're at it, can someone break out the spellcheck; this is out of control..............

 

[Bubba Ray Boudreaux]

And you're not being just as much of a douche bag for coming on here and attacking uglyangel personally and ruining his post?

Is that Foghorn Leghorn's methhead brother in your avatar????????????

 

[mikey_d05]

Putting an air intake in a wheel well is dumb, plain and simple. My friend grenaded a Ranger for that very reason.

Huh, I typed that whole statement without getting my panties in a wad, weird.

 

[Brocky]

!#$% happens. My buddies EX-PLODER is after dying a dozen times in the woods from sucking in water. Lucky it wasn't enough to kill it. Drain the oil and go. But his is 4.0l older 91 Ford. But yes this seems to be an issue with these rigs. But hey the H2 Hummer I was looking at, the sale's man told me the new Tracker on the lot could go thru more water due to the air box location. Just goes to show that the older rigs were better and now a days they build grocery getters. hehe Now before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, older rigs can suck in water also.