Snarley Bill Posted April 9, 2011 Share #1 Posted April 9, 2011 i have a 2003 ranger with 106,000 miles, 3 liter v-6. i think the converter is clogged. sears says it's not the converter, it needs to have the fuel system cleaned. it runs great but does'nt seem to have the power it once had. and it has a roaring sound when it gets over 2500 rpm, like it is laboring. could sears be right. they get $150.00 for a complete fuel system cleaning. question is does this really work or is it a waste of money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon_One Posted April 9, 2011 Share #2 Posted April 9, 2011 My bet would be a clogged up converter as well. An easy test would be to disconnect the converter in front and then do a test drive or run the engine to see how it preforms. If it runs normal then problem solved. Back when cars first started using catalyst converters people were clogging them up by running regular leaded gas instead of unleaded with much of the same results you are experiencing now. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted April 9, 2011 Share #3 Posted April 9, 2011 When was the last time the fuel filter was changed? If you have injectors dirty or plugged the truck would run kinda rough injector flush does help but if you any injector plugged it would not help much which you would have to remove the injector or injectors and flush out the fuel rail and inlet side of the injector as well with out seeing your truck its kinda hard to diagnose the problem wish I lived closer i could flush them out for you myself as for cat'l converter ? are you getting exhaust flow out the tail pipe? you can do a converter test by drilling a small hole in front of the cat'l and behind and use a pressure gauge look at your readings if it is plugged you will know due to the front side will be much (higher) then the back side Also sea foam helps as well put a can in the gas tank also run one can of sea-foam by the way of your vacuum hose from your brake booster at idle unhook the hose from the booster and let it suck the sea-foam into the intake system too much and it will die just take you time once its all in there shut the engine off for about 15 min or so then restart you truck and take it for a drive it will smoke like you burned up the motor LOL what it does is gets rid of any carbon build up in the intake - valves and cat'l converter Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightventure Posted April 9, 2011 Share #4 Posted April 9, 2011 I don't believe clogged catalytic converters are much of a problem now days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeWa Posted April 9, 2011 Share #5 Posted April 9, 2011 2003 Ford injectors are Teflon coated. Many cleaners will remove the coating. A plugged fuel filter or tank filter will just cause a lack of power. The roaring and laboring you are describing sounds like a blockage in the intake or exhaust. Sears may be trying to help but I would take it in somewhere else for a second opinion. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeWa Posted April 9, 2011 Share #6 Posted April 9, 2011 Also a good vacuum gauge will tell you how hard the engine is working. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilBeaver Posted April 9, 2011 Share #7 Posted April 9, 2011 ... it runs great but does'nt seem to have the power it once had. and it has a roaring sound when it gets over 2500 rpm, like it is laboring. ... I agree with the others that with dirty or plugged injectors you would likely be running rough under heavy load (hard accel). Dumb question here, does over 2500 rpm roar happen while you are parked and revving, only while moving or both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painterman67 Posted April 9, 2011 Share #8 Posted April 9, 2011 simple test for the comverter would be to take out the o2 sensor that is in front of the converter. If the converter is clogged then it will free up the exhaust and give you back your power. We just had that happen to one of our work vans and thats what the mechanic did to test the converter. DAvid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eusa1 Posted April 9, 2011 Share #9 Posted April 9, 2011 the roaring part of your statement would lead me to look at your engine cooling fan clutch is it siezed?? mike:detective: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalstar09 Posted April 9, 2011 Share #10 Posted April 9, 2011 Start it up, let id warm up. Have someone run the rpm's up to 2-2500 and hold it steady. CAREFULLY ease your hand in from of the exhaust outlet in the rear of the truck. IF the convertor is plugged it will be very very hot and very very moist. The roaring may simply be the clutch fan in the warmer temps. But may just as easily be the plugged exhaust. Does it have a check engine light on??? If so have it scanned free at autozone, oreillys, or wherever and post th code here. They will also give you a printout. DONT buy the O2 sensor it may say you need. Remeber it is a code READER ONLY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flb_78 Posted April 9, 2011 Share #11 Posted April 9, 2011 $150 is a bit steep for an injector cleaning. All they'll do is pull the fuse or relay for the fuel pump and hook up a bottle of cleaner to the pressure test port on the fuel rail. I would first remove the fan and drive it with the A/C off. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwO1KeyJ460]YouTube - 2003 FORD RANGER EDGE 3.0L V6 NOISY FAN CLUTCH[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalstar09 Posted April 9, 2011 Share #12 Posted April 9, 2011 $150 is a bit steep for an injector cleaning. All they'll do is pull the fuse or relay for the fuel pump and hook up a bottle of cleaner to the pressure test port on the fuel rail. I would first remove the fan and drive it with the A/C off. Depending on your area $150.00 is not too bad. I was getting $99.95 2 yrs ago for the service. It is quite detailed in its process (IF DONE PROPERLY) and the chemical I used cost me like 12-15 bucks per bottle, took hour to hour half depending on vehicle and more times then not it tied up a lift the entire time. I totally agree on the fan. I made mention of it in my previous post. They are known for having terribly noisy clutch fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarley Bill Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share #13 Posted April 9, 2011 the roar i am getting does sound like a fan roar. in fact i thought it might be the fan. thanks for all the ideas. a converter for this thing is close to $800.00. the lack of power may be in my mind do to the roar. the sears tech that just put my new plugs in test drove it and said it felt fine. i will check out the fan first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eusa1 Posted April 10, 2011 Share #14 Posted April 10, 2011 not just in your head, a bad fan clutch can rob up to half of the horses that the little ranger puts out. turn the engine off and see if the fan will spin free with a push from the finger tips. if it wont move with a small amount of effort...then the clutch is junk, and your problem is solved. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rentalguy1 Posted April 10, 2011 Share #15 Posted April 10, 2011 Very doubtful that it is a clogged up cat. That almost never happens on late model to newer vehicles. I'll go out on a limb and say the O2 sensors need to be replaced. They are likely sending bad signals to the ECU causing the engine to lean up in a attempt run "correctly." These days (and back to the late 80's) actual mechanical problems are scarce. Most problems are computer/sensor related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted April 10, 2011 Share #16 Posted April 10, 2011 fan will spin free with a push from the finger tips. if it wont move with a small amount of effort...then the clutch is junk, and your problem is solved. Also Check your fan clutch like you do a tire see if you have any movement like a loose wheel bearing if you do you fan clutch is going out only movement you should have is the spin. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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