1998 Ford Ranger 3.0L 140,000 Miles Help Please

This truck has been through just about everything.

I have four big issues that seem to be getting worse as the miles add up. This is a 1998 Ford Ranger automatic - 6 Cylinder 3.0L with 140,000 Miles. Any Ranger gurus out there? Any help would be greatly appreciated. If no one has experienced these problems, I hope the issues below are at least somewhat entertaining and amusing to you!

1. The idle is rough enough for you to sing a straight note that sounds like a sheep. The truck is like a diaphragm. LOL! I mean this thing shakes. Then when I get between 30 and 55 mph I notice it doing it again. Must be a certain rpm that it is hitting on because I notice it shakes at the same intervals. If I let off of the throttle it stops. I know I need a new fuel filter, but I have no clue where it is at or how to release the fuel pressure. What could be the problem here?

2. There is a rattling noise on the driver side in the engine. I hear it more when driving in the low gears, but hardly notice it in the high gears. When it is cold it sounds even worse. And I am in PA and it gets cold here. It has made this noise for a while. It sounds similar to an engine on low oil, but the oil is maintained very well. What could the problem be?

3. When it is hot out the belt gobbles like a turkey. The sound is coming from the top pulley behind the fan. I sprayed it with lubricant and it stopped for about 10 minutes and came right back. The belt looks to be fine. I greased the pulley, but that only takes care of it for a couple of days. And when it rains it sounds like a banshee! In the cold weather; however, the pulley makes no sound at all. Humidity? Loosen the pulley somehow? What could be the problem here?

4. Somebody forgot to turn out the lights. This one baffles me. The dome light seems to want to come on whenever the heck it likes. The door ajar light comes on whenever it wants just as if I was opening the door. Even when I am driving down the road. At night I could be headed to the city in the dark with my headlights on and the dome light will kick on while I'm driving for a few seconds and then click off. This is scary. This truck is possessed and I love it! If I park and physically open the door while in motion before I stop, the dome light will not come on and the door ajar light goes out. But it is just a temporary fix because the next time I get in all these little things start happening all over again. If I do not open the door before I park, the truck goes crazy with no one inside it. Crazy huh? What could the problem be here?

I apologize for the huge post, but I wanted to be sure to be as descriptive as I could be.

Thanks in advance for any advice that you may be able to post.

Sincerely,

DeathRace2000

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:22:22 +0000, DeathRace2000 rearranged some
electrons to say:

> This truck has been through just about everything.
>
> I have four big issues that seem to be getting worse as the miles add
> up. This is a 1998 Ford Ranger automatic - 6 Cylinder 3.0L with 140,000
> Miles. Any Ranger gurus out there? Any help would be greatly
> appreciated. If no one has experienced these problems, I hope the issues
> below are at least somewhat entertaining and amusing to you!
>
> 1. The idle is rough enough for you to sing a straight note that sounds
> like a sheep. The truck is like a diaphragm. LOL! I mean this thing
> shakes. Then when I get between 30 and 55 mph I notice it doing it
> again. Must be a certain rpm that it is hitting on because I notice it
> shakes at the same intervals. If I let off of the throttle it stops. I
> know I need a new fuel filter, but I have no clue where it is at or how
> to release the fuel pressure. What could be the problem here?
>
> 2. There is a rattling noise on the driver side in the engine. I hear it
> more when driving in the low gears, but hardly notice it in the high
> gears. When it is cold it sounds even worse. And I am in PA and it gets
> cold here. It has made this noise for a while. It sounds similar to an
> engine on low oil, but the oil is maintained very well. What could the
> problem be?
>
> 3. When it is hot out the belt gobbles like a turkey. The sound is
> coming from the top pulley behind the fan. I sprayed it with lubricant
> and it stopped for about 10 minutes and came right back. The belt looks
> to be fine. I greased the pulley, but that only takes care of it for a
> couple of days. And when it rains it sounds like a banshee! In the cold
> weather; however, the pulley makes no sound at all. Humidity? Loosen the
> pulley somehow? What could be the problem here?
>
> 4. Somebody forgot to turn out the lights. This one baffles me.
> The dome light seems to want to come on whenever the heck it likes.
> The door ajar light comes on whenever it wants just as if I was opening
> the door. Even when I am driving down the road. At night I could be
> headed to the city in the dark with my headlights on and the dome light
> will kick on while IÂ’m driving for a few seconds and then click off.
> This is scary. This truck is possessed and I love it! If I
> park and physically open the door while in motion before I stop, the
> dome light will not come on and the door ajar light goes out. But it is
> just a temporary fix because the next time I get in all these little
> things start happening all over again. If I do not open the door before
> I park, the truck goes crazy with no one inside it. Crazy huh? What
> could the problem be here?
>
> I apologize for the huge post, but I wanted to be sure to be as
> descriptive as I could be.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice that you may be able to post.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> DeathRace2000

1) What codes are set? Is the MIL on? You can get it scanned for free at
your favorite national auto parts chain. If you don't know how to change
the fuel filter, or you aren't capable of doing a google search to find
out how, then you should take it to someone that can do it for you.

2) broken engine mount? Or, perhaps, just a symptom of problem #1.

3) worn idler pulley? Of course, if you're not comfortable changing a
fuel filter, then replacing an idler pulley is probably beyond you as
well.

4) Defective door latch. this is a common problem. Do a google search
for "ranger door latch" and you'll find a temporary fix. It involves a
can of WD-40