Bucking/Surging Epidemic

[Shoran12]

Quick update after a few hundred miles with the new O2 sensor. Running much better, surge/bucking gone. I did disconnect the battery to reset the "learning" transmission and it is shifting better. Overall the vehicle seems to be back to "normal". The sensor was NOT covered under warranty, but was under the extended warranty with a $100 deductible which pissed me off a bit...

So resetting the battery will reset the adaptive learning? I bought this truck used with 1700 on it over the course of 9 months it seems and I’m wondering if the previous owners driving style was conflicting with my own. I don’t speed or anything, but I’m thinking the roads I drive might be different. I’m guessing the previous owner (who was an older gentleman from what ford told me) drove stop and go for small arrange around town.

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[VAMike]

So resetting the battery will reset the adaptive learning? I bought this truck used with 1700 on it over the course of 9 months it seems and I’m wondering if the previous owners driving style was conflicting with my own. I don’t speed or anything, but I’m thinking the roads I drive might be different. I’m guessing the previous owner (who was an older gentleman from what ford told me) drove stop and go for small arrange around town.

just leave it alone. people treat it like a voodoo cure, it isn't.

 

[skinnedknuckles]

I’m second owner, purchased with 37,000 miles from PO. Now have 50,000 and some of the other problems have manifested themselves which $1500 or so will supposedly take care of them. It had a junky little glass pack with a turn down and sounded horrible and was annoying also. It fell off during some of the upper speed earthquake like vibrations just recently so had a basic stock muffler and custom bent tailpipe installed. Quieted down and shifted better…just overall better. Within a week it’s started some hard shifting and not as good throttle response. Just ordered the sensor so hopefully it’ll put it back to normal.

 

[skinnedknuckles]

Oh yeh the cel came on and it threw a P0402 code…excessive exhaust gas flow.

 

[Shoran12]

Mine sounds a bit different than what you describe but I just created a thread about this yesterday. When the truck is at low rpm and you feather the throttle you get a nasty feeling. Vibration, shutter, resonance ect. What ever you want to call it. Happens between 25-40mph on mine.

it’s tough because people describe things differently. My “vibration” may be someone else’s “shutter” lol

Mines does this exactly as you describe it. Does your still do it? I’m thinking this is just the transmission always being in the highest gear possible. If I don’t give it gas I can keep the rumble strip feeling going for a while until I let off the pedal or brake. But if I just keep it feathered rpm’s drop and I get that vibration. It’s very noticeable going up small hills.

 

[Shoran12]

I quoted my earlier posts for reference.

Coming up on 40k miles, running the performance tune and have swapped back a forth with the stock tune.
The stock tune runs better now than it did new and both tunes average 20 mpg’s 90% city driving.

Even with the performance tune I have still experienced what I call a stall, blank spot like no fuel but only on a few occasions and going up hill.
The stock tune, when new, this stall was aggravating, almost continuously. Now that miles have been racked up the stock tune is drivable and I could live with it.

My dealer is also clueless and Fords CS just points me back to the dealer.

I don’t feel my symptoms warrant replacement of theDPFE sensor but early on wet weather did affect drivability.

I also had the vibrations that many have reported, that too has disappeared.

FYI

I get the stall/shudder of the transmission going light on the throttle slightly uphill. So yours corrected itself? I’ve got 3300 miles on mine so relatively new. Almost was wondering if the EGR sensor on my truck was bad but figure I still should give it time before changing it out. Maybe the transmission needs a good amount of miles to sort itself out.

 

[kieefer]

I get the stall/shudder of the transmission going light on the throttle slightly uphill. So yours corrected itself? I’ve got 3300 miles on mine so relatively new. Almost was wondering if the EGR sensor on my truck was bad but figure I still should give it time before changing it out. Maybe the transmission needs a good amount of miles to sort itself out.

IDK, some trucks seem worse than others but having mine, coming up on 48k miles I’ve noticed the stumble/missing that I experience is more common in damp wet weather. I sometimes still get it.
I replaced the sensor but didn’t notice much, what I have noticed is when it starts it’s missing fit, I stick my foot in it for a few miles. Blowing it out so to speak cures it.
I also noticed it comes back like clockwork on a near empty tank and has done that since new.

It’s very frustrating with a new truck especially when my former 97 with a 3.0V6 didn’t miss a beat, slow as heck but was smooth as silk and consistent.

 

[AdamHarris]

This has been said a few time here on this thread but there seems to be much confusion. Below are the 2 "different" part numbers in question. Number 14 here Includes Number 15. In most all cases all a person probably needs is Number 15 (KA1Z-5L00-A). The more expensive one just comes with hoses and a clip. Our trucks aren't old enough to need hoses replaced so save yourself some dough. These are back in stock as well here in Jan 2023.

 

[Turbo4Joe2]

Within the last week my 2020 Ranger has stuttered and lost power while trying to accelerate in 10th gear.
Both times the CEL flashed for about 10 seconds, then went out and the problem disappeared.
HUH!?
Today it did it again on my way home from work, so when I got home I used my n-Gauge tuner display to look for any old CEL codes.
Ah-Ha!
Two - 'P0301' codes = Cylinder #1 misfire.

So I pulled the #1 COP and found a miniature bathtub full of rusty water along with a submerged spark plug!
WTF!?
After soaking up all the water with paper towels there was a layer of rusty, gunky sludge in the bottom of the spark plug well.
I vacuumed all the crap up, pulled the sparkplug and cleaned it, then cleaned the COP with silicone spray.
Runs great now.

But....I have NO IDEA how all that gunky crap got into the #1 Cylinder's sparkplug well.
I do NOT wash or spray the engine compartment.
I never run it through automated car washes either.
#1 COP was tight and the boot looked to be snug.
#2,#3,& #4 were all perfectly clean and dry.

 

[Turbo4Joe2]

Pix of gunky crap.

Spark plug had a ring of the sludge around it too.

 

[VAMike]

So I pulled the #1 COP and found a miniature bathtub full of rusty water along with a submerged spark plug!
WTF!?

sounds like somebody needs an unobtainable engine cover

 

[Geraldo]

Within the last week my 2020 Ranger has stuttered and lost power while trying to accelerate in 10th gear.
Both times the CEL flashed for about 10 seconds, then went out and the problem disappeared.
HUH!?
Today it did it again on my way home from work, so when I got home I used my n-Gauge tuner display to look for any old CEL codes.
Ah-Ha!
Two - 'P0301' codes = Cylinder #1 misfire.

So I pulled the #1 COP and found a miniature bathtub full of rusty water along with a submerged spark plug!
WTF!?
After soaking up all the water with paper towels there was a layer of rusty, gunky sludge in the bottom of the spark plug well.
I vacuumed all the crap up, pulled the sparkplug and cleaned it, then cleaned the COP with silicone spray.
Runs great now.

But....I have NO IDEA how all that gunky crap got into the #1 Cylinder's sparkplug well.
I do NOT wash or spray the engine compartment.
I never run it through automated car washes either.
#1 COP was tight and the boot looked to be snug.
#2,#3,& #4 were all perfectly clean and dry.

 

[Publius]

DFPE Sensor replaced on warranty at 9500 miles by Elder Ford in Tampa. Just got it back. And it is noticeably smoother on acceleration and deceleration. Used to lightly ride peddle and it kept jerking as I took foot off gas.

 

[ChiefQM]

I tripped over this thread this week after reading most of the other transmission threads. Those who have seen me rant about my selling dealer over the past two and a half years may remember my anger and outrage that Ford and not only the selling dealer but another dealer in the county had absolutely zero interest in trying to solve the bucking issue, telling me it was "just a herky-jerky 10 speed" and getting me to drive other Rangers with the same issue, trying to sell me on the idea that the bucking was 'normal'. Well, Wednesday I ordered the EGR Valve Position Sensor, KA1Z5L200A from my local dealer in northwest GA and picked it up from the dealer yesterday. Typical of current parts business protocols, there were none at the dealership but 112 available at the warehouse in Atlanta and it was available the next day. Anyway, what I ordered was only the sensor and not the assembly that came with the the hoses, as I considered that an unnecessary expenditure. I did stop at my local parts purveyor and picked up four 5/16 band clamps, as I had seen the crimp-on clamps Ford used at the sensor. I finally (involved getting a flattened box to lay over the battery and engine compartment and a stepladder to get my short-statured body up high enough to lay in the engine compartment. Naturally, I couldn't reach the spring clamps on the tubes easily, so what should have been a ten minute job took about an hour. And I had to use a sheet metal cutter to get the crimp-on clamps off the sensor. But installation of the new sensor did only take about 5 minutes as the clamps I bought worked fine. I test drove the truck and not only did it run like a scalded dog, I found I could leave it in Drive, going up a hill, at 1500 RPMS and at 40 miles an hour WITHOUT BUCKING!!! BUCKY DON' BUCK NO MO'!!!! I am going to share my experience with Ford and Walker Ford in Clearwater FL and express my annoyance that they refused to properly trouble-shoot this issue and treated me like I was the problem. I seriously doubt they will care that for under $20 and a few minutes labor the problem (for me) was fixed, but I will feel better.

 

[Novaman71]

Now that you’ve solved that. Get a vapor catch can or you’ll be doing it again in 15k miles because the crankcase vapors will trash the new one eventually .

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