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98 ford ranger 265834 miles 2.5 4cyl. 5spd manual trans Sounds like a sick volkswagon. Stutters and putters. Losses power especially between shifts. One minute its running great next its not. The catalytic converter was glowing red and because of this I removed it and have straight pipe to the muffler no exhaust leaks and the sick Volkswagen sound sounds like it’s coming from the air intake not back at the muffler rural area emissions is not required after removing the catalytic converter a lot of power no longer stalls at lights/ intersection. Ive ran Sea foam thru gas tank and crank case and intake that help restore power aswell. Starts right up hot or cold but you don’t know what you’re going to get until you go to take off stutter or normal and it seems to have a harder time taking off in reverse I’ve checked for exhaust leaks vacuum leaks it’s not overheating the check engine light was on when I bought this truck 5 years ago remained on all these years up until about 2 weeks ago and that’s when these problems started this truck has not given me any problems it’s a Workhorse properly maintained. Fuel pump and fuel filter work changed about a year ago and the slave plate was replaced about 2 years ago spark plugs are about a year old oil about three months so what do you think you could be I appreciate your help please.
Have you checked the plug wires? I’ve had similar issues when the wires have gone bad—they just wear out over time. Thing is, they don’t always look bad, so you can’t just eyeball ‘em and call it good. One way to check: pull into a garage or shed and turn the lights off, or wait until night if you don’t have an indoor place. With the engine idling, spray window cleaner on the wires. If you get pops or the motor misses, the wires need to be replaced. Hey, it’s a cheap replacement. Just do them one at a time so you don’t get the wires crossed (you think it’s running rough now, try swapping a couple plug wires). The “check engine” light usually indicates a problem with the EGR (exhaust gas recirculator, might be called PCV on older vehicles). If it’s clogged up, it could also be causing rough running/power loss.
