98 ford ranger xl 2.5

Fix Flat Tire Ford Ranger 2006 2011 2008 Ford Ranger XL 2 3L 4 Cyl...

Sounds like the computor has gone into limp mode. Have you heard any strange noises coming from under the hood lately ?

try posting the codes, it sounds like a ECM Engine Control Module(brain) problem.

This might work if you have the following symptoms

most likely the coil or ignition module

did you try cleaning the idle control valve and the egr valve out with carb cleaner.try that before replacing any parts,also if there is any codes in the system those should also lead you in the right direction.

Generic Code readers may not pull codes from the Transmission Control Module. They tend to just be OBD II Global readers (which means they can talk to the PCM and that's it). You probably have a transmission issue but need a better Scan Tool to retreive the codes.

Yes the 98 ranger has 3 02 sensors,they are located in the exhaust system under vehicle,2 of them
are in front of the cataletic converter and 1 behind it.I replaced mine ,reset the codes and the check
engine light still comes on?

did you check to make sure everything is plugged in like for instance the tps(throttle position sensor)? did you plug the temp sensor(it's on the intake near the thermostat housing)?did you somehow disconnect a vaccum hose to the intake(check the EGR valve)? check to make sure all your plug wires are on tight. keep me posted

Not sure if anyone has helped you on this one, but try a few things to kinda elimate some causes.
1) pull the plug wires one at a time to see which cyclinders aren't hitting
2) you can check the resistance of the coil on both the primary and the secondary sides for correct resistence
3) check the wires for shorts etc, which prob aint the wires
4) you can do a compression test on the cyclinders that aint firing
5) if all those pass ohmn the injectors all of them, on a 98 not sure what the reading should be but my 92 is .15 and anything within a few ohmns within each other or they read nothing replace those injectors.
I just replaced all 6 on mine solved my no fire issue in cyc 5 and now the mis has came back. I've yet to dive in to start my checking all over again. but here's another place to look, there is a ignition module on the truck think it should be near the battery.