Ford Commercial Range

On this model, the sensor in question is located on the crankcase (not the cylinder head as many are). You’ll find it on the driver’s side of the crankcase, below the intake manifold. Replacing it involves removing the old one by screwing it out, and screwing the new one in. But there’s a bit of a process for this, and if you’re not familiar with this type of job, it’s probably one for the experts.

The sensor is located between cylinders three and four and it’s located pretty close to the manifold. The good news is that you don’t need to remove the manifold to access the sensor; you can get to it by going into the engine bay through the wheel-well.

Don’t forget that you’ll lose some coolant in the process, so that will need to be topped up with the correct type afterwards. Remember, too, that the new sensor won’t work unless you correctly reattach the wiring plug that connects the sensor to the rest of the car. This area can be pretty grimy and muddy in a vehicle like this, so cleaning everything off first is a good idea.

Your mechanic is spot on. As far as the warranty laws in this country are concerned, there’s no difference in having the vehicle serviced by a Ford dealer or by a qualified independent mechanic. If there’s a problem down the track, it won’t matter who serviced the vehicle; a warranty claim is a warranty claim. Your peace of mind should be no different either way.

The only difference might be if Ford looks more favourably upon your case considering you’ve been a loyal customer and had the servicing done by your dealer. But don’t go to the bank on that, as it’s by no means a legal requirement, nor a widespread occurrence.

Any time you have that combination of symptoms, the end result is possibly not going to be very good. Rangers of this year and model have experienced problems in the past that include poor fuel or other fuel-system damage causing a piston to develop a hole or crack, and even things like a failed EGR valve (which is water-cooled in this model) draining the radiator and causing the engine to melt down.

You need to have an experienced mechanic take a look at the vehicle before doing anything else, as there’s a high percentage chance that your engine will need to be rebuilt or replaced. You might be lucky and have a simple problem that is cheap and easy to fix, but plenty of Ranger owners will attest to the slimness of that chance.