First of all thanks to everyone who responded to my posts.
My 95 Ranger 3.0 had the check engine light come on and starting running rough. It was missing so I replaced the spark plugs for $15 and reset the light by disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery.
Plugs didn't fix it as the light came back on the next day. So I went to Schucks and borrowed their scan tester and read code 302 (missing on #2) and
353 (fault on the secondary "C" circuit of coil pack". Not wanting to drop $120 for a coil I tried pug wires next for about another $40.Next day, the check engine light comes on. I called the Ford dealer and they would not talk to me about the problem, I had to bring it in for diagnostics to the tune of $65. And then any repairs would be about $75 an hour and they wanted $150 for a coil pack. The guy in parts said they did not stock a coil pack and that it was rare for them to go out. I spoke to a couple of local independent shops and they also said it was rare for the coil pack to fail and it could be a smog sensor, fuel injector, or a problem with the ignition control module. I also read a couple of threads in this newsgroup about people who replaced coil packs only to have the problem persist.
So at this time I am skeptical about buying a coil pack myself and am about to cough of the extortion money and take it to the dealer for diagnostics. But first I get my Haynes manual out and do a little reading. I listened to the fuel injectors with a long screwdriver in place of a stethoscope and they are all clicking just fine. I used and old fashioned tried and true test and disconnected the wires and found that all the cylinders were sparking great except #2. I then looked at the schematic and saw that the cylinders fire in pairs and the ignition control module only has three wires to signal each of the three pairs.
If the ICM was bad both #2 and it's paired cylinder would misfire. I proved it was not the wires, plugs or injectors and that I had no spark. It had to be the coil pack no matter how rare it is for them to go bad. So I got online and found one on Parts America for $106.99 and took the ad to Schucks and they matched the price. I installed it right in the parking lot and now my truck RUNS GREAT!!!! Whoo hoo!
I miss the old days when it was easier to troubleshoot problems yourself!
Robin