Rough idle problem and can't find solution

I have a 94 ford ranger extended cab 4.0l 5spd 4x4. Engine has a rough idle when first turned on (gets worse if its restarted after warmed up), has steam and water dripping out the exhaust, chocolate milky residue on the backside of the throttle body butterfly but no water in the oil when dipstick is pulled however the oil does have a hint of gas to the smell, very heavy smell of gas from the exhaust smells way rich but plugs dont look like they are getting too much fuel however I am changing spark plugs every couple months because they keep burning up. This time though, the middle plug on the passenger side was soaked in this very heavy gummy kind of wetish fuelish goo, intermittent hesitation/ power loss/ misfire under acceleration above 2500 rpm, has stalled on me leaving me on the side of the highway. Ive replaced plugs, wires, coilpack, fuel pump relay, fuel filter, cleaned the MAF properly, cleaned the throttle body and IAC valve, visually checked vacuum lines for cracks, none, checked the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line for any trace of fuel, none, MAF has 14.3V between "a" and "b" and 0.98V between "c" and "d" which I believe is correct, IAC valve has 12.3V to it and a resistance of 11.1 but no change in idle when the plug is disconnected. Check engine light never comes on while running. Ran the self test on it results being KOEO- 111, 111 (system checks out) with the same stored in continuous memory, KOER- 412, and 411 in that order. That describes the IAC valve, but I dont see with what that has to do with making it stall while maintaining constant highway speed at 3000RPM. Im at a loss. O2 sensors? Fuel pump? Leaking injector? ECT? PCM/ECU?

Engine Performance problem
1997 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 180000 miles

my 97 Ranger has a rough idle, idles slow then races up a bit then slows again

Engine Performance problem
1994 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 105000 miles

Recent replacements included tune-up with new plugs and wires, new fuel filter, and fuel injector cleaner run through the fuel tank. The truck has a rough idle and acceleration feels sluggish. There is an odd odor that comes out of the exhaust however (fuel mixture running rich?). Anyway, I heard the intake sensor might be an easy fix - should I give it a try?

I have a 98 ford ranger 4.0 V6 with 135,000 miles. My problem started over 2 years ago. It started to stumble and hesitate and had a rough idle. I got a tune up with new wires and plugs. It ran good for about 4 to 6 months and progressively got worse. Took it in and they did another tune up and worked good for another 6 months. This keeps happening over every 6 months. I have changed the EGR, coil pack, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, all the oxygen sensors, cleaned and checked MAF sensor, the #4 fuel injector, fuel filter, and again the plugs and wires. When an error code come on it is P0304. I had fuel pressure checked, compression checked, and checked for vacuum leaks. All were good. Mechanic checked the timing chain and it was in good shape. No leaks, no overheating, no loss of oil. I do change oil regularly. Mechanic says engine is in good shape. The #4 plug does seem to go every 6 months. Throws the same P0304 code. Changing the plug seems to keep it running ok for the 6 months. I don't know what this could be. The fact that it runs good for that amount of time and then just goes bad again is very confusing. Any help would be great. Tell how to troubleshoot this. If you can give me steps I would appreciate any help. Thank you.

Engine Performance problem
1997 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

My buddy has this truck, the inlet for the radiator had a hole and was losing fluid. He has been filling it with water ever since. We replace the inlet, put in a new thermostat, everything has been running great till about two weeks ago. The truck stated losing fluid again, checked and there is a rotted freeze plug. Now the truck idles rough, lacks power, and is starting to misfire. Would the freeze plug cause all that?

Not sure when he had it tuned up last, I will check with him on that, and no the CEL is not on.

Engine Mechanical problem
2003 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 95,000 miles

I have a problem with the check engine light on and rough idling. My mechanic said that it is the code for the #6 cylinder. Since then, we have replaced the fuel filter, plugs, wires, and the fuel pump reads good pressure. We have also rebuilt the heads. We have done a pressure test and everything checks out normal. We have also replaced the fuel injectors and the computer says that both banks are flowing smoothly into both injectors. We can take the spark plug wire off and there is no change in the idling but when we take any other wire off, the engine drops off more. What else can I do to fix this truck that is only running on 5 cylinders? Thanks. M. Harris

Engine Performance problem
2005 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 73040 miles

My truck runs fine while driving. But when I stop at a light the truck has a rough idle to it. Before I changed the fuel filter, it actually would almost die in neutral or park. So the filter seemed to have fixed that part. I have also replaced the plugs and wires to try to fix it. Nothing helps. No noticible vacuum leaks that I can hear and the check engine light is not on. It came on about a year ago, I unplugged the negative from the battery for 15 min, and it was fine since. The rpms at idle seem normal and it doesn't feel like a low idle, cause it feels more like a slight miss. I can still feel it if I raise the rpms up a little around 1000-1500. I did pull and check the IAC and it was perfect. Also a fresh oil change today didn't help either. Injector cleaners aren't helping either. So im puzzled?

Thanks leg for the response. I did pull the intake hose off today. The bore up to the butterfly was spotless. But I opened the butterfly, and wiped inside with a rag soaked with carb cleaner. It was very dirty behind the butterfly, and I can only reach in about a half inch past. I do feel that the bore opens up wider right after the butterfly, but I cannot reach it. I didn't currently have the right tool to get the bottom two bolts out on the throttle body housing. From that, the only thing I noticed on the way to work, was a better throttle response than before. I was unsure whether to just spray carb cleaner inside, because of what might happen when I start it. Should I try that before I go buy a tool set?

I have had my Ford Ranger to two different garages for a rough idle diagnostic. Both put the scan tool on and found misfiring on two cylinders. The local Ford dealer said they did an air pressure test and found low compression on two cylinders. Both shops suggested that an engine replacement was the only repair. What other options may I have for this problem and a potential repair.

Engine Performance problem
2004 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 167000 miles

My truck suddently began to idel rough and I felt a strong vibration. I heard a whining from the cranck shaft pulley, so I replaced the serperntine belt, idler pulley, and pulley tensioner assembly. I also replaced spark plugs and wires, and crank shaft position sensor. The engine still runs rough, either idling or running, too rough to drive