If I am a)upset b)angry c)frustrated d)having a hot flash...excuse me..power surge e) going thru one of the other 42 symptoms of menopause (look it up)....... I go to the garage. Open the door. Back out my Mustang convertible....put the top down......back down the driveway... and hit it!!! 10 min... 3 or 4 sharp corners....one small stretch of going fast....all is well with the world. I will never go back to a hardtop or granny car.

The idle is too high and the system has had plenty of chances to recalibrate itself. There could be a vacuum leak or they simply need to haul out the dealer's digital diagnostic tool and reset the idle speed. The brake master cylinder was replaced. Did this also include the vacuum booster (power brake assist)? A vacuum leak is suspect. If there is a leak, the system may be adjusting the fuel mix to accomodate the extra air flow and the idle will be high. It tries to bring the idle speed down by reducing air flow through the Idle air control system (IACS), but if there is an air leak into the manifold, it will may not be able to control the speed to low enough value. It all depends on the size of the leak. Take it back to the shop and tell them that it needs attention. If they again try to side step the issue, contact the zone manager or equivalent. If it was running normally before the repair work, use that information to further your case.

Here's an update: After going from one mechanic to another, or being referred to this guy or the other, we finally found one who said the tumbler was worn out. My husband got a new ignition/kit/whatever from Autozone for about $70. He installed it for me but then we found out we needed some kind of certified mechanic because of the anti-theft device. We don't have a Ford dealership here & was worried we'd have to go to the nearest one, about an hour away. We lucked up & the guy who told us it was a worn tumbler (he didn't have time to fix it, that's why my husband did it) also told us the name of a man who once worked as a Ford technician. He still had the little machine but couldn't do it for about a week. He was finally able to do it, during the afternoon in about 95 degree weather, & didn't charge me anything! Just said to return the favor to whomever I could whenever I could. No problem for me since we live by that code anyway. I do have another question though....When my daughter's friend tried to help (by hotwiring the truck turns out) he pulled out an orange wire. That night I was pretty desperate & wasn't paying close enough attention because I thought he knew what he was doing. When he pulled (or cut) the wire, he said he didn't know what that wire went to. I've been driving the truck for several days now & haven't had any problems except it seems to run alittle hot. My husband says maybe it had something to do with the thermostat or could be something else entirely. No idea where the wire went other than underneath the steering column over to the left side. We can't find any information in the owner's manual but wondered if it would be in one of those books you can get at places like Autozone that are for specific makes? Anyone have ideas on where to start?

GoodOleBoy...I agree with you. Luckily we are not using the little Ranger for hauling a bunch of stuff. We have an Exolorer with a V8 for towing whatever and use a utility trailer for lumber, trash, gravel, beauty bark and the such. My commuter car is an 83 Civic. The Ranger is for our daughter (who is away at college). She is studying veterinary medicine with an emphasis on large animals so the Ranger is something she can use if she needs hay, grain or who-knows-what. Thus, having a spacious bed is not #1. Ruled out tonneau covers (hard or soft) and caps. Either too limiting on the size of what can go into the bed or too cumbersome in trying to load something heavy or large. Since I am spending the money for college and the Ranger I am trying to keep some costs down and this is why I did not get her an F350 diesel with four-doors (would be nice). I have the honor of driving the Ranger around for awhile for a break-in period to work out any kinks before our daughter takes it back to college with her. So not looking for anything fancy, but something strong, weather tight and not a cheap paperthin thing. Hoping that another set of eyes out there are seen something I might of missed. Thank you, Casey