I Just Can't win!!!!!!

[bigcountryk5]

so i've got a crappy job, go to a crappy technical school for college when all of my friends with money go to state u's all over the country i get to live at home in the damn laundry room, go to school at night with noone i know a noone my age, and drive a P.O.S. DD 91 ranger and NOW IT WON"T EVEN RUN!!!!

i replaced my fuel filter because it was studdering on the highway yesterday, and now it turns over but won't run for more than 5 seconds there is no throttle repsonse the filter is in correct flow position the seal is good no leaks tank is full of gas i just don't know what to do.

i'm not a mechanic but i'm not a moron either i've got a haynes manual and am not completely useless so i can actually read and understand it but i just don't know what to do now but that gas can and lighter are looking pretty tempting right now.

i guess this is my punishment for driving a ford.

 

[randy88k5]

My dad used to have an 88 Ranger, 2.9 V6 FI, Ignition module went, but there usually catastrophic failures. Seen many a bad ford module working in the parts business for a while.

My friend had a 90 Ranger, 4 cyl i think, FI, and he had a similar problem. It took us months of it sitting in my garage until we found it. Water had gotten into the wiring to the low voltage side (input) of the ignition coil. Couldnt see any corrosion from the outside at all, but if you stripped the wires, they were green.

We tested everything on that truck, and resorted to stripping wire till we could find the culprit. I have little faith in 80-90s Ford wiring, and would look at that first. Check grounds. Check coil resistance. Check ignition module (cold and hot), check MAP or MAF sensor (cant remember), check IAC valve operation, check fuel pump circuit, etc...

Hope this helps...
-Randy

 

[bigcountryk5]

yup thanks randy that does help i guess now that i know that i'll just start checking every thing

it is a 91 2.3L 4cyl. manual tranny 2wd

anone wanna buy it i'll sell it cheap

that or use it to sight in my rifle's new scope

 

[nerraw117]

how cheap? lol

 

[350350]

I had an '84 Ranger with a 4-banger in it, and it started stumbling and acting stupid, and when it finally quit me, I put a 351 Windsor in it. That solved the problem...

However, after doing a Ford Ranger V8 conversion, I can honestlh tell you that a Chevy engine would be easier to put in the Ford engine bay than any Ford V8, HONEST! I'd go with the faithful Chevy 350 in your case!

 

[bigcountryk5]

if i could afford it and had the knowledge to do it i would but i can't cause i don't have either i could learn the process but can't make the money apear.

 

[Fierospeeder]

All your friends have money because mommy and daddy give it to them. No one in highschool has money unless they are working full time.

There is no such thing as a good school unless you can say you learned something from it. I have been to universities and they have the better research equipment but the professors suck. Cant learn crap with a teacher that knows english as a 2nd language.

If your going to tech school, just be proud that you get to learn about cars. And listen to your instructors experiences which are always interesting.


In the 80s, ford had a failure with their ign modules. If it was more then 5years old or exposed to extreme heat it would fail. Can be missing or the car dies intermittenly.

Check to see if your converter is clogged.
Check to see if your getting good fuel pressure at the schrader valve.
Pull your plugs out and see if they look "odd"

does it have no power, or is it missing while you drive?

 

[bigcountryk5]

it's more like stumbling than missing it's almost a hesitation it's hard to describe really it didn't do it around town only under exceleration or at highway speeds did it a little in ashville a few weeks ago going up 26 on the way to bristol and then yesterday going to take my sister to a friends house on the way there and really!! bad on the way back.

and yea there parents have money but i don't hate em for it if mine had it they'd do the same for me but i'm one of four and my youngest bro has downsyndrome and has had to have open heart surgery (which ain't cheap even with insurance), and it's not that kinda tech school it's greenville technical college where i'm studying criminal justice.

 

[Fierospeeder]

if this is a distributorless engine, then the ign modules will only fire certain cylinders. You can also have a bad pickup coil too. They are not too bad in replacing.

Disconnect your EGR valve, and plug up the egr solenoid, and see if that helps.


Your going to tech school to be a pig. i mean a cop My criminal justice prof sucked because the tests would be mainly statistics and terms.

If you want to go to a university. Just take all your classes at tech/community. Then find a school you like and get a scholarship or get a student loan. Most universities will have a website that will talk about what classes will transfer from a tech/community school. You might be able to get 75% done at tech then transfer over.

 

[bigcountryk5]

i'll try that EGR thing may have to get a friend who knows a little more than i do to help out..... it's a fuel injected 4 banger



yea i'd like to become a US Marshall but we'll see how it goes and i do plan to get as much as possible done at tech school and transfer to USC (the real one NOT socal) but student loans suck well loans suck period and i'm applying for scholarships

 

[Fierospeeder]

i missed your previous post.


the 2.3l has a timing belt. theres a plug on the timing belt cover and you should see the camshaft pulley. And there should be a pointer. Get your motor to TDC and see if your cam is pointing at the mark. If you dont see it, try cranking it another 360.

With this car, be sure to crank it over "CLOCKWISE" only. because if you do it the other way, it will loosen the belt and jump cam timing.


I think 91 is when they went to DIS. You might have the dual spark plug head. With 8 sparkplugs? That ignition module is close to 120 bucks. Grab a timing light and just check all 8 wires and see if they are firing.

The egr is on back of the valve body, and the solenoids are usually on the passenger side.

 

[bigcountryk5]

thanks i got to work all week till five then school mon, tues, and wed 6-9 so i'm gonna tackle it on thursday best i can,

thanks for all the help it means alot to have a place to come to shoot the s*** or get help or what ever thanks, and if theres any thing you need just ask.