Ranger didn't start this morning

58 Yeoman · December 07, 2011, 07:50:10 AM

I was driving the '05 Ford Ranger (4.0L engine) last Saturday, when it seemed to die for about 2 seconds, just long enough to let me feel the pause. Ran fine the rest of the weekend. On the way to work Monday morning, it stalled at the stoplight; I pushed my foot to the floor, and it started and ran fine. Monday after work, I read the codes with my HF code reader, and it showed no codes.

Tuesday ran fine. This am, it just kept turning over, but no start. I had to take the wife's car to work.

Geez...the last Ranger would die, but usually start right up and go...

Any ideas what to check after work today? I'll try reading codes again.

rooster · December 07, 2011, 11:02:00 AM

I would check fuel pressure with a tester guage, see if you can get it to drop dead in the driveway, pressure will drop off just before death. This took me about 20 munites in the driveway at idel to happen.

To confirm it was the fuel pump I wired the pump directly to the battery with a in-line amp meter (HF) Wayne told me about, After about 20 munites the amps would climb past 15 amps, and eng would die, Should be about 6.8 amps. Bearings were shot in the pump and binding.

wayne petty · December 07, 2011, 11:11:11 AM

a few questions.... did you get the HF 98614 scan tool so you can look at live data

??/

when you first turn on the key.. do you hear the fuel pump run for 2 seconds... if you don't...

there is a HUGE trick when you fuel injected car or truck does not start.. and it takes 2 people... the fuel pumps get power for 2 seconds when the key is first turned on.. and again when cranking.. until the engine is running..

Pounding hard on the bottom of the fuel tank.. sometimes on the lower corner to bounce the fuel pump hard... while somebody is cranking the engine will usually get the fuel pump to spin..

they are brush type motors.. when the brushes wear out.. pounding can get them to start one more time.. i use a big rubber mallet..

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see if you can get into the live data. see if you see crank sensor RPMs when cranking...

do you have any exposed spark plug wires on that model to see if you can clamp a timing light around a spark plug wire to see if you are getting spark?

without pulling a wire out...

i don't know if thats a coil on plug type of motor right this second...

more to come when i can research the wiring diagrams..

you might have to use a stick to the gas cap and that to your ear to hear/feel the fuel pump spin...

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4.0 engine component locations.. front view

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0996b43f/80/23/c2/99/large/0996b43f8023c299.gif

rear view

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0996b43f/80/23/c2/9a/large/0996b43f8023c29a.gif

underhood fuse box fuse id..
check for power with a circuit tester on fuse F1.9 ignition switch.
check for power with a circuit tester on fuse F1.21 PCM
check for power with a circuit tester on fuse F1.23 fuel pump

why check for power on these.. i have had the ignition switches with erroded contacts on other models using this ignition switch..

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0996b43f/80/23/c1/f4/large/0996b43f8023c1f4.gif

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0996b43f/80/23/c1/f5/large/0996b43f8023c1f5.gif

please.. start diagnosis.. with fuel pump runs or not.

has spark or not...

post what you find..

58 Yeoman · December 07, 2011, 12:57:56 PM

Denny, it wouldn't start at all this am.

Wayne, I don't remember which tester I bought...I'll have to check when I get home this afternoon. If I don't hear the pump when I turn on the key, I'll try the hammer thing (we used to do this with power windows when they wouldn't work, but not use a hammer). Also, I've got an induction light to see if there is any spark.

I'll keep you informed when I find something (or if I don't).

Thanks for the ideas so far.

58 Yeoman · December 07, 2011, 05:40:24 PM

1. HF tester is 99722.
2. Turned on key, no humming pump.
3. Had wife turn over engine while banging on tank...no go.
4. No codes.
5. Removed fuel pump relay and switched with fog lamp relay; both the same.
6. No go. No codes.
7. Removed fuel pump relay, hoping it will produce a code (it didn't).
8. Engine tried to start once.
9. Reinstalled relay, engine started and ran.

I pulled both relays again, and checked the spades; very slight light brown color on the larger spades, so I cleaned them up a bit and reinstalled with small amount of dielectric grease. Engine continues to start and run.

I sat in the wife's Subaru and turned on the key; I could hear the fuel pump run for the couple seconds, then turn off. Got back in the truck, and turned on the key, could BARELY hear the pump run for a couple seconds, with the window open. It's a very quiet pump.

A very big THANK YOU to Denny and Wayne for steering me in the right direction.

wayne petty · December 07, 2011, 06:35:52 PM

fuel pump relays are cheep....

you can with luck take the cover off and clean the contacts in some...

i burnish the contacts with a screw driver tip..

then verify that when i close the contacts with my fingers lightly.. that i actually am making contact with my digital volt meter..

you may also want to take a SHARP probe.. and work the terminals in the relay socket to give a slightly tighter grip on the relay.. they do tend to come loose over time.. i have fixed a LOT of fords and gm's with this minor problem..

ford actually has a connector pull test.. where you use the same thickness terminal attached to a miniature fishing scale... testing for ounces of pull to extract the individual connectors.. i just get in and snug them all up on effected circuits ...

glad it was easily fixed...

and last a super TIP... if you change the relay... save the old one...

leave the cover off... you can then stick it back in the socket.. and pinch it to make the fuel pump run... or wedge in a tooth pick...

really creative people have gone as far as removing the coil winding.. wiring in a LED bulb. so you can see if the ECM is calling for fuel pump operation.. and a properly rated.. micro switch installed thought the cover so you could plug it in.. verify the ECM is requesting fuel pump.. then flip the pump on and drive home...

1800guy · December 08, 2011, 12:02:45 AM

Not sure if this will help, or if you have passed this stage. My first check in the Volvo with a no-fuel condition is to grip the relay while turning the key on - you should feel a click when the key is turned on, and a second click when the starter is engaged. It's probably 'against the rules' but I carry a short jumper wire with two male ends so the pump can run without the relay, if the relay is the problem. I don't recall the terminal numbers, and they are probably different anyway, but the Battery wire and Main Pump wires are the same gauge - the others are smaller. Usual warnings/disclaimers apply, of course.

58 Yeoman · December 08, 2011, 06:02:40 AM

Good tip. Thanks.

58 Yeoman · December 20, 2011, 02:08:03 PM

It didn't start again this morning. I'll try jumping the relay after work to see if the pump will run. I'm beginning to think that maybe the pump is bad, and last time it was a fluke that it started and ran all this time?

wayne petty · December 20, 2011, 09:31:11 PM

carry a rubber mallet.. until you get the pump changed...

so you can pound on the bottom of the tank while somebody cranks the engine..

this will usually get the fuel pump spinning a few more times..

you can try the harbor freight circuit tester to check the amp draw on the pump...

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-amp-automotive-fuse-circuit-tester-67725.html

there are two different versions..

6.8 amps is expected for a normally operating fuel pump....

58 Yeoman · December 21, 2011, 10:23:14 AM

Wayne, I went through all the tests that you suggested last time. The hammer trick didn't work this time, either. I read on a Ranger forum about checking the inertia switch; will do that when I get home later. I also remembered this morning that the previous owner had bought an extended warranty, and transferred it to me, so I'll have to check that also when I get home...to see if it will cover a new pump.

I'll also have to get one of the HF circuit testers next time I'm in East Peoria.

wayne petty · December 21, 2011, 11:11:00 AM

the inertia switch is sometimes in the left kick panel ... where the parking brake release... or the hood release handle is.. in the left kick panel ..( left of the drivers foot.).. there may be a hole where you can reach a finger into.. there is either a push button or a bar... to depress if it has been activated...

the have a steel roller held up by a magnet across two contact bars... knock it hard and the roller drops away from the magnet breaking contact to the circuit ....

they usually don't go bad... but it might be possible for it to get dirty contacts somehow..

this really calls for observing the engine data with a scan tool while cranking..

spark...... fuel.... enough throttle or bypass air to start the engine..

change the fuel pump relay.... if you have not already done so..

check the tension force needed to pull it out and to push it in...

i have fixed some fords.. by getting a sharp probe and tightening the terminals that grip the relays terminals...

work the fuel pump fuse in and out..

you might want to strip the end of a thin wire that goes to a small bulb.

the other side of the bulb has a gator clip ...

this might allow you to twist the wire around one leg of a fuse and ground the clip to check to see if the fuse gets powered up properly.

i don't know if i would do this test with a relay.. as you might be able to let the smoke out of the very expensive computer if the wires touch more than one..

an extended policy is always a good thing..

what happened.. when you tested the fuses 9, 21, 23.. as the key was worked slowly from OFF to on .. to cranking..

Mikej · December 21, 2011, 12:19:09 PM

The inertia switch for my ranger was on the passenger side. It was a manual reset. Trip when I braked and parked. 2004 Ranger

58 Yeoman · December 21, 2011, 03:22:59 PM

I had checked the inertia switch, and it didn't make any difference. I called the warranty company, and they said the fuel pump is covered, so I called the dealer, and he said to bring it in. Tow truck came and took it away, and my car insurance will pay the towing bill.

Thanks for the help.

BTW...I did go to HF and bought the circuit tester. (and got a free flashlight and 20% off with the coupon).

58 Yeoman · December 23, 2011, 10:54:56 AM

When I checked the inertia switch, all I did was push the button. It didn't help. After I realized that the warranty covered any repairs, I just called the dealer. They found the inertia switch had shorted out and melted the wiring, so they repaired it. Didn't find any more problems, so all is well.

Before we went to pick up the truck, we'd gotten a recall letter in the mail for our Subaru Forester; the front control arms need to be checked for rust problems. The Ford dealer is also a Subie dealer (we bought the car there), so we left it to be checked out today, which saved us one trip. They must be slow that they can get it in right away.

Thanks for all your help guys...