1st Project Truck... A nightmare lol...

[jamsession]

Hi there all!
John here, new to the forum and automotives in general. I've been in love with all things on wheels for as long as I can remember. BUT this project truck is killing that love, so sitting at rock bottom, I've turned to this forum!
Anyways onto the good stuff... So two months ago I purchased a 1991 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 2.9L V6 5 Speed. To be completely transparent this was my first truck purchase and in hindsight it was a bad purchase. It had been stolen and then towed by a tow yard. I bought it for 800 bucks, no questions asked.
Here's my problem, I drove it home and it ran fine! The trans was smooth and the engine was strong. The next day I had a crank no start. It's been an incredibly discouraging last few months as I'm still unable to figure out what is wrong. If this post gets any replies I'll start detailing the work I've done. Here's to my journey, I'm at a low, but I'm trusting the process.

Thanks
John

 

[Uncle Gump]

They can all be fixed... there is a bunch of knowledge here and always someone to point you in the right direction.

Welcome to TRS.... let see a picture... and tell us whats going on.

 

[JMF661]

There are plenty of folks on here who would love to give you ideas on what you could try for a repair.

 

[jamsession]

here she is in all her beauty. I love it, but man... she just sits in my driveway right now taunting me everytime I walk outside.

 

[jamsession]

They can all be fixed... there is a bunch of knowledge here and always someone to point you in the right direction.

Welcome to TRS.... let see a picture... and tell us whats going on.

Thanks man for responding so fast! so here's what I know is wrong so far.
The truck was stolen so the key master cylinder was completely mangled.. I want to take it to a guy I found to have it repaired since it's ripped beyond shreds. Right now I've been using my trusty flathead to turn it into accessory and crank.
The fuel rail appears to be getting pressure as I get gas squiriting out when I press down on the pressure cap in the engine bay. But I also do not hear the fuel pump engaging as many said I should when turning the truck into accessory position.
Either way I bypassed the fuel system by removing the intake manifold and spraying starter fluid into the intake and cranking... Still no start.
Then went ahead and did a compression test to ensure I had good compression, got 132 PSI reading on the first crank for each cylinder each time and 155 on the second crank. I'm less concerned about the numbers and rather relieved that the pressure appeared to be nearly perfect in uniform for all cylinders.
After that I went ahead and replaced spark plugs, which were FILTHY, and replaced the ignition coil pack as well.

 

[jamsession]

There are plenty of folks on here who would love to give you ideas on what you could try for a repair.

already can tell this is gonna be a good place for me man... Thanks for making this place welcoming to a noobie

 

[Uncle Gump]

She looks a little banged up... but if you have no rust... it's still a winner. I like that cap too. Wish mine had side access windows.

 

[JMF661]

While Cranking are the plugs sparking?

 

[Uncle Gump]

So it sounds like you have fuel... and even tried starting fluid. I'm not convinced the fuel system is right... but it seems you probably have no spark. Have you checked for spark? compression numbers are great and you can take a deep breath. the rest is way better then a bum engine.

 

[jamsession]

She looks a little banged up... but if you have no rust... it's still a winner. I like that cap too. Wish mine had side access windows.

haha yep! lucked out with the camper top forsure, I think it compliments the green nicely

 

[jamsession]

While Cranking are the plugs sparking?

Not quite sure to be honest, I have to check forsure, but I'm fairly certain they are not... How hard is that to test. To be honest there was a big break between when I was working on this truck only because I got so frustrated with it I took a few weeks away from it

 

[jamsession]

So it sounds like you have fuel... and even tried starting fluid. I'm not convinced the fuel system is right... but it seems you probably have no spark. Have you checked for spark? Colpression nubers are great and you can take a deep breath. the rest is way better then a bum engine.

yeahhh, I have a feeling it's shit grounds or a bad distributor at this point, as I replaced the plugs and the coil pack, OH and I forgot to mention I replaced that god forsaken HORRIBLY placed ICM

 

[jamsession]

Electrical stuff is a nightmare as this engine bay is messy and dirty and has obviously had many hands inside of it (varying aged wires and condition of all wiring). Really I guess that is what I need to look at

 

[JMF661]

Remove a plug from the engine, plug into wire boot, observe it for spark while someone is cranking the motor. Maybe in a darkened environment.

 

[jamsession]

Remove a plug from the engine, plug into wire boot, observe it for spark while someone is cranking the motor. Maybe in a darkened environment.

dope, I'm gonna go ahead and do that tongiht then... I'll keep you updated. But regardless what should I be looking to do assuming there is no spark?
Am I gonna be chasing grounds and electrical gremlins?