2.3 help!!!

[2.3litersOfFury]

First time posting on here and new to the forums. sorry this will be abit lengthy
Bought a 1988 ford ranger 2.3 5 spd about a year ago (from a quite shady guy now that i think about it) with a promise that only the timing belt had snapped. one long list of parts and more money than i ever wanted to spend later and it still hasnt made its successful maiden voyage. At this point its about ready to head down the hill and into the creek.

What i am now having issues with ( which i am in dire need of help) is when i start the truck it will fire right up no problem. then it will climb to about 3 grand and slowly even out to about 950 rpm or so and smooths out. once i hit the gas it will "bog out" until i let off the gas then it will climb back up to 3000 rpm untill it comes back down to normal idle. when i put it in gear it will instantly die as soon as i even feather the gas and clutch.

i pulled the codes on it (obd1 system) and i pulled a code 95 which is an infanite ground resistance in the fuel pump curcuit. found a bad ground in the sending unit ( wasnt grounding to the tank and frame) so i replaced that but it made little to no difference.

so please if anyone as any suggestions or had a similar problem it would be extremely appreciated

 

[Mark_88]

Welcome to TRS...

I've been wrong before so it doesn't bother me to be wrong again, but it sounds like a bit of a combination of vacuum line off and sticky throttle cable...

Could also be that you have intermittent fuel pressure where the pump is cutting out...you could try by-passing the Inertia switch (under the dash) initially to eliminate that as a possible wonk factor and maybe grab a MAP sensor from a local junkyard and swap one of those in (sporadic idle)...

But I'd check out the vac lines first...and I'm sure someone will provide you with a correct answser as soon as the electronic ink dries on my post...

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

Thanks for the reply! and ive replaced the in tank fuel pump and the external pump tested fine and it is a newer replacement. the inertia switch was bypassed by the original owner already.

ill check for any more vac leaks and a sticky throttle.

 

[cody93]

check your throttle position sensor and your fuel pressure and fuel preasure regulator

 

[RidnRed]

X2 on vacuum leaks, not only will a lean mix cause it, but your fuel pressure regulator is controled by vacuum, check the lines and don't forget the ones in the cab. Good luck!

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

I replaced the regulator a couple of months back but ill check the pressure when I get home and post the results.

Where are the vac lines in the cab? I saw one poking out of the fire wall that had been cut off from the last owner ( I didn't think it was a vac line so I didn't bother with it) but tht is the only one I know of.

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

so this morning i tested the fuel pressure and ran into a problem. now the truck will start up after a couple of tries and revs to 3,000 and then just dies.

fuel pressure is at 35-37 psi at prime
40 psi when it starts
then drops to 30 psi when it dies

any ideas?

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

would it have anything to do with the iac?

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

Found the problem! had a vac leak and my map sensor inlet was clogged up. once i fixed those two problems it fired right up and ran smooth.

i do have a problem with going past about 1/2 throttle it just bogs down and misses alot.

any ideas on that one?

 

[adsm08]

What was the MAP inlet clogged with?

When they go bad they frequently blow crap into the line.

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

it looked like a mud dobbers nest inside of it.

the problem i have now is when im giving it gas if i go past about 1/2 throttle the motor will loss power/bog down and miss frequently. i top out at about 55mph and 65mph downhill

ive heard of other that when their map or maf sensor start going bad they have similar issues.

 

[tomw]

Liters: Did you check static timing when you re-installed the belt and distributor? You have to pull the connector near the distributor to get the computer out of the way to set base timing at 10BTDC. If you don't, your timing will be off, and the engine will be gutless unless you rev it a lot.
tom

 

[2.3litersOfFury]

i set it once before after the initial install but may have done it wrong ill check my manual agian but i believe it was a single wire that you have to disconect from the icm connector on the distributor in order to "bypass" the spark time advance correct? i may be wrong