RustyDusty
Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2021
- Messages
- 105
- Reaction score
- 14
- Points
- 18
- Location
- California
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Transmission
- Automatic
Hey, my girlfriend has a 1987 ford ranger with the 2.9 that’s been having intermittent no-starts. She described to me that the truck would start just fine when it was cold but she’d park somewhere and when she’d come back 10 - 30 minutes later it wouldn’t start. She’d wait and eventually it would start up. Sounded like she was describing the same issues people have with the TFI module overheating so first thing I did was remove it from the distributor and put it in a heat sink from an Aerostar and installed it somewhere away from the engine heat. We’ve been driving it around for a few days and she was amazed it hadn’t skipped a beat when starting up while the engines hot. Everything seemed to be fixed until today we were a ways from home and went on a hike. When we got back to the truck it wouldn’t start. This was the first time I had experienced the issue and I noticed the fuel pump wasn’t priming. I turned the key several times to keep trying to listen for the fuel pump but it wasn’t making a peep, just the relays clicking away. I kicked the bottom of the fuel tank and still nothing. I decided to ground the #6 port on the DLC to manually send power to the fuel pump and I just heard the relays click and no fuel pump. Did this several times and eventually heard the fuel pump kick in. I removed the wire from the #6 port and had my girlfriend start the truck. It started and ran for a few minutes then died. I grounded the #6 port on the dlc again and wasn’t hearing the fuel pump, just the relays clicking again. Tried several more times and eventually heard the pump kick in, had her start the engine and I left the wire grounding the DLC for the drive home. The truck seemed to drive fine for the 30 or so miles home on back roads until we had to get on the freeway. The truck showed some sputtery hesitation going 60 uphill but it pulled through and we made it home. I’m wondering if this whole story makes a clear case for a failing fuel pump or if I should try diagnosing other parts before leaping to that conclusion. Thanks so much if you made it this far!