2.3L ('83-'97) Multiple issues '97 2.3L manual

[Lil'Red1997]

I have a '97 2.3L manual transmission ranger with multiple issues. I'm hoping you guys can help me come up with some things to check.

1. Super slippy clutch cooled off for 2ish hours and now it's back to normal
I got my oil changed today at a tire place that was advertising oil changes for $24.99 (that ended up nearly $40). I know, I know, I should have changed it myself. Now, I have had a new clutch on the "to do" list for a while because the clutch will slip in 5th when trying to accelerate up hill, down shift to 4th and it's fine. When I picked the truck up, it was slipping a bit in 1st. The more I drove it the more it slipped. Eventually I got stuck going up a hill. I inched my way back down the hill on the shoulder and into a parking lot. My dad came to rescue me and helped me complete my time sensitive errands. We returned to the truck about 2 hours later and it was fine. I drove all the way home no slipping or struggling like it never had an issue. Back to "normal."

2. Lugging/no power under 2500 rpm "takes off" over 2500 rpm.
Any gear under 2500 rpm the truck lugs and chugs and crawls along no matter how hard you push the gas pedal. Once we inch up to 2500 rpm it just "takes off" almost like if you started puttering along with the parking brake on only to release it. That's just an analogy. It is not the parking brake.

3. Rev hang/creep
This has happened several times in the short 3000 miles I've had the truck. Coming up to a stop, pushing the clutch pedal and/or in neutral the rpm has stayed high, 2-3000 rpm, for 5-10 seconds. Once it even crept up from idle at a stop to about 3000 rpm where it stayed for 10-15 seconds before dropping back to idle.

4. Leaking power steering
The power steering leaks ALL OVER. I have removed all the nasty old black ATF that I could with a turkey baster, maybe 4-5 oz? I then refilled it with ATF safe power steering stop leak. It still leaks.

5. Check engine code P1443
This one is intermittent. I can make 4-5 trips without the CEL coming on or it will come on with every erase/start up cycle. I have not noticed any pattern and it seems to run the same no matter what.

5. General sluggishness
This truck makes my Prius C feel fast and trust me it's no race car.

6. Hard starting after short stop.
This has happened twice, both on warm days. The first time I stopped at a gas station just long enough to go walk in see that they were out of what I was looking for and get back in the truck. The second time I filled up with gas and jumped back in. Both times it went like this: Crank crank crank fire stumble die. Crank crank crank nothing. Wait 5ish minutes crank while pumping the throttle started up and drove away. Both times my wife was with me and now she thinks it is an unreliable piece of junk.

 

[Lil'Red1997]

Really? Nothing? How about this?
What could cause my little truck to die and have trouble starting? I hopped in last night for a short trip to Walmart. I backed out of the driveway and made it to the stop sign. The engine shuddered to a halt as I came to a stop. Not only was the clutch pedal fully depressed but the transmission was also in neutral. It was dusk so I had the headlights on and it was still hot out so the AC was on as well. It took 6 or 7 tries to get the engine to start up again cranking hard-and-fast the whole time.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Next time it stalls and fails to restart... hold the pedal to the floor. That is clear flood mode. It will turn OFF the injectors. It kinda sounds like maybe you are to rich... leaky injectors maybe. I would also put a fuel pressure gauge on it. When you shut it off... it should maintain fuel pressure. If it falls down quick... could be leaky injectors or perhaps a faulty fuel pressure regulator.

 

[Lil'Red1997]

Ok I finally have a working fuel pressure gauge and some readings. I bought one at Harbor freight and it leaked everywhere. The needle was jumping up and down between 0-20 and it was dripping all over the place. I put plumbers tape on the connections then it wouldn't come off zero. I exchanged it and the new one seems to work. I put plumbers tape on it too and there were no obvious leakes.

Key on engine off 35 psi
Idle steady 30psi
Rev the engine it jumps to 40psi
Holding higher rpm steady 30psi
12:30pm 35psi
8pm 20psi

Does gas melt plumbers tape? Could it be leaking slowly from the fittings? Fingers crossed it's cheap faulty equipment not old car parts. Any suggestions as to what else I should look for?

 

[scotts90ranger]

Fuel pumps don't hold fuel pressure for long, there's no direct check valve in them just the gear pump slowly leaking by

That sounds like normal operation for a vacuum compensated fuel pressure regulator to me, full pressure when system primed, lower pressure when at idle and when revved up and held (still a high vacuum situation) but the blip in throttle getting to high rpm is a low vacuum situation so the pressure should go up.

My '97 runs strange sometimes too, part throttle stumble and rough running, but I haven't looked too deep into it...

 

[Dirtman]

You also need to address the purge valve issue. It could be stuck open or leaking. The code comes and goes because it will only set when the purge valve is commanded on which only happens under specific conditions.