Need some help before i go to a shop

[rekles]

Hello,
I have a project that has been put on the back burner a few time but now I'm ready to wrap it up and I want to drive my truck finally.

The truck is a 1999 xlt ranger 4.0 ohv, I started off with a blown head gasket 2 months after I bought it. I was about to do the head gaskets but when I took the heads off I quickly found out that both heads are junk. Without enough cash to get new heads the truck sat. When I came up with the cash for the heads I was advised to overhaul the entire engine due to hi mileage 220k.
So the truck sat for awhile.

I came across a 4x4 02 xlt with a sohc 4.0 that had been flipped over but was running perfectly so I began the swap.
First thing i did was all 3 timing chains, bought the kit with all the tools to do it from Ebay.
Swapped almost everything over but the diner car but got a complete different interior from a 01-03?
Also replaced alot of parts.
*new water pump
*new radiator hoses
*new spark plugs
*new spark plug wires
*new filters ( fuel,oil,air)
*new fuel pump (2002)
*new battery

The problem I am having is it wont run. I turn after it has sat for a while and starts then dies immediately.
I have checked the spark with a cheap spark plug light hat has a clamp on it and it lights up on all cylinders.
I also know it is getting gas to the fuel rail because I purged the valve.

I think I have it narrowed down to a few things

(1) timing is off
I admit this is my first time doing a sohc timing chain but I took my time and followed every direction to a T and used the required tools specifically for the job. Also wouldn't it still run if I was off on the timing off a little? Would it still start and die if the timing was off?

(2) Pars system or ecm?
I did swap over a complete new interior witch included a new gauge cluster. Would that make a difference? I did swap over the ignition with matching chip to computer so that is a match. Any way I could test the ecm and see if its throwing up a Pat's issue?
The theft light stays on for a few seconds then shuts off like it should also no check engine light.

I did have a mechanic plug in a snap on tester to it and he did a diagnostic check witch went through all the sensors to see if they were working properly and they were.
I swapped out both the crank angle sensor and coil from a running sohc and same issue. Also deleted the inertia switch and wired both wires together.

Maybe the evap lines need to be swapped ? I'm at a loss Andy help so I can save some cash would be great.

 

[adsm08]

Well, are you missing fuel or spark?

Will it run on starting fluid?

 

[RonD]

So you put a 4.0l SOHC and its computer and wiring harness into a 1999 Ranger, should be fine

No, a different cluster can't cause your issue
EVAP can't either

After all this time what kind of gasoline is in the tank?
real old, lol

+1 to above

Take off the air tube from the intake
Try spraying fuel into the engine while someone tries to start it and see if you can keep it running by spraying in fuel manually

If so spark is working fine and timing is OK

You have a lack of fuel delivery, could be filter is clogged up or fuel pump screen is clogged or fuel pump is going bad

 

[rekles]

I thought it was not getting fuel or atleast enough fuel pressure so I put in a new fuel pump and assembly. I am getting fuel to the rail. I have 8 gallons of fresh non ethanol fuel with a new fuel filter and new fuel pump strainer.
Just went outside and cranked it over, it fired up and immediately died. Sprayed some carbon cleaner in the throttle body and it just cranks over.

Could there be something like a cam sensor that is bad that it is telling it to cut the spark if its not in the correct orientation or if its bad?

Because its not running is that why it wont throw a code?

 

[RonD]

PATS([passive anti-theft system) test the key's number once with key on, Theft light goes out after that, if key passes test, then PATS is off until computer is rebooted again, i.e. key off and back on
PATS also controls starter motor activation and fuel pump and fuel injector activation, neither of which seems to be the case since engine starts up.

So IMO not a PATS issue

"Sprayed some carbon cleaner in the throttle body and it just cranks over"
I assume carb cleaner

So the spark is shutting off after start up
Not cam sensor but maybe Crank Sensor
Crank sensor is about the only "sensor" that can shutdown an engine and cause a no start

Does the CEL(check engine light) come back on after engine stalls?
Does Theft light come back on and go off?

Do you have a tach in the instrument cluster?
The crank sensor is the "tach" sensor as well as timing sensor for the computer
See if the tach works when it starts, shows RPMs
Then after it stalls see if it shows cranking RPMs, if not then most likely Crank sensor is the issue or its plug in

There may not be code for that short a run time
The computer has no connection to the starting system, accept enabling it thru PATS
So computer doesn't know you are trying to start the engine until it sees "RPMs" from the crank sensor

But also check the plug in for the Coil Pack, makes sure its not loose

 

[19Walt93]

I have seen the outer ring on the crank pulley slip back off the rubber insert and chew into the crank sensor. Customer was driving through Mass with her 8 year old, 110,000 mile Explorer and it quit on the highway. State cop called a tow truck and it was taken to their shop. The shop was able to figure out the problem and fix it, but they charged her double Ford retail for the balancer/pulley and about triple the labor. When they gave her their inflated bill they handed her the old balancer in a box and told her to take it to a dealer for a refund because"this part should never fail". It worked, she paid the huge bill after they redirected her anger at the dealer(me). If I had a nickel for every time a shady shop told a customer the dealer could refund their questionable repair bill I'd need a dual wheel F350 to get them home.

 

[RobbieD]

"starts then dies immediately".

I'm sorry if I missed your checking this, but have you confirmed that the ignition wire(s) stay at 12v+ when the key is released from START back to RUN?

 

[bobbywalter]

"starts then dies immediately".

I'm sorry if I missed your checking this, but have you confirmed that the ignition wire(s) stay at 12v+ when the key is released from START back to RUN?

Yes, I was going mention to ron with it being a swap that the key system for crank and run may be modified.... this I have seen and Pat's won't let it start or throw any codes.

 

[RonD]

The key on ignition switch power is a good point and possible failure point, but............
No mention of "all the light on the cluster go off", which usually happens with ignition switch issues

And theft light is working, so PATS indicator is connected, if PATS was responsible then engine would fire with carb cleaner added to intake because PATS only disables fuel delivery, not spark
And spark is disabled or carb cleaner would cause engine to fire

It is a puzzler

 

[bobbywalter]

ok. absolutely agree. save for pats. what it is supposed to do...and the unexplainable shit it does do....


not always holding hands...

 

[JMF661]

Does it ever fail to attempt to turn over? You turn the key and nothing happens, maybe you have to fool with it a bit before it wants to start? This might be telling of a bad ignition switch?

 

[rekles]

Sorry it's been around 102° here and I have been working a new job with alot of hours. The truck will start and die immediately. I can crank it over, spray brake clean in it and nothing wont start again. If I let it sit for a few hours it will do the same thing.

I am reading rpm, maybe I will try jiggling the main connections to the ecm, engine wire harness, and coil pack and see what it does.

I'm at a loss right now and really need to fix this so I can save some cash, the new job I started is a drive and my daily driver is a 95 f150 with a thirsty 5.0

 

[rekles]

Just turned it over and now I see the rpms are not showing up on the cluster

 

[rekles]

Thanks for all the help, unfortunately when i did the timing chain swap I didn't do it properly and the mechanic that looked at it said it has a bent valve now.

So yeah ill be doing a rebuild soon the have someone else do the timing chain lol

 

[RonD]

It would be very hard to bend a valve on the 4.0l SOHC, possible just very hard
Did the mechanic bore scope(video camera in spark plug hole) the cylinders to see the marks on piston from valve strike?

Picture of the marks here: https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/attachments/3dings-jpg.84172/

That's about the only way to tell, a video, compression test or leak down, wouldn't do if cam timing is off