Out of State HELP

[88 Red Ranger]

P R O B L E M.......S O L V E D....----.....C L O S E........T H R E A D


Hello, I AM OUT OF STATE RIGHT NOW. I am in WV on the interstate 77. I have an 88 ranger 2.9l, 5 speed, manual tcase, 235/70r15 with stock gears. I notice that it is missing some because I can feel when it fires on all 6. Even driving down hill in 5th gear, tach @ 2400 I LOOSE SPEED. I can not maintain 65mph down hill, let only uphill I slow down to 3rd gear 3500rpm and 46mph.

Should I find a local parts store and just change the cap/rotor/wires (plugs down about 1000 miles ago) OR is there something else I should be looking for?

Thank you for your help in advanve, Chris

 

[Earl43P]

Inspect your newish cap and wires, if I had to guess, replace the ignition module on the distributor. Some places test them for free.

Could also be fuel starvation, make sure both fuel pumps are working.
The one in the tank provides flow, the one on the frame provides HIGH pressure.
It can act up if the in-tank pump isn't feeding sufficient flow. It shouldn't run at all if the pump on the frame is bad.

Another good guess is replace the fuel filter in the Auto Parts store parking lot. While it is removed, disconnect the connector from the frame rail pump, turn key to Run. Should get good flow from the in-tank pump. Reassemble, then check pressure at fuel rail to confirm high pressure pump is good too.

All I got!

 

[AllanD]

Replace the fuel filter before you try anything else.

Engines are subject to the "fire triangle" that all boy Scouts (and firemen) know all about.

that is to say "to have fire you need three things, you need fuel, Air and heat/source of ignition

If any of the three are missing things don;t go so well.

LOOK inside your airbox to make sure you don;t have a chipmunk nest blocking the air filter

Replace the fuel filter, the only known good fuel filter is the one you JUST installed.

then worry about spark.

AD

 

[doorgunner]

annnnnnnnnnnnnd baaaaaaaaaaad gaaaaaaaaaaaasssssss!

 

[fordman4x492]

and water in the gas

 

[Duane867]

Loose spark plug, loose spark plug wire, cracked vacuum line, TPS, MAF or MAP ?

 

[88 Red Ranger]

I know it is not gas quality. I am blowing black smoke bad. Running to rich. Sometimes it will only run on 4 cylinders. I changed the cap/rotor, wires, coil all with no change. Uphill/downhill or flat ground it might run on 6 cylinders, 5 or 4. The GPS shows I am averging 41 on the express way. How do I know if the FPR or TPS are working correctly?

 

[Duane867]

Have them tested.
Have you checked your fuel pressure regulator at the fuel rail under the hood yet ?
sounds like its dumping fuel like a mother -f'er to me. Smelling gas yet ?
To check it simply pull the vacuum supply line from it and if its wet with gas its bad.

 

[88 Red Ranger]

The vacuum line from the FPR to vacuum port is dry. It does smell like gas. Some one local suggested either the ACT or MAP. I know the MAP should test out to 156MHZ but I do not have a tester to check MHZ. What are some of the symtems of a bad MAP or bad ACT?

 

[Mark_88]

A bad MAP will cause a few things...like fluctuations in the RPM...won't idle properly...and may die on the highway for no apparent reason...but mostly erratic idle (most noticeable)...and go to a wreckers if you can find one...because maps are a dime a dozen there...and you may be able to swap one in from another vehicle (the one on my Tempo looks just like the 2.9 MAP)...but they may have something different internally (that I don't know about)...

If you need someone to search for a local junkyard for whatever reason...give us a zip code...

 

[88 Red Ranger]

I hooked a fuel pressure gauge to the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Turn the key on, not start, holds 30-32psi. I know the haynes says 40. It will run fine at that pressure on 6 or 5 cylinders but when it really starts to cough and bog down the pressure RISES to 40-42. When it settles out and runs correctly it is back down to 30-32psi. I have now changed the ACT sensor and the MAP. Both of these helped alot but it still does not run properly. It will run longer on 6 cylinders now, but every 2-5 minutes it will still drop one or two cylinders then go back to 6. It does not run good enough that I would feel comfortable driving back to MI from SC.
So far I have replaced the ACT,MAP, cap, rotor, wires, plugs, cleaned the iac and TB.
I think either a bad signal to the injectors or clogged injector. I have looked at the wiring diagram in the tech section and see that 361/r goes to all the injectors and 3 have LG/W and 3 have T/R. ???? Which wires would be getting the bad signal -- the common red to all OR the others??? Did I see on this site a place to rebuild the injector?? If so, I do not remember under which forum.

 

[88 Red Ranger]

I found the injector rebuild thread.

 

[Duane867]

1st is it doing this as you are driving now or while at idle ? ( rising fuel pressure and stumbling )
Have you checked the TPS yet or the air charge temp sensor ? Replaced the fuel filter yet ?

A bad signal to the injectors could be from either a cam sensor ( in this case I think you have a hall effect sensor in the distributor in place of the cam sensor), crank sensor, and I am not sure about this one but possibly a knock sensor. Or a faulty injector.

This has to be some thing simple. Fuel pressure rising like that is normal. Especially when it only goes to the normal operating range limits.
Before you do anything else though I would go to the nearest autozone and have them scan it or perform the KOER or KOEO test you self and look up the codes.
Throwing parts at it isn't going to do anything but deplete your wallet. Used to do that quite a bit my self LOL !

 

[88 Red Ranger]

Parts stores here do not have the OBD1 scanners. I tried to do the test myself but part way thru it, the ground probe lost contact and because of that the codes cleared. I have about 11 miles on it since. I don't think that is enough to make new codes is it?

 

[n_grimm]

If the vacuum hose to the fpr smells like gas, I would block it off and see if it runs any different. Did you check the plugs to see if only certain cylinders are rich or if all of them are? Also it's not too hard to lift the fuel rail with the injectors to see if some are leaking when the fuel pump is running.