01 ranger will crank no start

[stingray]

hey guys i just bought a 2001 ranger, it will crank but not start, the previous owner put new alternator,plugs,wires,ignition coil. it has compression,it has spark at #1 plug,it is getting fuel,it sounds a little wierd when it cranks,almost like it is out of time,i have also checked the inertia switch and it is fine. the previous owner said the battery went dead so he replaced battery,alt. plugs,wires,coil,it ran fine drove it 2 miles turned a curve and it died and will not start back. when the engine cranks it will backfire when held to the floor,would the cam synchronizer cause it not to start? or maybe the crankshaft sensor? it's got me stumped. any responses would be appreciated

 

[RonD]

Disregard anything previous owner said.........memories often fail when selling a car

First thing I would do is to spray starting fluid into the intake then try to start it, if it fires then you got spark but no fuel.
If it backfires then timing chain could have skipped or plug wires are wrong.
Recheck compression, if chain slipped then all cylinders will be below "normal" so you are not looking for 1 cyl that is different from the others.
i.e. if compression should be 170psi and cylinders are showing 120psi then chain/belt could be the issue.
If so, pop valve cover for #1 and check TDC and valve positions for #1

If there is no fire at all then you are off to check spark issues.

Crank sensor will cause a no start but usually not intermittent unless the wire is damaged.
To check the camshaft position sensor use a timing light on #1 and see if it is sparking near TDC, and read here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/camshaft_position_sensor.html

But first things first, I love starting fluid, tells you in two seconds if its fuel or spark or timing

And what engine are we talking about?
Oops, 3.0l forum, lol

 

[JP02XLT]

I recall seeing that there are different coils available for the 3.0, they have cylinders in different locations on the coil, could be you have the wrong coil on it and the wires crossed, something to investigate, especially if it sounds like it is out of time.

JP02XLT

 

[jobar]

Sounds a lot like crossed spark plug wires. Have you gone through and checked the previous owners work? Making sure he/she didn't cross anything, install something wrong?

 

[North42g]

check fuel.
check spark.
check for fuel by test pressure at fuel rail test port.(schrader valve)
Check for spark & fuel by removing intake air tube from throttle body and spray starting fluid in TB while assistant is cranking engine. if it starts; means no fuel.(check fuel pump, injector pulse, etc).
If no start; means no spark.( incorrect firing order of ignition wires, faulty Crank-shaft position sensor, faulty cam-shaft position sensor, faulty Cam to Crank Correlation, faulty fuses , relays or ECU communication).
Start with the basic simple stuff first.
let us know what you find.
BTW: Be sure to check ALL fuses & Relays both under hood and inside vehicle. Be thorough, Check everything.

 

[adsm08]

You can rule out the crank sensor because you have spark.

The cam sensor could be at fault, but it would be more likely to cause a hard start rather than the engine just dying.

The crank sensor is used to seeing that the engine is spinning, for firing the coil, and for identifying cylinder 1 (that's why the ring has a big gap in it at one spot). The cam sensor is used to timing the fuel injectors. If the computer doesn't see the cam signal it will arbitrarily choose a stroke of cylinder 1 to fire the injectors on. So if the cam sensor it out there is a 50/50 chance that it starts.


IIRC Ford only ever made 2 coil packs. A 4-cyl one and a 6-cyl one (coil pack V-8s got 2 4-cyl coils). They may have been labeled differently for different engines, but they were all the same.

You say you have fuel, but how much pressure do you have? It is possible for a fuel pump to go bad, still supplying fuel to the rail but without enough pressure to fire the engine.