1986 Ford Ranger 2.0 Idle/Stalling Problem Help!

[Mark_88]

lol

I'm going to pull off the belts again and look for a notch in the pulley. I'll try and mark it with some paint. I heard there should be one there.

My dad used nail polish...pink, actually...it shows up pretty good under the timing light...

But you should only have a V groove on the crank pulley...that's all that was ever on mine...and I usually matched that with the ^ on the aux shaft...and then made sure the cam pulley ^ is aligned with the center peg on the cam timing thingy...it's just a plastic piece with three ^^^ on it...and it should be part of the plastic shield for the back side of the timing belt cover...

Once all three of those are aligned and you make sure the pistons are TDC on the compression stroke you should be good to go...

To find the compression stroke, pull number one plug and rotate the crank...put your thumb over the plug hole and when you feel upward pressure against your thumb you are on the compression stroke...it also helps to pull the distributor cap and watch for it to align with the number one spark plug wire...

No, don't give up on it...flush the rad for sure...or a complete system flush would be better because crud accumulates in the heads after time unless you've had it flushed recently...and check the intake passages because there should be a hose going into that and that area is where I found quite a bit of buildup of sludge...

 

[ianthegreat]

Update: Ok I finally finished flushing the radiator, cleaned it out real nice. Still overheating like crazy, takes about 6-7 minutes now instead of the 4-5.

I also timed the engine correctly 6 deg BTDC.

Let's brainstorm again! I'm ready to pull apart this engine to figure it out.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

whats the condition of the plugs??

 

[ianthegreat]

whats the condition of the plugs??

Brand new plugs.

What if I removed the thermostat? Replace the radiator cap?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

removing the t-stat is not good. it will take your engine forever to warm up. and thats not good for it. theres a bigger problem here. are you judging the temp by the factory gauge or do you have an aftermarket on on there??

 

[dangerranger83]

All I can think of is there has to be a clog in the cooling system. I know that air in the system can cause it to over heat and not allow coolant to flow. Try running it without the radiator cap on so that the air, if there is any in the system, can come out easier. Happened to my brother in-law after we replaced the heater core. Drove it 20 yards after it ran for 10 min. and the temp guage went strait to the H. We took the radiator cap of and a huge air amount of air came out and after that we put more coolant in it and we were golden after that.....until months later the quick disconnect to the heater core blew off going down the road and poured coolant everywhere...fixed that with a hose clamp.

 

[ianthegreat]

I've got another bottle of flush/cleaner soaking in it.

I removed the radiator cap and ran the truck. The water was cold in the radiator and never looked like it circulated (the heater hoses were very hot). Either the radiator is clogged, the thermostat isn't opening, or there is blockage inside the engine. I'm going to remove the thermostat this week, try and flush the internals out with CLR cleaner, and spray/flush it really well with my hose. I'll update afterwards.

 

[ianthegreat]

removing the t-stat is not good. it will take your engine forever to warm up. and thats not good for it. theres a bigger problem here. are you judging the temp by the factory gauge or do you have an aftermarket on on there??

I'm judging the temp by the hoses and crankcase cover superheating, the oil around the engine starting to burn off (smelling and watching it smoke/burn), and the truck sputtering/dying (i think because of the heat). It idles/runs fine until it super heats within a couple minutes.

I'm not quite sure what gauges are working in the truck. All i know is the speedo works. That's another project another day.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

when you are ready to fill up the system. fill up the radiator most of the way (VERY SLOWLY) then start the truck with the radiator cap off, and with the heater on full blast, then top off the system, making sure to stop filling every few seconds to let the system burp, this will allow the air to escape. of the truck still overheats after this, i would lean towards clogged radiator or something with the head gasket.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

oh and how are the radiator hoses? if there old, squeeze em, if they feel really mushey, then they could be collapsing and restricting the flow.

 

[locovaca]

Yes, at this point I'd take out the thermostat and check it. If the heater hoses are getting hot then that's a pretty good guess that the water pump is getting water through the engine, but I'd still run the engine for a few seconds with just the thermostat off to see if you get water running out the upper radiator hose.

I know it's a new thermostat, but I'd still check it in a pot of near boiling water to see if it opens up. You didn't mention what brand you put in, but I pretty much swear by Failsafe brand, never had a bad one. Did you get the pin installed up on the thermostat too? That might cause it to trap air.

 

[ianthegreat]

oh and how are the radiator hoses? if there old, squeeze em, if they feel really mushey, then they could be collapsing and restricting the flow.

I've re-run all new hoses

 

[ianthegreat]

Yes, at this point I'd take out the thermostat and check it. If the heater hoses are getting hot then that's a pretty good guess that the water pump is getting water through the engine, but I'd still run the engine for a few seconds with just the thermostat off to see if you get water running out the upper radiator hose.

I know it's a new thermostat, but I'd still check it in a pot of near boiling water to see if it opens up. You didn't mention what brand you put in, but I pretty much swear by Failsafe brand, never had a bad one. Did you get the pin installed up on the thermostat too? That might cause it to trap air.

I'm not sure what you mean by "pin installed up on the thermostat." There looked like only one way to install the thermostat. It almost just sits in the outlet housing. The outlet housing (thermostat housing) is new also btw. This weekend i'll remove the thermostat and see what happens. I will also boil it and see if it moves.

 

[locovaca]

I'm not sure what you mean by "pin installed up on the thermostat." There looked like only one way to install the thermostat. It almost just sits in the outlet housing. The outlet housing (thermostat housing) is new also btw. This weekend i'll remove the thermostat and see what happens. I will also boil it and see if it moves.

There is (should be) a jiggle pin at the edge of the thermostat cup. It's used to help get the air out of the system. If there isn't one you might drill a small hole at the edge of the housing and install the stat with that orientated at the top.

 

[Mark_88]

There is (should be) a jiggle pin at the edge of the thermostat cup. It's used to help get the air out of the system. If there isn't one you might drill a small hole at the edge of the housing and install the stat with that orientated at the top.

Cool~! Learn something new every day around here...I've never seen (noticed) one of those on any T-Stats sold in Canada...but I will look for them in the future...