1992 ford ranger xlt 2.3 single cab fuel injection problems

[unaidedplace]

i have a 1992 ford ranger 2.3 5 speed xlt for some reason it is having trouble accelerating and has no power and bad gas milage we replaced fuel pump fuel regulator fuel filter mass air flow sensor and the coil pack but still cant find problem can anyone help me find the problem? the truck runs and drives to.also I have looked everywhere I could for the solution to this problem but could not find the answer also I removed the throttle position and put it back on thought it was something else.I don't know if this will cause a problem or not.

 

[nsranger]

I'm no expert but I have had a 92 ranger since new and have experienced similar problems twice.
Poor power, acceleration and occasional missing I also replaced the air flow sensor, fuel filter and the regulator had been replaced recently, the problem turned out to be a weak but still functioning fuel pump.
Maybe check your fuel pressure the is a fitting for a pressure gauge on the injector fuel rail.
On another occasion the truck drove perfectly until everything under the hood got hot and then the power died it started missing and eventually quit, after it cooled down it started right up and drove again, turned out to be the throttle position sensor, cost a small fortune in repair and towing bills before we got that sorted out, we suspected an intermittent sensor and had I know it at the time diagnoses would have been a lot easy as you can unplug just about every sensor except the crankshaft position sensor and the truck will run fine in open loop mode.
That has saved be a few long walks since.
Good luck.

 

[unaidedplace]

I'm no expert but I have had a 92 ranger since new and have experienced similar problems twice.
Poor power, acceleration and occasional missing I also replaced the air flow sensor, fuel filter and the regulator had been replaced recently, the problem turned out to be a weak but still functioning fuel pump.
Maybe check your fuel pressure the is a fitting for a pressure gauge on the injector fuel rail.
On another occasion the truck drove perfectly until everything under the hood got hot and then the power died it started missing and eventually quit, after it cooled down it started right up and drove again, turned out to be the throttle position sensor, cost a small fortune in repair and towing bills before we got that sorted out, we suspected an intermittent sensor and had I know it at the time diagnoses would have been a lot easy as you can unplug just about every sensor except the crankshaft position sensor and the truck will run fine in open loop mode.
thoughugouat has saved be a few long walks since.
Good luck.

I will have to check that out thanks. i did find out though that the catalytic converter is gone, and so is the 2nd oxygen sensor is no where to be found not sure if this model has 2 o2 sensors or just one but me and my mechanic friend can't find it anywhere on the truck

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

1995 was when Ranger got the newer EEC-V Computer that could monitor Cat converter function with an O2 sensor after the Cat
So 1994 and earlier won't have that O2 sensor


Its great to replace things hoping to fix a problem, but not always the best, or most economical, approach to engine diagnostics

Newer vehicles that use Fuel Injection and a computer have 2 "modes" of operation, cold engine mode and warm engine mode
Ford calls cold engine mode Open Loop, the computer doesn't use most sensors, they need to warm up first
Warm engine mode is Closed Loop, all sensors are being used now

If engine runs better cold then stumbles when warm(or visa versa) then thats a clue in diagnosing a problem
A fuel pump or pressure issue would be there warm or cold, like any mechanical issue, so pay attention to engine temp as a diagnostic tool

$15 volt/ohm meter can test most sensors and controls on newer vehicles

Just as an FYI, 90% of replaced sensors were working fine, simply unplugging the connector and plugging it back in cleaned the contacts, which is why the new sensor made things better, so save some money and check connections

O2 sensor needs to be changed every 150k miles in normal operation, can't test these, but they are not used in Open Loop(cold) only Closed Loop(warmed up), and would usually set a code when they are near end of life, Lean Codes, and it would be a false Lean so engine would run Rich with lower MPG

$20 vacuum gauge is not a bad investment, all gasoline engines are self powered air pumps, and best way to test any pump is by testing its pressure, in this case negative pressure

2.3l Lima engine uses a timing belt, which can stretch, and that would lower compression, and vacuum, which lowers power and with it MPG
Could also be partially clogged exhaust, which can be tested for with vacuum gauge, limits power and lowers MPG

If you were to spend $35 on tools I think you would be richer in the long run since they can be used to diagnose any year engine/vehicle

 

[adsm08]

I will have to check that out thanks. i did find out though that the catalytic converter is gone, and so is the 2nd oxygen sensor is no where to be found not sure if this model has 2 o2 sensors or just one but me and my mechanic friend can't find it anywhere on the truck

If your "mechanic friend" doesn't know that a vehicle that old won't have a down-stream O2 sensor you need a new mechanic.

 

[unaidedplace]

If your "mechanic friend" doesn't know that a vehicle that old won't have a down-stream O2 sensor you need a new mechanic.

its not that he doesn't know its just he's use to working on carborated engines he doesn't know much about fuel injection actually he hates working on them lol he would rather have a carb lol

 

[unaidedplace]

If your "mechanic friend" doesn't know that a vehicle that old won't have a down-stream O2 sensor you need a new mechanic.

My mechanic is quite good at making cars run.

 

[unaidedplace]

My mechanic is quite good at making cars run.

yea when it comes to this kind of problem we are kinda guessing pretty much the only thing we didn't replace is the fuel lines fuel rail and fuel injectors the only reason he thought it had 2 o2 sensors tho is because the auto parts store guy said it had 2 of them

 

[unaidedplace]

oh and thank you all for your help as soon as we find out more ill post it here

 

[RonD]

All of what applied to carbs and distributors translates over to fuel injection and distributorless engines

So he will do fine, just apply the same logic

No matter what "they" add to the outside of the engine its still just a self powered air pump
Spark
Fuel
Compression

and that's all there is to it

 

[RonD]

You are responding to your own posts?

 

[unaidedplace]

You are responding to your own posts?

ah sorry ment to reply to different one

 

[STPL]

RonD, your advice on open vs closed loop diagnosis is very helpful, thank you!.

Keep us posted, unaidedplace! I'm curious to know how this turns out, its similar to an issue I'm having on my 94 2.3l.

 

[Uncle Gump]

its not that he doesn't know its just he's use to working on carborated engines he doesn't know much about fuel injection actually he hates working on them lol he would rather have a carb lol

Is his name Rusty?

I'm not gonna knock your mechanic... but these systems have been around for about three decades. He is overdue to update the tool box and knowledge base.

 

[RonD]

Carburetors are way more complicated to tune and use than fuel injection

You literally have to tune a carb anytime there is a 15deg change in outside temps, or a change of 1,000ft in elevation, to get best MPG and performance
And tuning spark is even worse

But carbs and distributors don't need to be perfect, so most are happy with a running engine, not best MPG or performance

Fuel injection and distributorless spark don't need anything really, they adapt to outside temp and elevation, so unless there is a problem you get best MPG and performance for the life of the engine/vehicle

But thats one of the problems, because we don't have to tune these every week or month we don't need to learn about how to diagnose these systems, lol.
Reliability makes these systems foreign to us

One of the first things I did when I got my first fuel injected engine vehicle, was to unplug sensors one at a time and drive it, see what was effected, see the symptoms, see what happens when sensor is reconnected.

If you wait until you have a problem then you don't have a baseline of where to look

If your a DIY mechanic don't be afraid to unplug stuff to see what happens, one thing at a time of course, lol, it will be helpful down the road to see what causes what symptoms on a good running engine now