1995 Ranger XL 2.3L cranks but won't start

[ricardoguitars]

Hello everyone, Ricardo from Costa Rica here

A few weeks ago I bought a 1995 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L manual transmission, it ran great until a few days ago, it started having troubles climbing hills, massive power lose, then one day it died and won't start again since then, it came from the previous owner with a bad fuel gauge and error codes related to the oxygen sensor and vacuum regulator, so I replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, oxygen sensors (upstream and downstream), vacuum regulator, and put new spark-plugs and cables on; also flushed the cooling system and replaced the brake fluid, engine and gearbox oil, after doing all this it still won't start, so I replaced the relays and found a pair of blown fuses, so I replaced then as well, still no start, I checked fuel pressure on the injector rail and I get a nice squirt out of it (no manometer available), I checked for a spark with a spark tester and all cylinders are getting spark, so no coil issues, crankshaft position sensor seems to be working fine, if I disconnect it it won't get spark so that's why I believe it is fine, I can hear the fuel pump working when I turn the key and the tank is almost full, I also checked the inertia switch and it is ok, still no start.

My repertoire is over and I have no clue what is going on, perhaps a bad computer?

Thanks all for your help.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

One heads up on the dual spark plug setup
Only the Exhaust side coil and spark plugs should be working when starter motor is active
Intake side starts when RPMs are above 400
This is to give one set of spark plugs max voltage(10volts) while starter motor is drawing down battery volts.

Simple test to see if it is fuel or spark causing no start, 50/50 test
Spray fuel into the engine and see if it starts
If it does and dies then fuel is the issue
If it doesn't start then spark(or compression) is the issue

Unplug the TPS(throttle position sensor)
If TPS shorts out it will disable Fuel injectors

Also crank engine and pull out a spark plug, it should be WET with fuel if injectors are working

 

[ricardoguitars]

Welcome to TRS

One heads up on the dual spark plug setup
Only the Exhaust side coil and spark plugs should be working when starter motor is active
Intake side starts when RPMs are above 400
This is to give one set of spark plugs max voltage(10volts) while starter motor is drawing down battery volts.

Simple test to see if it is fuel or spark causing no start, 50/50 test
Spray fuel into the engine and see if it starts
If it does and dies then fuel is the issue
If it doesn't start then spark(or compression) is the issue

Unplug the TPS(throttle position sensor)
If TPS shorts out it will disable Fuel injectors

Also crank engine and pull out a spark plug, it should be WET with fuel if injectors are working

Thanks for ther answer Ron

Both sides have spark when I crank it, is this normal?
I sprayed starting fluid on the intake, but still no start, this thing is driving me nuts, it makes no sense, I have spark, I have fuel but it refuses to start
My experience is with old cars with carbureted engines and motorcycles, this thing is full of wires and sensors I'm just beginning to understand, so please bear with me

 

[RonD]

It doesn't have spark............or it doesn't have compression, if it won't fire up by adding fuel manually

2.3l uses a timing belt, and it can break or slip

Pull out a spark plug and crank engine, should get a nice loud "WHOOP" as compression leaves spark plug hole
Or use a compression gauge, 2.3l should be 165-175psi

Or if you can, look behind timing belt cover to see if CAM GEAR is turning with crank
2.3l is a non-interference engine so broken or slipped timing belt won't hurt the valves, but engine will not start either

No, only one side would have spark, exhaust/passenger side
But 1995 was first year of newer EEC-V computer with built-in ICM(ignition control module), so maybe that year does


EDIT:
One thing that would be extremely rare but I have read about it once.
On the 1995 and up 2.3l and 2.5l Lima engines, the Crank sensor's Tone Wheel is press fit onto the back of the Crank pulley, not "keyed".
Picture here: https://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/xlarge/rnb-594-418_od_xl.jpg
You can see the Missing Tooth at 1:00 that denotes piston #1 at TDC for the computer/crank sensor

The pulley itself is keyed
If that tone wheel should get loose.........then spark timing would be gone, you would still have spark and you would still have fuel injectors but engine would not start.
You would need a timing light to check this, unless tone wheel is obviously loose

 

[tomw]

I'd chech the timing marks on the cam and crankshaft. Rotate the crankshaft until the #1 piston is at TDC. The older models had marks on the timing belt cover indicating crank position, BTDC, TDC and ATDC. There was a notch in the rear edge of the crankshaft pulley for timing purposes. If you cannot see those, you can check using a dowel or other into the #1 spark plug hole, or check the keyway in the nose of the crankshaft. When the key is at 12:00, the #1(and #4) piston is at TDC.
Once that is determined, remove the plug in the belt cover, behind the upper radiator hose, and peer inside. There should be a triangle stamped into the front edge of the camshaft sprocket. At TDC it should align with the mark on the front of the head, about the 4:00 position. Some have pointers, some have a 'cast in' line that is the 'pointer'. Remember the crankshaft will be at TDC twice while the cam will only align properly on one of those rotations, so if it is not in position, try rotating the crankshaft 360 degrees(one revolution), and check again. If the belt has dental problems, and has lost some teeth, the cam triangle will likely not align on either TDC position, and need to be replaced. They are not expensive, and you won't have damaged valves as the engine is non-interference. There are many posts on how to replace the belt.
As noted, you can squirt some fuel into the engine to determine if it is not getting injected fuel, or the spark timing is off. To know for sure needs checking the cam timing.
tom

add:
Don't forget(I did) the auxiliary sprocket must be timed also if you have SEFI, it helps performance. There are articles here about that and its sprocket timing mark alignment.

 

[ricardoguitars]

Thanks a lot guys for the answers, I will checked all the suggestions, timing belt issues seems to make a lot of senses since it stopped running suddenly, I started it to get it out of the garage, it ran fine for a few minutes and then shut off suddenly.

 

[adsm08]

Sounds to me like you snapped the timing belt. It's a pretty common thing on the 2.3s, they are running along fine, then suddenly they aren't running at all.

 

[ricardoguitars]

Sounds to me like you snapped the timing belt. It's a pretty common thing on the 2.3s, they are running along fine, then suddenly they aren't running at all.

That was the issue, timing belt snapped.