2.9 Sputter Stall out

[justincreager]

Hey guys. I've seen people post the same problem or something close but no one ever seems to post a reply addressing if the issue got fixed or how to fix it. In this case I could really use the help and an answer of what it is that's causing the problem and not so much possibilities.

So to start like the title says, when I'm driving along at a steady rpm in 5th gear it will begin to stutter and 96% of the time stall out. While I'm coasting most of the time I'm able to put the clutch in crank it over and it will fire stutter a bit more then go away. The funny thing is when I drive the truck to and from work, it throws it's little stuttering stalling fit the same distance from both the locations about 2 or 3 miles from when I start driving.

I've replaced the heads (a year ago) but recently I've, replaced the O2 sensor, distributor cap, spark plugs and wires, fuel filter, fuel pump in the tank, fuel pump outside the tank, air filter and alternator, as well as had a fuel pressure test done that showed nothing was wrong the pressure.

The interesting thing I noticed today as it stalled out on me on the freeway in 5 o clock traffic was that when the stalling started it killed the power to my radio as if you were to pop the trunk and remove the power cable. All my programed stations were gone and settings erased. After sitting in traffic for a few minutes I was finally able to get it started with out any stuttering and drive home. In finding the fix to this problem does that complete loss of power make a difference? Thanks in advance for your help guys.

 

[Psychopete]

The interesting thing I noticed today as it stalled out on me on the freeway in 5 o clock traffic was that when the stalling started it killed the power to my radio as if you were to pop the trunk and remove the power cable.

I think you answered your own question. Battery terminals are known to crap out like that, try shaking them when the truck is running at idle and see if you can't replicate the problem.

 

[justincreager]

Nice thought, I'll give it a try and post the results

 

[Cooter199]

i would make sure your alternator is charging enough and for my ranger i replaced the coil with a msd one (because they were on sale) and it helped with mine stalling, the fuel filter might be bad or you might have something in the tank that the fuel pump tries sucking up and then when it dies it floats back down because that same think happened to my dads suzuki samurai and there was a bumble bee in the gas tank. thats just my advice good luck. dont give up they are great trucks!

 

[Viva*the*Ranger]

Sorry I don't have a definite answer for you, but here's my opinion. Sounds like you have multiple problems. Electrical for sure (bad ground or terminal), and perhaps a vacuum leak?

I'm dealing something similar problem, minus the electrical. I've replaced the EGR solenoid, EGR vavle, plugs/wires, in tank fuel pump, checked for vacuum leaks (I think I have a clogged line or something), sea foamed it, and replaced the PCV valve. It still wants to die, but only when it's warm, and at idle. Perhaps the IAC? It looks like the factory one, so I might just replace it anyway.

I'll let you know what it is, when I fix it. Hopefully by this weekend. Wish you the best.

-Denny

 

[cyborgv1]

I just recently had a problem where my 87 would stall out from what I thought was heat as it only happened on a 600 mile trip, and only after the first 50 miles, then I could get about 150 to 200 driving easy. When it would stall out, it would completely die, backfire some, sputter and try to keep going. It'd do this long enough to get me past a guard rail, or the nearest exit, then completely die as I slowed to stop.

Heat related issues could be the TFI-V module since most are mounted on the back of the distributor, either fuel pump not working well or a clogged filter. In my most recent case, it turned out to be the EEC relay switch. Replaced plugs, wires, distributor, filters (pumps and alternator have less than 50k miles on them, battery is an optima red top, less than 2 years old) TFI-V, and even the ignition coil since it was getting really hot, and a quick 20$ swap.

For the relays, mine were on the passenger side above the fender behind the air filter. There's three of them. one for the fuel pumps, one for the eec, and one for the starter relay or maybe AC, but I'm not really sure which is which. I think the smaller black one is the fuel pump, the brown one the EEC, and I'm not really sure what the green one is, I think the starter relay, but I've heard it's for the AC. All I know is the fuel pumps won't turn on with any one of them missing. Tapping on the brown one would reliably trigger the sputtering, and near stalling situations I'd experienced while driving. I did notice that it would die more when idling or slowing down, so probably the lower current was enough to cause it to fail.

I'd definitely check the electrical, especially for you justincreager, since you've stated that the radio stations get reset as the truck dies, this can only be caused by effectively removing, or shorting the battery. I'd check the battery terminals, cables, and the starter solenoid for proper connections, loose wires, or a lot of corrosion. Specifically, the negative cable since it bolts to the frame, then the engine, right underneath the oil fill. Seems those connections are always completely covered in grease, oil and road slime.

A note on the EEC relay, make sure to test it before leaving the store, or buy several because the ones from both napa, and autozone failed to work. I ended up getting the BWD powertrain relay from advanced auto for about 15$. There was no problem finding a replacement for the smaller fuel relay.

 

[jar87]

What did you find was the problem Justin?

My truck has been having the sputtering problem for awhile now and I have been living with it. Within the last 2 days it started stalling on me but would restart no problem. I also noticed that the radio power would go out as well.
Today, I just barely made it to work but when I went to drive home after work it would start and stall within a few seconds. I checked the battery connections and they are good. I am thinking it may be the TFI module but that doesn't explain losing battery power.

 

[Strieg]

Hey all I had a similar issue with my truck, don't know if you were reading my thread, but I fixed my stalling problem (mostly) with a FPR and filter, and the electrical part by replacig the solenoid and cable. I had the same issues with it turning off and erasing my stations. I also had the battery fully charged.

 

[--weezl--]

the op problem to me sounds like for some reason the alternator isn't putting out enough voltage to keep the engine running, which would explain the engine sputtering and dying, as it drops off, the radio losing power, and presets, and pretty well every other symptom, except 1, which isn't really a symptom... if that were the case, you shouldn't be able to re-start the motor, as the battery would be dead at that point... a battery that isn't powerful enough to keep an engine running, CERTAINLY isn't powerful enough to crank a motor AND power it while being cranked...

 

[Strieg]

A battery can run an engine just not for very long. I know from experience. Alternator took a dump and couldn't get the engine started. Buddy jumped me and I drove about a mile mile and half. Died again. Jumped again and let him charge the battery. Repeat for the next 15 miles.

 

[--weezl--]

a fully charged battery will do better than that!

my alternator went on my first car, 88 pontiac tempest, when i was at work (worked at the ford dealership) and interestingly enough, my dad's office was right across the street, he worked for a cable company, and they used heavy duty truck batteries as a backup in their amplifiers, which get pulled after they test below a certain level, but are still technically good batteries... so i ended up getting my car jumped, and made it across the street to there, an old family friend tossed one of these truck batteries (wasn't much bigger than your standard car battery) in the back seat, and ran a set of jumper cables out my rear window, up the side of the car, and to the battery in the engine compartment, i started it up, and drove from there, all the way to a friend's house (who was a retired bus mechanic, and had next to everything you could imagine in his garage, coincidentally, he had a replacement alternator he gave me for free)

the drive was literally like 2 towns away... i was just pulling onto his lawn when my car died... and of course, being i was like 18, i had the radio on, and the AC, because it was HOT out

 

[jar87]

Fixed Stalling Problem

I figured out what was causing my stalling issue!

I was cranking the engine over and it started and was running good then stalled after about 15 seconds. I noticed that when it stalled it lost ALL electrical power including the radio again. It started right back up and was running for a few seconds when I noticed that if I adjusted the tilt steering column it would stall. I took the column cover off and found that my ignition switch was coming apart and intermittently losing contact causing the engine to stall and lose all battery power. It was an easy fix and I didn't even go buy a new switch. The switch is held together by four pot aluminum tabs that had loosened up over twenty years allowing the switch to come apart. Dumbass design if you ask me! I know Ford had a major ignition switch recall but it did not cover my '87.

It also seems to have helped but not fixed the surging/sputtering/bucking issue. Going to start testing fuel system to hopefully fix that issue.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5932035_symptoms-bad-ignition-switch-ford.html


I hope this helps