2001 B3000 DS - crank/no start

[deanosaurus]

Hello.

The water pump on my B3000 recently blew up. Upon replacing it, and the water temp sensor, I have encountered a crank/no start.

Diagnostics so far:

Battery was ancient - replaced with new.

Fuel pump comes on during key on, fuel pressure good.

Battery voltage shown at +12v (red wire) on coil pack supply plug when key on/engine off.

Spark test good on plug end of all 6 plug wires using old school spark tester (not the window type). Large, white-hot sparks.

Plugs wet after crank. Plugs questionable. Replaced with new.

No codes. ODB reader shows 156-158 RPM at crank.

No CEL/no THEFT during crank. THEFT blinks slowly when key on/engine off.

Fuses and relays checked with meter. PCM relay and blower relay swapped in case of fault under load. No change.

Where do I go from here?

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Good testing and not much left

The big 3
Spark, at the right time
Fuel, in right mix with air
Compression, above 100psi

Theft light should stay off after coming on with key on and the PATS test, so that's odd
Should only blink slowly with key off

Do the 50/50 test
Spray fuel into the engine manually and then try to start
If it fires then spark is good and timed correctly
If it doesn't fire then no spark or out of time spark OR no compression
50/50 instant results

CEL should come on with key on and then go off while cranking as you said, it means computer is on and its getting a timing signal from Crank sensor when crank is spinning

Long shots are all that's left
Not "gasoline" in the tank, i.e. someone dumped water in, it settles to the bottom, so first to get sucked in by fuel pump
Did you try lighting a "wet" spark plug tip with a match?
Should burn fast and easily

Crank pulley's woodruff key has sheared off so Crank sensor is now "out of time", so spark is out of time

All cylinders with very low or no compression, this was never an issue on the 3.0l Vulcan engines, timing chain was bullet proof, but crank and no start if it does fail

 

[deanosaurus]

Welcome to TRS

Good testing and not much left

The big 3
Spark, at the right time
Fuel, in right mix with air
Compression, above 100psi

Theft light should stay off after coming on with key on and the PATS test, so that's odd
Should only blink slowly with key off

Do the 50/50 test
Spray fuel into the engine manually and then try to start
If it fires then spark is good and timed correctly
If it doesn't fire then no spark or out of time spark OR no compression
50/50 instant results

CEL should come on with key on and then go off while cranking as you said, it means computer is on and its getting a timing signal from Crank sensor when crank is spinning

Long shots are all that's left
Not "gasoline" in the tank, i.e. someone dumped water in, it settles to the bottom, so first to get sucked in by fuel pump
Did you try lighting a "wet" spark plug tip with a match?
Should burn fast and easily

Crank pulley's woodruff key has sheared off so Crank sensor is now "out of time", so spark is out of time

All cylinders with very low or no compression, this was never an issue on the 3.0l Vulcan engines, timing chain was bullet proof, but crank and no start if it does fail

You are correct about the THEFT light, it does go off after Key On.

Pulled a plug after cranking and hit it with a Bic - nothing.

Left the plug out and stuffed a shop towel in, cranked til it was wet, still didn't ignite.

Tried a healthy shot of carb cleaner down the throttle body and no start, one assumes cause my cylinders are full of a mysterious, clear, nonflammable liquid.

Fffffffffffff.......

 

[RonD]

Yes, if its not "burnable" then it will drown out any "good fuel" you add manually

Siphon out as much as you can from the tank
Then add fresh gas, 87 octane with ethanol added
Ethanol can bond with water, and allow it to be "burned" in a cylinder, but only within reason, lol, it can't change water into fuel

Gasoline can not bond with water, and water is heavier than gasoline so sinks to the bottom of the tank when a vehicle sits for a week or two, and of course is sucked into the pump which is at the bottom of the tank
So there may just be a bottom "layer" of water in the tank

 

[deanosaurus]

Yes, if its not "burnable" then it will drown out any "good fuel" you add manually

Siphon out as much as you can from the tank
Then add fresh gas, 87 octane with ethanol added
Ethanol can bond with water, and allow it to be "burned" in a cylinder, but only within reason, lol, it can't change water into fuel

Gasoline can not bond with water, and water is heavier than gasoline so sinks to the bottom of the tank when a vehicle sits for a week or two, and of course is sucked into the pump which is at the bottom of the tank
So there may just be a bottom "layer" of water in the tank

Thanks for the speedy replies. I can't get a siphon hose down the neck (do these things have one of those anti-siphon balls?) but I figure I can grab the fuel line at the filter and run the pump. It only comes on for a second or two with key on - do you happen to know a handy way to jump the pump on?

Edit - looks like I can jump relay 50B in the engine compartment fuse box.

 

[Curious Hound]

Yes. Remove the relay and install a jumper across terminals 30 and 87.

 

[deanosaurus]

It sat for a few days down the road before I could get to it. Crackheads must have poured in water to get past the siphon ball. The friend driving it when the water pump pulled had put a full tank in right before it blew and it's reading shy of a half. Sigh.

Soon as I get a break in the rain I'm gonna jump the pump and put in fresh gas and some HEET.

Then I guess I'll pull the plugs and jump the pump to clear the lines and rails, let it evaporate overnight, and try again in the AM.

 

[RonD]

Put a new filter in

No, on anti-siphon unless last owner dropped one in
There was never a factory anti-siphon on any year Ranger 1983-2011

You could buy things that looked like a "spring" that dropped down filler tube

 

[deanosaurus]

Got a break in the rain earlier. I got 10+ gallons out of the tank, all of it pretty much lightly gasoline scented water. Towards the very end I got a little bit of something that had enough gas in it to have visible fumes in the right light but still wouldn't burn. The friend driving it had filled the tank from a big name-brand station in town right before the pump blew - high turnover of fuel stock, never had a bad tank from them.

If there's no anti-siphon (boy I sure could not get the siphon tube in farther than 6" or so no matter how I wiggled it, but I believe you) why on Earth would there be so much water in the tank? A little at the bottom, sure, it can happen with almost anything that uses dino juice, but almost a full tank? Someone put it in there somehow AFTER taking the gas out. Looks like another one for Scooby and the Gang.

 

[RonD]

Yes, it is odd
Check lower back and side of tank for a hole with a self tapping screw in it, maybe someone drill it to drain the gas out then refilled with water
But why refill it?

 

[deanosaurus]

5 gallons of fresh gas and a bottle of HEET in the tank. Pumped til fresh gas was coming out the old filter to purge the feed line, replaced filter, and popped a hose on the fuel rail pressure port with a hose pick stabbed through it to push the valve button. Purged til clean gas came out, then cranked with the plugs out until fresh gas came out all 6. Gonna let it sit for a few hours to dry out the cylinders and engine bay, pop the plugs back in, and start it up.

If it doesn't start up I'll push it to the bonfire pit and use the fresh gas in the tank to get it going.

 

[RonD]

If its not a RED Ranger then its OK to burn it

 

[deanosaurus]

Okay, I'm plumb out of ideas. Dried it out, put the plugs back in, crank no start. Hit WOT to disable fuel pump, cranked for a while to ventilate the cylinders, crank no start.

Let it sit for a while, crank no start.

Possible there's still bad gas that needs to work its way through?

 

[RonD]

Spray fuel into the engine manually, 50/50 test, to make sure it starts and runs, if not there are other issues

Did you put the fuel pump fuse and relay back in?
You can jump the FP relay again, and make sure you hear the pump running and then try to start

 

[deanosaurus]

Battery was low low low after all the pumping and cranking. I threw it on the charger and will get back to it tomorrow. I'll be happy if that's it. I need to get this thing started so I can drive it up by the shed to pull the oil pan and timing cover.