2004 Ranger Not sure what is wrong.

[brc777]

Hi, I am new to the forum. I have a 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 2wd with the 3.0l v6 with 144,000 miles and auto trans. I love this truck. I've owned this truck for 4 years and I have maintained it well. I wouldn't be afraid to take this truck anywhere until now. What I am about to describe didn't happen suddenly. It has just got to the point where I am scared to drive it. The truck cranks right up runs and shifts fine and it will take you anywhere. But now when you drive into town (for example) and you get to your destination and turn the truck off. When you get ready to get back into the truck it will turn over but not crank back up. But if you let the truck set for 30-45 minutes it will crank right up. I hear the fuel pump cut on, there are no lights on the dash, hooked up my scanner and there are no codes. I checked all fuses inside and out and they were all fine. It started this about a year ago. But in the beginning you didn't have to let it set but for a few seconds and it would start right up, and it just did it occasionally. Now it has became a constant thing. On a total different issue about six months ago I changed the coil pack, new plugs, and plug wires because a miss started while driving between 45-50 mph. I replaced all parts with all genuine motorcraft parts.

I was thinking it may be the fuel pump. But before I started throwing parts at this problem I wanted to see if anyone had this problem.

This Tuesday it did leave me stranded. I went to two places went in and came out and it started right up, but at my third stop it would turn over but not crank. I waited as long as I could until I had to get someone to pick me up to finish doing all the things I had left to do. It took about an hour and I went back to the parking lot and the truck fired right up.

I drove it home killed it and tried to crank it and it just turned over and would not start. I went back outside a few hours later and it started right up.

Any ideas, suggestions, any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

brc777

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

Reads like a component has become temperature sensitive
Coil would be first guess

1999 and up Rangers have PATS, passive anti-theft system, there is a THEFT light on the dash that will flash every 5 to 10 seconds when key is off to warn thieves of it presents
With Key ON the THEFT light should come on and then go off, this means PATS is off, and you can start engine
Rapid Flashing THEFT light with key on means fuel system is disabled and no start, but starter motor should also not work
Just have to touch base on this, and it can be triggered by low battery voltage


Couple of tests to do after engine is a No Start, so warm it up in driveway
Watch the CEL(check engine light) on dash, it will come on with Key on, that means Computer has booted up OK
Then when you turn the key to START watch it again, it should go OFF as engine turns, that means the Computer is "seeing" a timing pulse from Crank sensor so it will start Spark and fuel injectors to start engine
No timing pulse from crank sensor means no start
Crank sensors rarely fail and even more rare for one to become temperature sensitive, but still possible

Get a can of Quick Start(ether)
Confirm no start
Pull off Power brake booster hose and spray Quick Start into engine, you can leave hose off
Try to start
If it doesn't fire then you have no spark
If it fires then stalls you have no fuel at injectors or they are not opening
This is called the 50/50 test, used to narrow down why an engine is not starting


2004 3.0l should have a fuel pressure test port on the engine's fuel rail if you want to see if fuel pump is providing enough pressure
55-65psi is expected with engine running
Needs above 20psi to start, pressure should hold above 30psi with key off for a few MONTHS
Fuel pump only runs for 2 seconds with key on, that adds about 10psi to existing pressure
You can cycle key on and off a few times to build up lost pressure above 30psi for startup

 

[brc777]

Well, Well I just went outside to check on the theft light. I knew about the blinking. The light with a car with a padlock is blinking. I hooked up my scanner again and no codes came up.

Thank you so much for the reply. I am going to check out what this padlock light means.

 

[brc777]

Okay wait I messed up. My Ford F-150 actually blinks the word theft. Looks like on my Ranger it's the padlock symbol that blinks in my Ranger is the antitheft system.

However, the padlock symbol was blinking rapidly. But like a dummy I just unhooked the battery cable because I was worried the light was flashing so much it may run my battery down until I could find out what's going on.

 

[RonD]

Yes, padlock icon is the THEFT light

Test battery voltage, 12.4 to 12.8volts is acceptable, 12.3v is marginal(for PATS), 12.2v or less is a done battery, replace it

If you hook up battery and turn key on and get the Rapid Flashing again, WAIT 45-60 seconds,
The THEFT light will start to flash a 2 digit CODE, a 1 followed by 1 to 6 flashes then it will repeat a few times
Then turn key off

Codes
11 Transceiver [transponder coil] not connected, or there is no power to it.
12 Transceiver internal fault.
13 No Key/no PATS key has been used to turn the ignition switch.
14 Incomplete key code received.
15 Invalid key code received.
16 CAN communications error

Any of these codes can be caused by LOW battery voltage, so that's the first thing to check

 

[brc777]

I am sorry I am so late posting this, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their response and advice on the problem with my 2004 Ford Ranger. I had to stop fooling with it for a while due to medical issues.

I washed my Ranger this weekend. I let it set and run the entire time I washed it and dried it off. I turned the truck off and let it sit for a while. Went to start it back up and it wanted to crank, but it wouldn't. I turned the key to the start position and got out to listen and the fuel pump wasn't cutting on and it wasn't. I let it sit and cool down a bit and it started right up. So, I am going to replace the fuel pump and see if that is the issue.

There is one thing I forgot to mention about the truck that has been going on for a couple of years. I was reminded by it because I did it this weekend. If the truck is in park and you rev the engine up it starts missing between 2500-3000 rpms. If you floor board it while it is park it will not go over 3000 rpm. It does not do this when you are driving it. Even after I replaced the coil pack, plugs, and plug wires it still did the same thing while in park. I don't know if this has any issue on what could be going on with it now.

Thank you so much,
brc

 

[19Walt93]

The 3000 rpm limiter is built in, it's not a problem. Is the theft light flashing fast? If so the PATS system is the place to look. Turning over and cranking are the same thing, by the way, neither is the same as starting.

 

[brc777]

Come to find out the security (pats) system was blinking correctly. I just got it confused with the theft light blinking in my F-150.

Thanks for the info. I had no idea that reving the motor in park like that was a built in thing.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I am sorry I am so late posting this, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their response and advice on the problem with my 2004 Ford Ranger. I had to stop fooling with it for a while due to medical issues.

I washed my Ranger this weekend. I let it set and run the entire time I washed it and dried it off. I turned the truck off and let it sit for a while. Went to start it back up and it wanted to crank, but it wouldn't. I turned the key to the start position and got out to listen and the fuel pump wasn't cutting on and it wasn't. I let it sit and cool down a bit and it started right up. So, I am going to replace the fuel pump and see if that is the issue.

There is one thing I forgot to mention about the truck that has been going on for a couple of years. I was reminded by it because I did it this weekend. If the truck is in park and you rev the engine up it starts missing between 2500-3000 rpms. If you floor board it while it is park it will not go over 3000 rpm. It does not do this when you are driving it. Even after I replaced the coil pack, plugs, and plug wires it still did the same thing while in park. I don't know if this has any issue on what could be going on with it now.

Thank you so much,
brc

I have the same truck only a 5spd. You'll have to drop the tank to replace the pump. Additionally, once the fuel pump runs, it takes time for the pressure to bleed down. It will not run every time. Only after sitting a while. That's how mine acts. For example, I go into a store or whatever and spend 30-45m to an hour there. I'll come back to the truck and not hear the fuel pump but it starts right up. If I let it sit overnight, I'll hear the pump the next day.

This may be a long shot and, like I mentioned, I have a stick but is there any possibility being in park is not properly setting a switch somewhere it needs to? Have you tried pushing up extra hard on the shifter or possibly taking some pressure off? A friend of mine once had a car where he had to hold the shiter up in the park position for the engine to catch.

Like I wrote, it's a long shot and this is jut an idea but I'd try a lot of things before committing to dropping the tank, particularly if it's not the real problem.

 

[brc777]

Thanks for the reply. No it firmly goes into park. I had no idea about not hearing the fuel pump cut on every time I start the truck. Thanks for the info.

I don't have a lift in my shop.So, I plan on just taking the bed bolts out and sliding the bed back some and you can access the top of the fuel tank and the fuel pump that way. That is the way I did it on replacing my Dad's Mazda B3000 fuel pump not to long ago.

 

[fastpakr]

Seems odd that it wouldn't prime every time. @RonD does that sound normal to you?

 

[brc777]

I always thought that when you turned a vehicle off and put the key in your pocket and when you cranked the vehicle back up the fuel pump turned back on. I have had to try and troubleshoot why my vehicles wouldn't start up over the years. I would have someone in the vehicle to turn the ignition to the start position and I would be outside the vehicle close to the fuel tank to see if the fuel pump was cutting on.

 

[RonD]

Seems odd that it wouldn't prime every time. @RonD does that sound normal to you?

No, not normal for a Ranger

1986 to 2011 EFI Rangers never had a fuel pressure sensor, or fuel pump driver module
They just have a fuel pump relay that the computer operates

The computer closes the fuel pump relay for 2 seconds each time computer Boots Up(powers up)
It won't close fuel pump relay again until engine RPMs are above 400, starter motor spins engine at 200rpms

But you can turn key off and then on again and get another 2 seconds of fuel pump run time
This 2 second thing is a safety feature in case a fuel line breaks, i.e. an accident or roll over or ???, engine would stall with no fuel(broken fuel line) and electric fuel pump would shut off when RPMs dropped below 400 so it couldn't "feed a fire"

If your fuel pressure is high from previous driving or gas tank is Full, then you may not hear the pump run for those 2 seconds, but it did run, for sure

Computer has no internal clock, it doesn't know how long its been off, 5 min or 5 years would be the same to the computer, in case you thought that may matter

 

[Fast Eddie]

Ok. Thanks for the info. I'll hear a 2 second 'buzz'/'spin' like something is spinning up after it's sat over night but not hear it again all day. I thought it was the fuel pump but I guess it's something ese. I read another thread on here some where where they mentioned the fuel pressure bleeds down after sitting for a time. I put the two together and maybe shouldn't have. It bears mentioning the fuel pump was replaced in 2015.

 

[fastpakr]

Ok. Thanks for the info. I'll hear a 2 second 'buzz'/'whine' like something is spinning up after it's sat over night but not hear it again all day. I thought it was the fuel pump but I guess it's something ese. I read another thread on here some where where they mentioned the fuel pressure bleeds down after sitting for a time. I put the two together and maybe shouldn't have. It bears mentioning the fuel pump was replaced in 2015.

To RonD's point, though:

If your fuel pressure is high from previous driving or gas tank is Full, then you may not hear the pump run for those 2 seconds, but it did run, for sure

You may very well be hearing the fuel pump only after it's sat over night. But it's not a function of whether it ran, just a difference in how it sounds when the system is/isn't pressurized to begin with.