4.0 missing?

[xc182]

Howdy
I have a 93 ranger 4.0 5spd 2wd. I was given this truck by my brother for Christmas, he just wanted to get rid of it. It has 95k miles on but it hasnt been properly serviced for about the past 5 years. I was doing some routine maintance..plugs, wires, filters, hoses..stuff like that. Last weekend I changed the plugs and wires and after I did the truck is running on 5 cylinders now. I've tried the old wires back on and it didnt make a difference. All 6 plugs are getting fire to them but I have narrowed down that is does appear the middle cylinder on the drivers side is getting fuel to it..the plug is always dry when i pull it. I've tried putting the old plug out of that cylinder back in and it didnt make and difference. The old plug looks like crap though..its completely covered with some sort of white corrision on the tip. What do you guys think the problem is? Bad injector maybe? I have no clue. Keep in mind im not a guru when it comes to engines and my tool collection is limited. Thanks for any help fellas

 

[96Greenster]

A wire might be in the wrong place..

 

[xc182]

naa thats not it, replaced them the same they came off and i double checked the wiring diagram to make sure. any other ideas?

 

[Big Jim M]

" Last weekend I changed the plugs and wires and after I did the truck is running on 5 cylinders now."
The most common complaint on these repair forums is the one above.. 99% of the time it is crossed wires..
"naa thats not it, replaced them the same as they came off and I double checked the wiring diagram to make sure. any other ideas?"
In these matters the second post by the owner is the same as above.. Then he gets it all together and actually sees the two crossed wires.. Many times he never posts that he made a small mistake..
Big JIm

 

[Earl43P]

Describe the old spark plug better.

Google "read spark plugs" and look at other examples.

http://www.dragstuff.com/techarticles/reading-spark-plugs.html

You might have an internal problem, like a bad valve, etc. making it not fire. Perhaps a compression check would help, but it could simply be a bad injector. You can swap its position and check the security of its connector but it's "quite a bit" of work to get to them.

Since it was free, you might consider paying a mechanic to look at it.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_support/spark_plugs/faqs/faqread.asp

 

[xc182]

Thanks for the help Earl, I'll just limp it down the road to a mechanic.

Big Jim, I'm no genious but I can look at a picture and make sure the wires are going to the proper cylinders. Thanks for your help..such as it was...

 

[firedup]

check the fuel pressure, these fuel systems have been known to drop 1 cylinder at a time if the fuel pressure drops off.