92 2.3 ranger, loss of power and stalling, now dead!

[WishIWasAMechanic]

If anyone could please help me here, first it was loosing power and felt like it was missing. I changed the spark plugs, wires, even ignition control module. Checked to see is it was a mechanical or an electronic miss by disconnecting the plugs from the coil packs, and its not mechanical its electronic. All the wires are getting spark. It progressively got worse untill now it just wont start. It turns over but wont start. When it still ran it would stall when cold. Changed the fuel filter as well. Can anyone give me any ideas? Thank you!!

 

[SykoRanger88]

fuel pump maybe?

 

[LivinTheDream]

I have the same problem. I have a 96 Ranger. It idles fine but then only while driving does it sputter and buck. But let me describe it better. The engine does not just lose power, it bucks hard. It feels like a kill witch is being turned on and off. Then when you let your foot off the gas and back on… the problem is solved until anther minute or so. Sometimes it drives fine for 20 minutes with out bucking. Other times it bucks in every gear.

I don't know where to start.

Also the engine light flickers when it bucks but never holds a code. The light just flickers when it bucks.

 

[WishIWasAMechanic]

Yeah kinda like that, but it progressively got worse until it started stalling while idling. Now it wont even start, and sounds like the timing is messed up or something while i'm trying to start it.

 

[WishIWasAMechanic]

No its not the fuel pump, checked that its running fine, the fuel rails are getting plenty of gas, bleed the line.

 

[scotts90ranger]

did the timing belt jump a tooth or two? if it's somewhat loose, that would explain the off timing while trying to start as the compression would be funny...

 

[E4Ranger]

is the engine light on? with a code reader you can get the codes w/o engine running or there may be a way to read them w/o a reader. do a search on TRS and see what comes up.
Also, it may the catalytic converter stopped up. The insides get full of carbon and plug up the honeycomb stuff in them. This happen w/ my 83 and some other cars I have had and did not get a engine light on. I was told to unscrew the exhuast from the manifold a litle bit, thus bypassing the cat can, and sure nuff it started and ran smooth, but loud. Had the cat can replaced and tighten up the exhuast and all was well, until some thing else broke.

 

[scotts90ranger]

they don't get plugged with carbon, they get ran rich or lean and overheat then it melts the ceramics the cat is made of.

Some people think that cats are a big restriction to the exhaust flow, which isn't true, we have a marine engine at work that runs the same power with and without cats, and our industrial engines run with the same power with and without cats. Right now I'm running my turbo engine through the stock cat, it runs a lot stronger than the stock engine, and I was looking at it yesterday when I was fixing my starter and it has a '85 part number on it, in '85 the 2.3 had what, 80hp?

that is a possible issue though.

 

[E4Ranger]

Ahh, so thats what happens. I know they can be a headache when the insides break apart. I read onTRS here that you can also check the cat by using a peice of paper, hold it up to the exhuast pipe and have someone start the engine- if ya get weak or no pressure coming out of the pipe right at start up, the catcan may be broke and creating back pressure in the exhaust.

 

[AaronC47]

Sputtering and all

It sounds to me like your catalytic converters might be getting close to plugging up, Drop the exhaust at the cat front and then see how it runs,