94 4 cyl Ranger, need help reviving

[chalkoutline]

Greetings

I have a 94, 4 cyl Ranger, 200K+ miles. It will crank, but not start.

A couple years back, a similar situation happened. Ended up being the Fuel Pump Relay. Since then, I've bought 2 replacement relays due to the re-occurring problem.

This time a new fuel pump relay isn't curing it.

Here's what I've done/verified/checked so far:

• Cleaned battery terminal connections. VERY corroded. Used Coke and Water.
• I can hear the fuel pump priming
• There is fuel pressure on the engine side of the fuel filter
• There is fuel pressure at the fuel pressure damper (on the fuel rail)
• Removed the air hose coming from air filter box to ensure air
• Checked all fuses in the relay compartment under the hood on drivers side
• Checked for spark from a single spark plug lead. Got some, but it was orange.
• Checked for any obvious loose electrical and vacuum connections. None found. "Obvious" meaning from what I can tell without digging under components.
• Battery had a full charge yesterday when I began tinkering.
• Timing belt, from what of it I can see, looks OK.

My Haynes manual has a few suggestions, but I'm not motor-proficient, so I get a little tangled up on what something looks like and where it's located.

The manual suggests:

• Fault in fuel injection system
• Excessive moisture on, or damage to, ignition components
• Worn, faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs (ruling this out due to all-of-sudden vehicle death)
• Broken, loose, or disconnected wires at the ignition coil pack or faulty coil pack.

A couple of gas tanks ago, I also added in some fuel system cleaner since I was experiencing rough idling (which didn't cure the idling). Could something have clogged enough injectors (or something in the fuel system) to create this condition? How would I test that fuel is getting to the injectors? I don't smell gas from the engine when I try to pump the pedal during start, like I sometimes have experienced.

As far as the manual goes:

Testing for fault in injection system - the only test I can perform, since the engine doesn't run, is to check the electrical resistance to each injector. Should I bother or does something else seem a bigger priority?

Excessive moisture on, or damage to, ignition components - I tested for spark on one wire and got some. Should I test more spark plug leads just to make sure?

Faulty coil pack - I got spark, as mentioned earlier. Again, should I test more spark plug leads? How else can I test this?

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to be thorough. Like I said, I'm not mechanically-proficient, but I can follow instructions. I just have a problem with where things are located and what they look like.

Any other suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[chalkoutline]

Quick update:

Shot some starting fluid in the intake. It almost started, just not enough "fuel" there to keep it sustained.

It reinforces my lean toward lack of fuel.

 

[chalkoutline]

I had a thought pertaining to fuel pressure. I unplugged the fuel pump inertia switch and cranked the engine to relieve the fuel pressure.

I was hoping the fuel pressure was released only through the injectors. I was thinking if I still had pressure, the injectors were definitely clogged (coming from a guy who obviously knows nothing, but is grabbing at anything).

I removed the fuel pressure damper and noticed that indeed the pressure had gone down. But I also noticed a little gunk in the big hole where the damper is seated.

I swabbed it with a Q-Tip, even straight down into the fuel rail. The Q-Tip came out looking like my bathroom sink after washing my hands from working on the truck. It's definitely dirty in there.

I attempted to removed parts so that I could get to the fuel rail to hopefully remove and clean it. I can't get to the throttle body bolt that's at the rear bottom.

Any suggestions?

And after that, any suggestions for getting to the fuel rail? Can I even clean it if I manage to get it off?

 

[Bryan22]

i was able to get my fuel rail off my 94 without removing anything else. what kind of reading are you getting at the fuel rail? I know you said you had pressure, but how much? It should start unless the injectors aren't shooting or your problem isn't fuel related. Have you tried pulling codes at all? forgive me if you've allready mentioned any of this, but you wrote more than i felt like reading.

 

[chalkoutline]

Lol, my attempt at being thorough backfired, though I appreciate your honesty and your reply.

I don't have a pressure gauge. I know I've got pressure, but I don't know how much. I'm basing that off of the fuel system relieving it's pressure when I removed the fuel damper.

It'll run for a few seconds with starter fluid in the intake. Also during starting, a vigorously pumped gas pedal does not result in the smell of gasoline, like I'm accustomed to smelling.

 

[modelageek]

let us know what the preseure is when you check it ....my guess...........fuel filter. fuel regulator, fuel pump

 

[chalkoutline]

Alright, finally got a pressure gauge:

I did three readings (obviously engine off, key on).

I'm getting 36psi at the fuel rail, which is right at the bottom of the range for "acceptable" (35-45).

Gonna go grab a fuel filter and see if the pressure improves.

Regardless, shouldn't the computer open up the injectors at 36psi?

 

[modelageek]

what waas it with the engine running? it is supposed to be 35-45 with key on engine off and 25-35 with it running

 

[Hopman]

I'm taking an educated guess here, but you say that you had fuel to crank it, but not enough to keep it running, right?
Have you checked the fuel filter and lines? It sounds like there might be a restriction upstream of the fuel rail.

 

[JibbaJibba56]

You also mentioned the spark was orange, it should be bright blue. check the plug gap then the coils. I believe starting fluid has a higher explosive potential than gasoline (could be wrong but this is typically why starter fluid works when gas doesn't). If you have wet plugs after cranking it would be better to suspect the ignition. blue correlates to higher ionization temperature of the atmosphere between the cathode and anode of the plug.

Good luck on trouble shooting.

 

[chalkoutline]

what waas it with the engine running? it is supposed to be 35-45 with key on engine off and 25-35 with it running

Truck won't start to begin with, so I can't get you that info.

I'm taking an educated guess here, but you say that you had fuel to crank it, but not enough to keep it running, right?
Have you checked the fuel filter and lines? It sounds like there might be a restriction upstream of the fuel rail.

I have enough battery to crank it. I do have fuel pressure that is within spec, but I'm unsure as to if that fuel is getting past the injectors.

You also mentioned the spark was orange, it should be bright blue. check the plug gap then the coils. I believe starting fluid has a higher explosive potential than gasoline (could be wrong but this is typically why starter fluid works when gas doesn't). If you have wet plugs after cranking it would be better to suspect the ignition. blue correlates to higher ionization temperature of the atmosphere between the cathode and anode of the plug.

I tested spark by inserting a screwdriver into the head of a spark plug wire and held the shaft close to an engine ground. That's where I saw an orange spark. I didn't actually remove the plug to see the color of the spark at the spark plug gap. The space between the screwdriver shaft and ground was about 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

I just replaced the fuel filter. The new filter gets me right up to 38psi.

While bleeding the fuel pressure tester, I noticed my "fuel" is milky white. Didn't look right, so I double checked it with the mower gas (which is old). Shouldn't it have more of a yellow tint?

Regardless of the color (which I guess depends on the local refinery additives), it shouldn't be miiky, should it?

 

[chalkoutline]

Got a picture of the "fuel" -

In case the image doesn't work, it can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/linuxbren/Ranger#5407402625776253010

 

[Hopman]

It looks like coconut milk.
Try getting some fresh fuel from a local station.

 

[fastpakr]

That looks terrible!

 

[chalkoutline]

I cycled the fuel pump for about 5 mins. Here's what I'm getting now...

You can see the "milk" and the fuel separating. If I stir it, they quickly separate again.

On a good note, the truck is now starting... It runs like crap, but it's a step in the right direction.

Thanks for making me go get a gauge, guys. Without it, I never would have seen the fuel.

Any suggestions as to getting a FULL gas tank emptied? Cycling the fuel pump into a container is a slow process.

I'm still looking for my siphoning system... Until then, any home remedies?