95 4.0 won't fire Please Help

[worley76]

I have a 95 ranger with a 4.0 v 6. It has 165000 miles and a month or so ago I noticed it was running rough. When setting at stop it would idle extremely rough, to the point that the truck felt like it was hitting on half the cylinders. It also began to start hard. I did a tune up on the truck with new plugs and wires and it didn't seem to help. The other day I went to start it and it cranked and cranked but didn't seem to be either getting gas or firing. Then about the time the battery was nearly dead it fired and started. It then ran no different then it had. I knew I had an issue but was unsure. Yesterday I went to start it and it did the same thing but now it will not fire at all. It appears to be getting gas since I can hear the fuel pump working and when I release the valve on the motor it shoots out gas. It however is not getting any fire. After doing some reading i thought it could be the crank position sensor. I replaced that and still nothing. I am trying to come up with an obd1 code reader but I am affraid i may have messed that up because I unhooked the positive cable when I charged the battery. (affraid that cleared the codes) Does anyone have any ideas on this? Could it be the camshaft sensor, or coil pack. Sorry for this being so lengthy but I couldn't find any other way to explain it. Thanks for the help

 

[bhawk]

You don't need a code reader to pull the trouble codes if it is OBDI. Go to the tech library section here and there is an article telling you how to pull trouble codes by using a jumper wire on the test plug that hangs on the drivers side inner fender. After you jump the wire and do what it says, your Check Engine Light will blink any trouble codes. Start there. If you try to start it again, new codes should be set so don't worry about previously taking off the battery cable.
Lack of spark may be your problem. To check that, remove each spark plug wire one at a time. Insert a good spark plug and hold the plug threads against the exhaust manifold or other good ground. Have someone crank the truck over. You should see a big spark jump the gap, which I believe is about 45 thousands of an inch. If you get no spark at every plug wire, you are beginning to isolate your problem.
Start with fire at your plugs and report back, also tell us what codes, if any, blink from the CEL (check engine lite).

 

[Poiboy05]

95 is when Rangers started swapping over to OBD II, look under the dash next to the hood pop. Also check the hoses on the left side of the block going into the EGR Valve, and the two hoses plugging into the metal tube going from the Exhaust Manifold to the Intake on that same EGR piping. Also its pretty easy to pull the EGR to clean it, my 95 does not idle at all with anything wrong with the EGR and hardly starts.

 

[worley76]

First thanks a lot for the help. I greatly appreciate it. I believe that I was wrong about it being obd1. The plug in for the code reader is below the dash and I borrowed an obd2 reader and pluged it in and the reader tries to read but after a minute or so it comes up with an error message. i also checked and I am getting no fire at all on any of the plugs. all hoses seem to be fine going into the egr valve but I have not been able to pull it and clean due to time. Could the main computer be bad since it won't read a code at all? Thanks alot for the help fellas.

 

[Poiboy05]

What kind of error message are you getting on the code reader? Does the Check Engine light flash or come on or anything when cranking? Have you changed the fuel filter? Have you checked the wires/condition of the o2's, Maf, and Coolant Temp Sensor? Also check if the Idle Control Valve is sticking. As far as the Computer being bad, normally I would doubt it but I bought my 95 with 85000 on it and it already had one that says "REMAN" all over it.