99 V8 Ranger, no crank issue

[Jbrown1238]

I tried to crank over my 99 V8 Ranger today. I have power at the key and the dash, the fuel pump primes as it should. The engine will not crank over. I did discover that the crank position sensor was unplugged. I have not had a chance to test fire it now that the issue with the crank sensor has been corrected. I loaded a custom tune with an SCT X4, PATS deleted, auto trans functions turned off, rear O2's turned off. Can anyone give me an idea of what may cause the no crank issue?

Thank you,

Jeff

 

[RonD]

Starter motor is activated thru this pathway

Battery------Main fuse-----ignition switch----fuse24-----Clutch or Neutral switch-----------starter solenoid

If you are getting laight on the dash then battery to ignition switch fuse and wires are OK

You don't mention the safety switch but did mention "auto trans functions turned off", so you have a manual trans?

If you had an automatic in the '99 then you will need to put a jumper in the old NSS(neutral safety switch) plug in for that trans, it had the Reverse light wires as well.

If you had a manual before then the Clutch switch on the master cylinder push rod may be disconnected.

There is also fuse 24 check that one, and on some there was a starter interrupt relay, for use by PATS and other alarms

The wire from the ignition switch to the starter relay should be Red/Light Blue stripe all the way to the starter motor, Ford also used Pink wire from ignition switch on earlier years.
It is a safety issue but you can run a new wire from ignition switch to the starter relay.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Starter motor is activated thru this pathway

Battery------Main fuse-----ignition switch----fuse24-----Clutch or Neutral switch-----------starter solenoid

If you are getting laight on the dash then battery to ignition switch fuse and wires are OK

You don't mention the safety switch but did mention "auto trans functions turned off", so you have a manual trans?

If you had an automatic in the '99 then you will need to put a jumper in the old NSS(neutral safety switch) plug in for that trans, it had the Reverse light wires as well.

If you had a manual before then the Clutch switch on the master cylinder push rod may be disconnected.

There is also fuse 24 check that one, and on some there was a starter interrupt relay, for use by PATS and other alarms

The wire from the ignition switch to the starter relay should be Red/Light Blue stripe all the way to the starter motor, Ford also used Pink wire from ignition switch on earlier years.
It is a safety issue but you can run a new wire from ignition switch to the starter relay.

Thank you for the help. I will start chasing it down based on your info. It was an automatic and I converted to manual trans. The only wiring I changed in relation to this part of the job was using the manual pigtail at the clutch pedal. I found the unused pigtail up in the dash with a plastic cap covering the plug. I attached it to the clutch pedal safety switch. I did not do anything with the wiring from the NSS. Will this still need to be jumped?

The truck is equipped with PATS but that feature has been disabled through the tune. Tell me a little more about the starter interrupt relay. I remember reading about this but did not knowingly address it with my swap.

 

[RonD]

The Starter relay is in the Power Box in engine bay, but not sure that is the starter interrupt relay, I would say no.
But I have read that PATS grounds the Starter relay, to allow starting.

What I would do is to remove this relay and test slots 85 and 86 these are the relay coil's power.
With Key on one of these should be a ground
With key turned to START, and clutch pedal in, the other should have 12v

If no 12v then Clutch switch or fuse 24 could be the issue.
If no Ground then PATS would be the issue, no reason you couldn't Ground the relay coil, by-passing "starter interrupt", but you would need to know which slot should be the Ground, 85 or 86.

This relay passes power from a fuse in the same panel to slot 30 in the relay socket, it should have 12v all the time
MAKE SURE TRANSMISSION IS IN NEUTRAL.
If you jump slot 30 to slot 87 starter solenoid/motor should activate

PATS has 3 parts:
Wand or antenna on Key switch, this allows reading of key tags
PATS module, above glove box, this is connected to the wand, it has memory for what key tag numbers are allowed, computer may also store these.
Computer(PCM) it is connected to PATS module and gets the "yes or no" signal for starting, usually just fuel and/or spark, the starter disable is not used on all PATS.

PATS module and PCM are "married" at the Factory, one can not work without the other, and they can not be swapped without "remarrying".
On power up they "handshake" to confirm they are both present and working and that the PATS key is OK or not OK.
If you don't have the Anti-theft light flashing then PATS shouldn't be on line.

The starter interrupt relay may be IN the PATS module, it is just a Ground for the Starter Relay.

PATS info can be as clear as mud on some things, lol, it is an anti-theft device so I guess that would be prudent.



If you hooked up Reverse lights on the manual trans you had to access the NSS connector, I can't say how Ford would have setup the the Main wiring harness pathway for manual and automatic.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Update:

First let me thank everyone who took the time to reply or to PM me. After looking over all the responses I decided on two wiring issues to address.

1. The DTR sensor or Neutral Safety Switch. I combined the PK and the TN/RD wire at the 42 pin connector.

2. It was suggested that the starter relay be grounded at the Battery Junction Box as well. I had planned to pull the DB/OG wire at this location and ground it.

Before I performed the second wiring modification I tried to crank the engine. With only the DTR sensor issue addressed (and not the starter relay grounded) the engine would crank over but would not fire. Since the starter does crank at this point I am thinking I won't need to ground the starter relay wire at the Battery Junction Box.

So now I am looking for suggestions as to what may be keeping the engine from firing. It cranks strong but you can tell there is "no life" there. I ran out of day light so I did not get a chance to start chasing it down. The fuel pump primes when the key is turned on.

When I set the engine to TDC on the compression stroke in order to position the cam sensor I did so in the following manner.

Pulled the #1 spark plug and held my finger over the hole while manually turning the engine. When I heard the rush of air and my finger being pushed away from the hole I stopped. At that point I checked the timing marks on the balancer and continued turning the engine slightly by hand until the "0" degree mark came into alignment. I then placed the alignment tool on the cam sensor/ synchro and dropped it in the hole.

 

[RonD]

Get a can of starting fluid and spray some into the intake, PCV port or Power brake booster port are good to use.
Then crank engine.

If it fires up and dies, fuel flow is the issue
If it doesn't fire then Spark is the issue.

If you crank it now you could also pull out 1 spark plug and check it for fuel, if tip is wet with fuel then spark is the issue.

CKP(crank position) sensor(crank pulley) tells computer to start spark and fuel injectors, without CKP pulse computer won't start either.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Get a can of starting fluid and spray some into the intake, PCV port or Power brake booster port are good to use.
Then crank engine.

If it fires up and dies, fuel flow is the issue
If it doesn't fire then Spark is the issue.

If you crank it now you could also pull out 1 spark plug and check it for fuel, if tip is wet with fuel then spark is the issue.

CKP(crank position) sensor(crank pulley) tells computer to start spark and fuel injectors, without CKP pulse computer won't start either.

Thank you, I will try following your advice tomorrow afternoon. The crank position sensor is new and I did connect the plug this time. I checked the connection on the cam sensor and it is good as well. I am wondering if it is possible that I have the cam sensor/synchro 180 degrees off. Could I have not been on the compression stroke when I set the engine to TDC?

 

[Jbrown1238]

Get a can of starting fluid and spray some into the intake, PCV port or Power brake booster port are good to use.
Then crank engine.

If it fires up and dies, fuel flow is the issue
If it doesn't fire then Spark is the issue.

If you crank it now you could also pull out 1 spark plug and check it for fuel, if tip is wet with fuel then spark is the issue.

CKP(crank position) sensor(crank pulley) tells computer to start spark and fuel injectors, without CKP pulse computer won't start either.

I pulled one fuel injector plug and tested it with a multimeter while cranking the engine. The reading went from .001 with key off, to .000 with key on, to .005 when cranking the engine.

I shot starting fluid down the intake and there was no change when cranking the engine. I also pulled the #1 plug and there is no sign of fuel. It smells and looks clean.

It seems as though there is no fuel and no spark. I also noticed that the fuel pump does not appear to be priming any longer but the relay is still clicking up front a few seconds after the key is turn to the on position.

 

[RonD]

Your '99 would have Type B PATS, not sure what year Computer is??

VEHICLES WITH PATS TYPE A, B, OR C SEND AN ENABLE MESSAGE TO THE PCM IF THE PROPER CONDITIONS ARE MET.
THE PCM THEN ALLOWS FUEL INJECTOR AND FUEL PUMP OPERATION.
THE PROPER CONDITIONS ARE:
1) A VALID KEY READ FOR PATS TYPES A, B, AND C
2) PROPER PATS-PCM INITIALIZATION FOR PATS TYPES B AND C.

SOME VEHICLES WITH PATS TYPE B OR C MAY INCLUDE A STARTER INTERRUPT (SI).
THESE VEHICLES DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO EXHIBIT A NO CRANK SITUATION TO CONSTITUTE A PATS RELATED NO START.

What's not here is any mention of Spark.
Which would led me back to CKP sensor, or PCM issue

If spark plug wasn't wet then there is either no fuel in the system or no injector pulses.

There are two relays in the engine fuse box that click when key is turned on, the EEC relay and the fuel pump relay, so unless your finger was on the fuel pump relay it would be hard to tell, but you may hear the second click after 2 seconds, when FP relay opens.

If fuel pump relay is closing and there is no sound of fuel pump running then either the FP fuse is blown or wiring has come loose somewhere.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Your '99 would have Type B PATS, not sure what year Computer is??



What's not here is any mention of Spark.
Which would led me back to CKP sensor, or PCM issue

If spark plug wasn't wet then there is either no fuel in the system or no injector pulses.

There are two relays in the engine fuse box that click when key is turned on, the EEC relay and the fuel pump relay, so unless your finger was on the fuel pump relay it would be hard to tell, but you may hear the second click after 2 seconds, when FP relay opens.

If fuel pump relay is closing and there is no sound of fuel pump running then either the FP fuse is blown or wiring has come loose somewhere.

The computer is from a 2001 Mercury Mountaineer. I just remembered that when I jumped the DTR wires I separated the 42 pin connector. When I push the connector back together I did not run the bolt down as I thought I may need to get back into it. I did not need to do the starter relay ground wire for the engine to crank. There could be a poor connection at the 42 pin connector from not being secured properly. I tried to plug the SCT Tuner back in to verify PATS was in fact disabled and I got a error code, 11020 can not read.

I did add another gallon of fuel to the tank. Total now is 3 gallons. I also added a new battery.

 

[RangerSVT]

The 42 pin has to be plugged together AND the bolt ran completely tight. The pins don't make connection til the bolt is half way tightened. After this is done, check for key in run (ignition) power at the coil packs (R/LG). If you have power, then you should have spark. You did set the cam syncronizer up correctly, on the compression stroke. Make sure you have the 2 wire, 99-01 cam sensor alignment tool, and not the 3 wire, 96-98 tool. The actual sensor is the same between 96-01, but the synchronizer is whats different. Even if the synchronizer is off from TDC, the engine will still crank and run, it'll just have a bad miss to it, similar to running on 7 cylinders. Cycle the key several times to make sure the rails are primed and pressurized. Depress the shrader valve to double check...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

The 42 pin has to be plugged together AND the bolt ran completely tight. The pins don't make connection til the bolt is half way tightened. After this is done, check for key in run (ignition) power at the coil packs (R/LG). If you have power, then you should have spark. You did set the cam syncronizer up correctly, on the compression stroke. Make sure you have the 2 wire, 99-01 cam sensor alignment tool, and not the 3 wire, 96-98 tool. The actual sensor is the same between 96-01, but the synchronizer is whats different. Even if the synchronizer is off from TDC, the engine will still crank and run, it'll just have a bad miss to it, similar to running on 7 cylinders. Cycle the key several times to make sure the rails are primed and pressurized. Depress the shrader valve to double check...

SVT

I will tighten the bolt on the 42 pin. I thought that could be part of the issue. Funny you mention the can sensor/synchro. Dorman list one part number for the 99-01 and another part number for 97-01. I remember questioning that discovery. I bet I have the one listed for 97-01 which is probably incorrect. Should I install the old unit and can I use the alignment tool that came with the new one. It doesn't sound like that tool will work properly from your last response.

 

[RangerSVT]

You can look at the syncronizer and tell the difference. If its a half moon, then its the earlier 96-98. If its smaller than half a moon, more like a quarter, then its the 99-01. Either way, it still should run, even if the cam sensor is not even connected...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

You can look at the syncronizer and tell the difference. If its a half moon, then its the earlier 96-98. If its smaller than half a moon, more like a quarter, then its the 99-01. Either way, it still should run, even if the cam sensor is not even connected...

SVT

I checked the cam synchro and it is the same style as the OE unit I removed. The sensor matches as well but I think I am going to reinstall the factory OE sensor and synchro just to be sure. After reading your post about the 42 pin connector and the retaining bolt being completely tight I feel that this could be some or all of my issue. The connector has not been completely tight since the truck would not even crank. That means all of my trouble shooting and "would be" elimination of potential problems has been compromised. I will back up and start from the beginning after the 42 pin connector is secured properly.

 

[RangerSVT]

Most times problems are from the simplest issues

SVT