Bit lost on this one 86' 2.0L will not stay running

[JamesD]

Bought my ranger a month ago running smooth but a bit hard to start when cold. Come to find out the automatic choke was not working right. Decided to degrease the motor removed and painted the intake manifold. Mounted everything back on expect the (idle control valve) Not sure if it is really needed? Because my A/C is not hooked up. The engine will start and then shut down I can rev the engine but then she will stubble and shut off. I have soaked the carburetor and replaced the seat and needle in the carburetor still have the same issue. What am I missing here? Everything was fine before I started. Grrr

 

[97LowRanger]

Bought my ranger a month ago running smooth but a bit hard to start when cold. Come to find out the automatic choke was not working right. Decided to degreases the motor removed and painted the intake manifold. Mounted everything back on expect the (idle control valve) Not sure if it is really needed? Because my A/C is not hooked up. The engine will start and then shut down I can rev the engine but then she will stubble and shut off. I have soaked the carburetor and replaced the seat and needle in the carburetor still have the same issue. What am I missing here? Everything was fine before I started. Grrr

So the idle air control valve is not on the truck? it is the part that controls the idle! it needs it no matter what

 

[JamesD]

So the idle air control valve is not on the truck? it is the part that controls the idle! it needs it no matter what

Understandably few guys on here know much about a carburetor nor have they worked on a 2.0L ranger before. The ICM is for the A/C and power steering option. Mine has neither (non working A/C. So the valve is not needed it is in place to increase the idles speed when the A/C is switch on no air affects it. Thanks for your input, I have narrowed the problem down to a carb rebuild. Leaving the carburetor dry on the shelf for four weeks was a no no.

 

[RonD]

Yes, most likely float bowl is running out of fuel if you don't smell fuel after shut down.
If you do smell fuel then float valve is not shutting off fuel flow and engine is flooding out

 

[JamesD]

Yes, most likely float bowl is running out of fuel if you don't smell fuel after shut down.
If you do smell fuel then float valve is not shutting off fuel flow and engine is flooding out

Ron, plugs are bone dry engine is defiantly not getting fuel like it should. I am thinking the accelerator pump has dry rotted due to being off the truck and left dry. Engine purred like a kitten before I decided to fix things! Although I can see fuel squirting out the hole when the accelerator is moved. Might not be enough?

 

[tomw]

If you get a squirt when you open the throttle, you accelerator pump & diaphragm should be OK, not dry rotted.
Re-built carbs sit on the shelf dry for months ( or years....) in auto parts stores with no problem. Yours should be no different.
Can you adjust the 'hard stop' for the throttle/butterfly? If so, try setting it a bit higher. The control that is not there may be used to adjust for other things besides the A/C and power steering load. Those two would be a 'kicker' type bump, but it may also be used as the 'running' control, at a bit lower rpm, and when power is removed, it allows the throttle plate to close completely to prevent 'run on' and stop the engine NOW.
You can put it back on and see. The carb kit should (ha) have come with instructions on how to set the idle speed if the control is necessary.
tom

 

[JamesD]

Thanks Tom for the reply. Only thing on the carburetor I replaced was the Seat/needle and the choke assembly. I adjusted noting else on the carburetor. Clearly I have hit a brick wall I am thing the old Diafram is shot because the carburetor had fuel in it then when dry for weeks. I have been told this can cause the rubber part to dry out causing leaks and other problems. My theory if fuel was shooting down the intake the plugs would be soaked with fuel? they are not.. Anyway, I will tinker with it more tonight with an update. I have a re-manufactured carburetor on standby just in case I give up.

James

 

[Mark_88]

I've had carbs sitting for over a year and they work fine...so like tomw says, not likely dry rot...more likely like what RonD said and the fuel is shutting off somehow (float bowl not filling up)...

I had a similar issue where the truck would not run unless I revved it constantly...the engine would not idle properly...but that was a slinky old one barrel that I tried after removing the original Asian carb from the 2.0...

My solution may not be applicable to you...but I swapped out the intake and carb as I've probably said about 200 times over the years...make that 301 times...but it still applies...

What carburetor do you have on the truck now? I know I could go back over your posts and look for it...

As a btw...my truck came with an ICM and did not have either A/C or PS...only thing it had was cruise control...yes, cruise control...wtf! The ICM on my truck was that wiry thing on the passenger side inner fender that looked like it should be doing something...I still have the wiring harness for the 2.0...

 

[RonD]

Accelerator pump is only used to augment fuel supply when accelerating, so wouldn't effect engine running, you would get a lag when you tried to accelerate quickly if accelerator pump wasn't working.

But it is feed from the float bowl, and if you don't see gas pumping out into the throat when you manually open the throttle then bowl is dry most likely.

First stop would be to check fuel pump flow, remove hose from carb and put a container on it to catch the fuel, then crank engine(mechanical pump) or cycle key on and off(electric pump) and see how much fuel comes out.

 

[Mark_88]

These typically use a manual pump so cranking over the engine is needed...mine did have a 4.5 to 7 psi electric fuel pump...not hard to tell if they are pumping dry just by the sound it made...but that was before the float bowl so not applicable...

Depending on the carb, you can lift the top off to see how much fuel is in the bowl without having to replace gaskets. Otherwise, you may be able to work something inside to test for fuel...something strong yet pliable to go around any tight corners...

Always good to have a diagram of the carb handy so you can tell what to expect.

 

[JamesD]

Mark truck is very original I have paperwork dating back to 1989. Yes it still have the wrong box in the right hand side. No this truck does not have cruise although it does have dealer installed A/C. I have the one barrel Carter YFA on the truck right now.

Ron the engine ran beautiful before I removed the intake and carburetor. Not sure what happened between that time?

 

[Mark_88]

OK, thanks for the input...I have very little exposure to the one bbl carbs...I know the one I put on my truck ran very nicely above idle and had good fuel economy. If I could have figured out the idle I would have kept it.

The float bowls on those carbs may be integrated like the one in the main image on the following page...I'm sure you can find the one that matches and maybe you can find information that will be useful...

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cart...ign.com%2Ftruck%2Ffacts_carter.html;3072;2048

Or maybe someone else is more familiar with them...

 

[RonD]

Well if it sat awhile then fuel filter could have clogged or fuel intake in tank(sock) could have from sediment settling out of the fuel.
Testing fuel delivery to carb is easy and would be my first step.

As you said, you just took off the intake and carb so no start wouldn't be an issue unless it is fuel delivery, and that starts at the tank.
Also remove gas cap, and rock the truck, make sure you hear fuel, removing the cap also relieves any negative pressure in the tank.

Can't tell you how many times I have incorrectly diagnosed a fuel issue that turned out to be an empty fuel tank, lol, that I KNEW without a doubt had fuel, I was wrong and waste hours when all I had to do was check it and then add a few gallons.

 

[JamesD]

Update.. Turns out my mechanical fuel pump was putting out a whole 1.5psi of fuel pressure. Replaced the pump and she started! she is idling on her own but high. I need to make a few adjustments to the fast idle. Hopefully I can get her idling smooth again. During the rebuild I did not mess with the mixture screw. The engine is idling faster than normal. More help would be appreciated!

 

[Mark_88]

Put the vacuum gauge on it again and post the results. High Idle could be choke stuck, vacuum leak, carb adjustments, fast idle kick down, or other...

The low pressure is usually a cause of lean running...lean running can destroy engine internals if left unchecked...hopefully not, but it is something to consider and...of course, closer inspection in the future...