Bought a 95' ranger, electrical problems and some questions

[outomyelement]

Hey everyone, my name is Kevin, and my work just bought me a 1995, 4cyl ranger.

It has a some electrical problems that I believe might be related...

The first problem is that the high beams do not work. I have brand new bulbs (both high and low) but when I switch to highs they turn off completely. I haven't checked the fuses yet.

The wind-shield wiper works- kinda. There is a long delay before it actually turns on, and I even had it go on in the 'off' position. The windshield wiper water doesn't work at all. I have yet to check the fuses on this one either, but I don't think it's a fuse problem. Both blinkers work fine.

Also, i'm looking for the easiest way to increase gas mileage/performance. I've done some research and have found this 'gas saver'

I've also found this chip

Anyone with experience from either?

Any recommendations on where to find a good repair manual?

Has anyone had any experience with a hydrogen conversion?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rocky Ranger]

Welcome to TRS

Hey everyone, my name is Kevin, and my work just bought me a 1995, 4cyl ranger.

It has a some electrical problems that I believe might be related...

The first problem is that the high beams do not work. I have brand new bulbs (both high and low) but when I switch to highs they turn off completely. I haven't checked the fuses yet.

The wind-shield wiper works- kinda. There is a long delay before it actually turns on, and I even had it go on in the 'off' position. The windshield wiper water doesn't work at all. I have yet to check the fuses on this one either, but I don't think it's a fuse problem. Both blinkers work fine.

Also, i'm looking for the easiest way to increase gas mileage/performance. I've done some research and have found this 'gas saver'

I've also found this chip

Anyone with experience from either?

Any recommendations on where to find a good repair manual?

Has anyone had any experience with a hydrogen conversion?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Kevin, You should find many useful tips here at the Ranger Station both from members and from the tech section. You will find the usaul B.S. here too!
Checking the fuses is the first thing to do on electrical problems. Located on the lhs of the dash behind a pull off panel, you will see it when you open the drivers door.
Next would be the High beam relay that is under the hood in a black box behind the battery. try switching out relays. Also the low beams turn off when the high beams come on, which tells me the MF switch works.
Second: here is a link to fix your wipers, I did it on my '95 Ranger it it worked wonders on the intermittent wipers, the washers, and it stopped them from coming on when ever they wanted.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/phantomwipers.htm
Third: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THE E-BAY CRAP!!!!!!! as they would say on Car Talk radio; "Booogus"
Fourth: A computer chip is a good thing! But get one from a chip manufacturer, not from some sleeze on E-Bay.
Fifth: Get your manuals from Ford, auto parts stores, and the public library where you can check them out for free.
Sixth: Hydrogen Conversion??? Do you mean Propane conversion? Hydrogen is a minimum 7 years away from mainstream cars, much less an aftermarket kit to retrofit an older vehicle. IMO.
Best of luck with your new truck and Welcome to the Ranger Station!

 

[jarz21]

Welcome aboard, Kevin!

Sixth: Hydrogen Conversion??? Do you mean Propane conversion? Hydrogen is a minimum 7 years away from mainstream cars, much less an aftermarket kit to retrofit an older vehicle. IMO.

I believe what he was referring to is hydrogen-boosted, not hydrogen fuel cell. Here is some information: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/how-a-hydrogen-boosted-gasoline-engine-works.htm
http://waterpoweredcar.com/hydrobooster.html

Also, the idea of water injection and alcohol injection have also been around for a long time (MUCH longer than I have), and can have some of the same affects. I've always wanted to experiment with all of the above, but will be waiting until I can afford to have an extra vehicle to perform all the tests on.

 

[Rocky Ranger]

: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/how-a-hydrogen-boosted-gasoline-engine-works.htm
http://waterpoweredcar.com/hydrobooster.html

The first link was good info. The second, the author should have had his spelling and grammer checked before posting it. It was interesting way to make a cheap kit if a guy is handy

 

[exbass94]

Outomyelement, I see you've already placed a bid on that "fuel saver" on eBay. PLEASE, I beg you, retract your bid before the auction ends. I just dont want to see you waste money on such a scam of a product. That thing, along with just about all products that claim to increase gas mileage, are a waste of money.

 

[outomyelement]

Thanks for all the info!

My boss actually asked me to bid on the Gas Saver because he's supposedly heard from someone he knows that it works (but it was a different version, the 'tornado' i believe). It's only $20, and work is paying for it. I will do due diligence and give you guys an update on how it works. I get about 23-25mpg right now.

Thank you for the info about the 'phantom' wipers! That gave me a good laugh.

Rocky Ranger, can you recommend a good chip manufacturer instead of one on eBay? Have you used one or seen one used before, does it really increase gas mileage and power by a noticeable difference? Thanks for the info about the relays!

exbass94, have you known of people who used the gas saver type thing and had it not work?

I've done a lot of research on the hydrogen boosters, and it seems as though they are working... See if work will spring for this one...

I'll keep you posted if I get one.

thanks again for all the info!

 

[Dave R]

23-25mpg is about average, to slightly above average for a truck of your vintage.

On your electrical gremlins, I'd take a look at your chassis grounds. When one or more of those get some corrosion on them, all sorts of strange things happen.

And I second the opinion of not wasting your money on "fuel savers" of any kind. But, if someone else is willing to buy them for you to test, then what the hell.

 

[Rocky Ranger]

Rocky Ranger, can you recommend a good chip manufacturer instead of one on eBay? Have you used one or seen one used before, does it really increase gas mileage and power by a noticeable difference? Thanks for the info about the relays!

Will they make more power? Some. will they improve fuel economy? Maybe...

SCT Seems to make a good unit from what I have read on other forums, and is who I will go with when I get one custom burned for my '90 Lincoln Mark VII. I dropped a larger motor in it and converted it to mass air from a speed density computer and the current factory settings dont like the extra 42 cubic inches, the bigger fuel injectors, and the large cam.

There are other makers too, but I haven't delt with them, but if you search the archives here and on www.corral.net (A Mustang site) you might find more info.

 

[outomyelement]

Late but...

thanks for all the replies. I've been pretty much tied up until now to be able to take care of some of these issues...

 

[outomyelement]

23-25mpg is about average, to slightly above average for a truck of your vintage.

On your electrical gremlins, I'd take a look at your chassis grounds. When one or more of those get some corrosion on them, all sorts of strange things happen.

And I second the opinion of not wasting your money on "fuel savers" of any kind. But, if someone else is willing to buy them for you to test, then what the hell.

I checked all my fuses today, and have had no luck with my gremlins. Are there specific chassis grounds I should be looking for, or just checking around the engine bay for corroded wires?

One thing I forgot to mention is that at one point, my battery went dead because the alarm went off in the truck. When I bought it, there was no alarm keyfob, or a horn in the engine bay, but apparently it went off without me knowing it and drained my battery. I had a kid working with me at the time who was able to pull it out, but I think my high beams and other electrical issues might have something to do with it. I worry that I may have to rewire everything... ?

Thanks again,

Kevin

 

[outomyelement]

followup to this...

-fixed the headlights, it was a fuse
-pulled the old alarm out
-fixed the horn (it was unplugged)
-installed/un-installed the water4gas hydrogen system -- i didn't have a narrow band o2 adjuster - too much of a pain at this point. I'll wait for an auto adjuster before trying again...
-so far, no noticeable difference with the 'gas saver' tornado thing. This was a 'bend it yourself' situation, so yesterday I rebent the angles to be steeper. We'll see...
-windsheild washer and nozzles to be replaced...
-just got some sound dampner matting...
-new tires increased gas mileage 1-2mpg

that's it for now!