Fuel issue on 88 2.9

[rangeron33s]

Baught this truck last night 88 ford ranger 4x4 wxtended cab. Has the 2.9 and has some issues. My main concern is a fuel issue. He told me it has a miss but i think its way off. Likeaybe the low pressure pump. Off and on it seems like im running out of gas. Starts to sputter off and loose power but then i put it to the floor and its fine. I let off again and it seems like im running out again. But it will fix itself after a couple minutes. Not sure what it could be. Vacuum anything just looking for suggestions. I tried seafome. Didnt help. Also the gas gauge didnt work but it still did it after i put more gas in. Thanks in advance!

 

[adsm08]

I have this same issue with my 88 BII. I have no idea what's wrong with mine yet.

For you, start by unplugging the oxygen sensor. If the problem goes away it's the sensor.

 

[Spott]

At one point my 88 had a problem that I thought was the fuel pump. It would randomly stall hard, momentarily, while running, almost like flipping a switch on and off. It seemed to be related to vibration; bumps in the road caused it to start and stop.

That weekend, I started to test the fuel system for flow and pressure, assuming it was a weak fuel pump. Halfway through the process I noticed a wire in the ignition coil connector had come lose from the connector body, and wasn't engaging the pins on the coil. The problem wasn't fuel, but spark. The abrupt nature of the stall should have helped me figure that out.

In your case, I'd start by double-checking all the electrical connectors; make sure they're clean inside and well engaged. You might even put some "bulb grease" on each one to inhibit future corrosion. After that I'd go through the factory fuel system test for flow, pressure, and regulation.

The fact that it runs better when you stomp it seems to indicate that it's not a bad pump; a bad pump should have more trouble with more pedal.

A few diagnostic tests should eliminate some possibilities and narrow down the cause of the problem.

 

[rangeron33s]

Alright ill try that stuff. Thanks guys

 

[rangeron33s]

Also the check engine light isn't on but I know it's not burnt out so it can't be the o2 sensor can it?

 

[Spott]

That depends. If the O2 sensor is completely broken, it would certainly report an error. If the sensor is a bit off, so that it's reporting invalid values for the current operating conditions, but those values are theoretically possible under different conditions, then the computer may not complain. That's why asdm told you to unplug it, in order to double check.

 

[rangeron33s]

Alright I'll try unplugging it tomorrow. The check engine light actually just came on when I was driving but shut back off before I could get to oriellys to check the darn codes

 

[rangeron33s]

I tried unplugging the 02 sensor and it didn't change. Light came back on so I ran the code. It said too lean bank 1