gremlin that just wont die

[TBRAZIL]

I have an 89` 4x4 ranger with the 2.9 and it sat for a couple years but i put it back on the road with a new fuel pump, starter, alternator, fuel filter...etc and for a while it ran fine but lately it will idle perfectly but when you drive it it looses all power and almost cuts off when youre more than a little into the throttle but if you hit the clutch it will rev up fine but as soon as you get out of the clutch it dies again. please help i really need this truck for work and my wife is getting tired of gettin up 2 hours early to drop me off.

I recently installed a new coil and a TFI module and fuel pressure regulator and nothing, after that i built a pressurized fuel injector cleaner that attaches directly to the shrader vavle on the fuel rail, ran good for a couple of days, with 30 psi fuel pressure at idle and 34 at W.O.T. but halfway to work died again and now the fuel pressure is 30 psi at idle and 18 at WOT i'm gonna pull the fuel pump again this weekend and replace it but anyother ideas are welcomed because i really dont want to drop my fuel tank again.

 

[xkotyx]

if youre gonna pull the fuel pump again, just take the whole bed off. much easier- 6 bolts and you and one friend to lift it off.

 

[--weezl--]

Check for codes first always check for codes, I HIGHLY doubt this is a fuel system problem, it Sounds electronic... It drives fine under minimal throttle you say? Check your throttle position sensor, it's located on the opposite side of the throttle body, that your throttle cable connects to, remove it completely, take a small flat head screw driver and a multimiter, and measure the resistance? Between two of the wires, there is probably 3 wires, put the screw driver in the slot that connects to the throttle plate and VERY slowly turn the sensor as it would turn when you step on the gas, watch the meter, the resistance should climb as you turn it, what you are looking for is this to be climbing (a) and b, if there are any dead spots, this would be if it all of a sudden dropped to 0 resistance or open circuit if you notice any of the above problems it is dead, toss it aside and buy a new one.

Once you are done that, re-install it, and set the voltage, you will insert a sewing needle into one of the wires, put the positive b
Probe of your multimiter on that, and the neg to a chassis ground, with the throttle closed you need to set the voltage to a specific voltage, on my mustang it was .98v I don't know for your truck, check the tech library, there should be instructions for both of those procedures, and tell you all the tolerances... I would look it up for you, but I'm on my phone in my garage

 

[30283RANGER]

I bet fuel filter is full of rust same thing happened to my explorer it doesnt have to be in the tank I got gas that was full of rust. Needles to say i no longer buy gas there i recommend only using fairly new stations.

 

[feellnfroggy]

you may go through a couple fuel filters if its been sitting that long, I doubt its electrical with the fuel pressure readings he's gettin. But I dont think its the pump either.

Then again it could be electrical where power to the pump is concerned I didnt think about that before I spoke.

 

[legoms013]

Agreed pulling the bed is ten times easier then laying underneath your truck an bustin your ass etc.

 

[Rico]

I had bought an older truck that gave me the same symptoms and as it turned out the new coil I bought for it was a piece of crap. So I paid just a little more cash for the better one and it never acted up ever since then.

 

[--weezl--]

i didn't see the pressure posted in post 1, if you are getting 14psi at WOT, there is a problem there

 

[RustedRanger]

If you haven't checked,cleaned or replaced the idle air control valve it could be bad. Those F.I. cleaning kits are really effective,I used to have one.

 

[TBRAZIL]

cross your fingers i think i might have fixed it

the warranty on my fuel pump runs out in dec so i figured that would be the cheapest thing to do from here. and since i knew how dirty the tank was and that i would most likely be changing it by my self i opted to make my self an "access" hole in the bed so that if i ever had to change it again i could very easily, so i climbed under it made sure i wouldnt hit any fuel lines or wiring and i pulled some numbers and and made some marks in the bed pulled out the old sawzall and made a hole. so i was able to change the pump by myself with cutting the hole in less than 30 mins, now i'm gonna take a piece of metal stud and run it across the bottom of the hole screw it in and put my piece of bed back in good as new. i've only driven it 20 miles or so but so far so good i'm gonna drive it all over town tomorrow and thats not it i'll try something else.

Thanks to everyone who responed with ideas.

 

[--weezl--]

i did that on my 250, put a new tank rear tank in, but couldn't quite reach the pump wiring, so i cut a square U in the bed, bent it up out of the way, did what i needed and spot welded the door back in place when i was done it's really nice when you spend 400$ on a truck and dont care what you do to it...