Is my motor shot

[onecrazyblackredneck]

So this morning it was raining really bad but I made it to work. On the ride home, the truck would bog down every now and then, I just dropped it into third gear and it would eventually gain power back. It did this off and on the whole way home ( 25 miles). Now it will just turn over and it wont crank. I was thinking maybe injector because ever since I got the truck it has had a ticking noise up on top of the motor. The only other thing I did was run some sea foam threw the motor and cleaned the throttle body with sea foam. Any thoughts on what could be the problem would be appreciated. Thanks

Its an 88 ranger stx 2.9 and a 5 spd

 

[BlackBII]

So currently, it wont start?

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

I got it to start but it took several tries

 

[BlackBII]

Ok, how is it running? Is it acting like it is running out of fuel?

Your fuel filter could be dirty, or, your TFI Module could be over heating

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

no it will idle and everything fine just every now and then it will act like its starving for fuel. ill change the filter and see what that does. I will post back in a few days when I get a chance to check it. Thanks for your help

 

[Psychopete]

+1 to BlackII. Keep a can of starting fluid with you and a flat head. Spray some in the upper intake when it won't start. Runs for a sec and dies, no fuel. Nothing - no spark. Motor sounds like it's ok from what you describe.

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

Now that I have read about the TFI module, I think it is that because since I got the truck, it is very hard to start when it is hot. The TFI module is the ignition module or?

 

[Psychopete]

Yes, module on the side of the distributor.

Engine coolant temp sensor can cause that also.

 

[BlackBII]

Yeah its the ignition module. It's what tells the coil to fire. It can get too hott and then it will no longer send the signal to the coil, and then you get no spark.

To really get to the bottom of this, you need to find out if when it dies, it's because of a lack fuel, or lack of spark. Using some starting fluid like Pete mentioned will tell you what the problem is.

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

So i have to take out the dizzy or can I get it off with out taking the dizzy out, i Havent had a chance to look at it just trying to get a heads up on what I might be getting myself into. Time to go dig out the starter fluid

 

[BlackBII]

You can pull it without removing the dizzy.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88928&highlight=TFI&page=2

Pulling the TFI is easy, and a competent Auto Parts store monkey can test it to see if its good. Or you can buy one and throw it on there to see if it works or not, then return it if necessary.

There are two bolts holding it to the back of the Dizzy, you need one of these to get at the bolts.

This wrench is the only way to remove and replace a TFI module. It is a special 7/32″ (5.5mm) socket with a very thin wall. The older design is smaller and used with a ¼ inch drive socket set. The design changed to this newer model with plastic handle. In some rare occasions the TFI bolts will have a T-20 head; you can get a top of the line ratcheted TFI tool that has a 7/32″ (5.5mm) end and a T-20 end. The TFI never needs to be torqued down with a socket set, so the simple plastic handle design is great and simple to use. To remove the TFI simply remove the two bolts, and slide the module downward. You MUST slide the TFI down before you pull it away from the distributor or it won’t come off correctly.

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

thank you sir cheers

 

[Cooter199]

another thing to try if that doesnt work is clean out your gas tank because with one of the vehicles my dad has it had a bumble bee in the tank and would get sucked up to the pump every so often and cause the vehicle to bogg down and starve for fuel. when we got the bee out it ran perfectly