Just will not go.

[maroon93limited]

So, the 86 Ranger I was given will just not start. It's been sitting for a few years and before I tried anything, I was told that both tanks were bone dry. Well after an hour of trying to get it going I gave up and came home. The front tank is now full of 93 octane, and it would catch every once in awhile and as it did, I gave it a bit of pedal and it would fall on it's face and die. Is it possible that there's enough old crappy gas in the lines that it just won't go, or because the gauge is still reading empty, I'm thinking the tanks won't switch. Is there a fuse for the gauges? I noticed that the ammeter wouldn't fluctuate at all even when turning over.

Heading back out tomorrow armed with a handful of fuses and a can of ether. Anything else I should check? I'll be taking out another jerry can full of 93 for the rear tank.

Oddly enough, the headlight that's 1/4 full of water, still works.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Definately could be switch over valve for the tanks or possibly the fuel filter. Take a hammer or a big wrench and tap on the side of the valve body with the key on and see if the guage registers then switch tanks and see if it changes. Do you hear the fuel pump/s run when you turn the key on and are you getting fuel pressure to the fuel rail. Press the schrader valve looks like a tire valve on the fuel rail. If your not getting fuel no need to try and start it until you get good fuel pressure.

 

[maroon93limited]

I can hear the pump on the frame rail, but that's it. Nothing from the other 2(?). At least last night it would catch every now and then, but tonight zilch. Going to check the schrader valve, and when I get it to the shop I'll give the selector valve a whack.

Put as much fuel in the rear tank tonight as I did in the front tank last night, and still won't register on the gauge. Checked all the fuses and they're fine. Fuel pump relay maybe?

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Pull the schrader and cycle the key on and off until you get good fuel coming out the fuel rail. From what I hear if the in tank pumps are not working you can burn up the high press pump on the fuel rail maybe cycle the key with the fuel filter disconnected to see if your getting fuel out of the tanks also. IDK I wish someone gave me a 86 ranger to work the bugs out of.

 

[--weezl--]

how does the exhaust pipe smell? if you've been cranking it over as much as it sounds that you have, then you should be able to smell raw fuel

 

[maroon93limited]

Pull the schrader and cycle the key on and off until you get good fuel coming out the fuel rail. From what I hear if the in tank pumps are not working you can burn up the high press pump on the fuel rail maybe cycle the key with the fuel filter disconnected to see if your getting fuel out of the tanks also. IDK I wish someone gave me a 86 ranger to work the bugs out of.

Thanks for the tips! I was so frustrated tonight that I never thought to do any of this. Once we get it towed home and into the shop, it'll be a hell of a lot easier to work on. Farm yards in the middle of nowhere make for shitty work enviroments!

 

[maroon93limited]

how does the exhaust pipe smell? if you've been cranking it over as much as it sounds that you have, then you should be able to smell raw fuel

Again, so frustrated that I never even thought of this when we were out there. But now that you mention it, I couldn't smell ANY raw fuel. Even had my son stand at the tail pipe at one point and he never mentioned a thing.

 

[maroon93limited]

AHA! Phoned the guy that I got the truck from today and tiold him I couldn't get it running. He then tells me that the battery was accidentaly hooked up backwards after it had been parked when they tried to fire it up.

Wonder what got burned out. All the under dash fuses were fine.

 

[Psychopete]

It is so stupid how they positioned the battery in these trucks. I always check, but I flipped mine around so that it made sense. PCM is the first thing I would look at, make sure it is functioning properly.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Put a timing light on the coil wire and see if it is getting a steady spark when your cranking on it. If you disconnect the spout jumper it will take the computer out of the loop. A weak battery will also keep it from firing.

 

[maroon93limited]

Alrighty, tried to fire again at the shop today, just getting a hiss of air when I depress the schrader valve. I can still hear the in-line pump coming on, but still not too sure about the in tank pump. I took off the accumulator that sits right after the tank selector, and before the fuel pump and promptly broke two of the lines going to it. Thinking of just replacing it with two canister style. Another thing, I can't find the filter after the pump. Found the selector, then the accumulator, then the pump and then nothing. Weird.

Is there a way to get the pump to run a little longer? Even with the accumulator off, so no possible way it could get fuel, the pump only ran for a couple of seconds before shutting off. I was told that unhooking the inertia switch would let it just run, but tried that and it wouldn't come on at all. Does the fuel pump relay control only the in tank pumps, or the in-line as well?

Thank God this thing was free!

 

[Psychopete]

The diagnostic connector has a fuel pump test that you can ground, or usually there's an inline connector to the fuel pumps near the fire wall (follow the wire from the inline pump up) that could apply 12 volts to the pumps directly. Be careful not to run it dry !! No gas in the rail is a bad sign. 1 wire to both pumps thru the relay.

 

[maroon93limited]

Thanks for the tips Pete. One last silly question, but is there a pump in each tank? I can only find reference to one in the front tank, but I would think there would have to be one in the rear as well.

EDIT: Found the info I needed, but I still find it strange that both tank pumps would be shot. Back to hooking up the battery backwards, any fuseable links I should look at?

 

[--weezl--]

if you've got air pressure in your shrader valve, i would open the shrader valve and let the pumps run for a minute or 2... see if you get gas...

your return line could be plugged, and you're just spraying air into the cylinders, once that air is out (through the shrader valve) it may fire right up...

 

[CROW T. ROBOT]

if you've got air pressure in your shrader valve, i would open the shrader valve and let the pumps run for a minute or 2... see if you get gas...

I would love to try this weezl but, 1-Not too sure how to keep the pumps running as it shuts off after about 2 seconds,
and 2-I broke the black housing between the selector and high pressure pump, so I have to jury rig something together to even get fuel to the engine. I was thinking of just replacing the housing with 2 canister filters.

First things first, I think I'm going to remove the box and run 12 volts straight to the pumps just to see if they are dead or not, and if not I guess I'll start looking for my gremlin. I'm thinking when the battery was hooked up backwards it fried something.

Love your music by the way, next time I'm up in Edmonton visiting family I'll have to see if you're playing anywhere!