Looking for a 2.9L Mechanic in Atlanta Area

[Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto]

I live over in B’ham….

Always happy to help, and have tons of parts on hand if you have difficulty finding some.

Thank you! I appreciate all the support here.

 

[Rick W]

Everybody and @Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto

Help!

When I posted the parts above, the fill neck was from the wrong model year. We can’t find a fill neck online or locally for a “1986 2WD Ranger automatic 2.9 extended cab.” Do any of you guys/gals have a source?

Or, Can we get the outer bigger hose somewhere? I’m pretty sure that’s going to be the problem, and that’s why God gave us different size hose clamps…

This SOB Peter is going to ruin my bad guy rep….

 

[Rick W]

Update on locating

1986 Ranger 2.9 extended cab (front tank) FUEL FILLER NECK

@Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto and I searched everywhere and we could not find the assembly. We did find all the parts and hose clamps here, individually:

1985-1986 Ford Ranger Fuel Filler Hose E5TZ9034B

Filler Neck Supply Co. Stocks The Most Fuel Filler Pipe and Hose Parts Available. Secure Shopping Cart. Order Online And Save. 1-2 Day Shipping Available.

www.fillernecksupply.com

The outer hose is pretty pricey at $110, but just can’t find it anywhere else, so let me brag and say it’s the lowest price we found!

I’m fighting a cold now, just recovered from the flu, but we’re going to try to tackle this on Sunday. We’re going to pull the bed off and make sure what we need before we buy the parts.

I wrote this posting the way I did to try to make it easy for people to find if they’re searching for the filler neck. Is there a place on the website where such information is all in one place?

 

[Rick W]

Oh wise ones…

I’m thinking, @Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto should be doing the updates on this truck, but he’s new to the group, and he’s only owned the truck about two weeks, and I want to keep you folks posted a little bit.

Hmmmm, how should I describe how it’s going so far. I know.

It’s funny, this guy even looks like him a little bit

Other than checking it out on Monday night, we haven’t done anything to it. The plan was to go straight to removing the bed and figuring out the fill it up/fill neck/full leak problem, and check out/swap out the Mustang pump that doesn’t seem to be delivering gas properly, and won’t work the level gauge accurately.

Unfortunately, since Monday, Peter has gotten stuck a couple times where the truck won’t start. It has a third of a tank, but apparently the pump is not picking that up, so he adds a couple gallons and then it will start. By hook or by crook, he gets a little gas, and splashes it in the tank, and then it will start.

When this happened yesterday, with the added gas, it started, but then it had to pronounced “click.“. Open this:

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/68/08/46C529A7-9227-4005-8790-89CD9C130DFD/IMG_9695.MOV

I did not actually see the truck, but he sent me this video. I don’t know that I can hear what click he is talking about just from the video. He didn’t want to drive it, so he got a ride home and left it in the parking deck at work (10 miles away, Atlanta traffic).

Here is where I need the better knowledge from you wise ones: when I saw it at my house, it seemed to be running fine. The issues were an inaccurate Fuel gauge and the fuel splashing out when he filled it all the way up. It has a Mustang pump for some reason.

It’s my understanding the fuel tank pump feeds constant pressure to the injector pump by means of a constant feed/return loop back to the tank. My thinking is there may be a little air in the system, air in the injector pump, which is causing it to idle roughly, and may make the clicking sound. Again, I haven’t seen it.

Could anyone and everyone please tell me what they think it might be. Our plan is to go over to the truck on Saturday or Sunday in the parking deck, I’ll bring my F250 with the tow bar, and if we start it up and it seems to be running OK, then I will follow him home. If we have any doubts, I’ll just hook it up to the tow bar and drag it home.

Let me say again, it looks like a very nice little truck, and a lot of the parts around the engine have already been replaced. I don’t know any of the history, firsthand, but I’m suspecting someone got tired of it, slapped a Mustang pump on if they had on the shelf, and then sold it, but that’s conjecture.

I’ll take another look when we go to fetch it. I’ll bet it’s the best looking truck in the parking deck! (they’re not open on Saturday and Sunday).

 

[Curious Hound]

Does it have a Mustang pump? or the complete pump and level sender assembly from a Mustang. If it's the complete assembly, it may be designed for a shallower tank. Therefore not reaching the bottom of the Ranger tank, since the assembly hangs from the top of the tank. That would explain inaccurate level readings AND possibility of "running out of fuel" even if there are a few gallons left in the tank.

 

[Rick W]

Does it have a Mustang pump? or the complete pump and level sender assembly from a Mustang. If it's the complete assembly, it may be designed for a shallower tank. Therefore not reaching the bottom of the Ranger tank, since the assembly hangs from the top of the tank. That would explain inaccurate level readings AND possibility of "running out of fuel" even if there are a few gallons left in the tank.

What you say makes sense. I really don’t know for a fact. @Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto is relating what he was told when he bought the truck, but with every respect, I don’t think he knows if it’s the truth.

Our plan is to have a complete new Ranger pump assembly on hand, probably pay a few more bucks to pick it up locally so if we don’t use it, we can just bring it back. Then when we get the truck here, pull the bed and head down the rabbit hole.

You know, I rig everything I can, but I don’t mess with reliability.The truck is cherry, so I think it’s worth trying to use OEM parts, or rebuilt parts, or at least “accurate to the truck and model” parts even if they’re not from Ford. The truck is definitely a keeper.

I say all this, but I’m taking my time explaining all the that options (I can think of) to Peter, and it will all be his decision.

 

[Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto]

Definitely want the original specs to be met, whether it's aftermarket that's available or OEM. Seems like the shallow tank theory of the pump could have legs. We shall see this weekend. Let's just hope that sound from the video isn't anything serious.

 

[SenorNoob]

That video didn't post BTW. Have to upload it somewhere else like YouTube or Google Drive first and share the link here...

 

[Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto]

Ford

drive.google.com

 

[Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto]

See if the link above works.

 

[SenorNoob]

It does. I hear that but have little reference to tell where it's coming from. Seemed like it got quieter as the camera moved behind the belts. Have you a chunk out of a belt popping? Or are the fane blades just barely hitting the shroud?

 

[Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto]

I'll take a look at that when I go back to get it. Didn't drive it home last night. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Rick W]

oh wise ones…

Need a little help, and an update.

@Peter_'86_2.9L_Auto & I went out early to try and fetch his 86 2.9 auto from his office parking lot. It cranked, but it wouldn’t catch or start. It’s had fuel problems all along. We bought some gas and topped it off, no joy. We dribbled a little gasoline in the breather, and it kicked right over and immediately died. So we knew we had spark, but no gas was getting to the engine.

I used up my bag of tricks, no joy, so we called a wrecker. While we were waiting on the wrecker, I had the afterthought to just check the Schrader valve on the fuel rail. Without the truck running, a little tiny bit of fuel came out, barely enough to fill up a tire stem cap, so we waited on the wrecker.

When the wrecker got there, we had to push the truck out of the parking space to turn it around so that when he dropped it in my driveway, it was facing the right way. Peter said “let me try it one more time,” and we were all astounded when the thing fired right up! Fortunately, I knew the tow truck driver, tipped him $10, and saved the $180 tow.

Peter drove it to my house without issue, and I parked it out back. Didn’t take long to get the bed off and take a look at what was going on.

The fill neck was like brand new, so that wasn’t the overflow problem when you filled it up. When I moved to the pump, that big square O-ring flat looking gasket that holds the pump assembly in place wasn’t installed properly, and there was a couple little places that weren’t making a seal.

You can see the two darker spots where it was leaking.

When we pulled the pump assembly out, it also looked like it was brand new. When Peter bought the truck, he was told that the pump was “upgraded” to a “Mustang” pump, eliminating the high-pressure pump between the tank and the engine. Well, sort of……

Upon inspecting it, I realized that the bottom of the whole assembly piece had been ground down, split, and this “mustang” pump was inserted in place of the correct Ranger low pressure pump. Looking at the TRS info and also some other sources, I believe this is a holly 19–360 high-pressure pump.

Here’s where we need help. I’m leaning towards just buying the correct pump assembly for inside the fuel tank. Peter apparently also has some level gauge issues, and I think just buying the correct assembly may solve several problems.

However, when the magician put the mustang/holly pump in the fuel tank, he apparently assumed the high pressure pump (on the frame rail under the driver) would no longer be necessary, and removed it. You can also see a relatively new fuel line was run from the tank right up to the fuel rail in the engine. A flow through fuel filter was added underneath the protective bracket that runs off the frame apparently where the high pressure pump was located.

Again, here’s where I/we need help. From my research, both the in tank pump and the high-pressure pump get turned on/off by the computer that’s in the foot well of the passenger seat (new rebuilt). I need some specifics on where to look for the wires for the high-pressure pump. It’s my understanding that although the computer turns both of those pumps on and off when you turn the key on the truck, the computer signals them to operate in different ways at different times once driving, so I just can’t splice over the hot and neutral from the tank pump to the high pressure pump.

Where should I be looking for those wires, and does anyone know what colors they are, etc.?

Finally, could anybody provide me some detail on how this fancy relief valve on the fuel rail operates? I know the high-pressure fuel goes into the rail, and this gizmo is what maintains the pressure and releases extra fuel to the overflow back to the tank. I think installing the high-pressure pump correctly may solve all the problems, but I’d like to know how this gizmo operates, just in case, for when we’re under the hood again if installing the pumps doesn’t solve the problem.

We’ll provide a lot of updates on this truck project after we get over this hurdle. May move it to a different place and just make it a build thread, but we have to get the damn thing running first. Peter has his hands full with life & wife at the moment, so I’m the author, but I’m chatting with him on how he wants to go forward with a build thread ‘cuz it’s his baby. And it is sweet!

Did I mention we need help on these things? Please be specific!

 

[SenorNoob]

The original pump wiring was just split from the the one wire coming out of the inertia switch.

No need to replicate the factory setup at this point.

Order a sending unit for 86. That pump looks just like the one for a 90. It should have a strainer on the bottom:

The only 1082BD pump I found is listed as for a Hyundai Sonata.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/import-direct-fuel/import-direct-fuel-pump-and-strainer/idf0/e16205

Nevermind. Here is the exact pump:

Electric Fuel Pump Fits select: 1985-1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD, 1995-1997 FORD WINDSTAR - Walmart.com

Buy Electric Fuel Pump Fits select: 1985-1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD, 1995-1997 FORD WINDSTAR at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

Haynes diagram for 86 shows power from fusible link "R" or "L" depending on date of manufacture to yellow wire at fuel pump relay. Then Orange/Light Blue out to inertia switch as in diagram above.

 

[Rick W]

I wrote this Monday, but forgot to click the post reply button

Update: had a little more time today to evaluate this 86. The power steering pump looks new, new water pump, new wires, cap and I assume rotor, the gas tank is new, the cobbled up Fuel Sender pump assembly is new, the transmission looks new, and that’s just a partial list. And all of that work looks like it was very well done, very professional.

Not so much the fuel system. The fuel system is a different story. With the crazy in tank set up, the lines up to the filter, and from the filter up to the fuel rail are kind of installed half-assed. Very amateur sloppy work, doesn’t fit in with the rest of the work on that truck. I counted four lines of different materials some slipped over the other and held in place with little hose clamps. The whole thing was flopping around inside the frame and I noticed two spots where there were critical gas pressure fuel lines rubbing on part of the engine and on the edges of the frame. I figured we could either straighten out and correct the lines, or maybe I could just add a spark plug with a button on the dash so Peter could turn it into a rocket ship anytime he wants! Again, appearance of that work did not fit with anything else that’s been done on the truck, so when we fix it, we will also make it look pretty too.

I did find the wires for the external high-pressure pump, which was removed. I’ve given Peter some options, and he’s thinking out which way he wants to go.

He’s telling me the brake booster has a “hiss” when he steps on the brakes. I haven’t been able to check it myself since the truck isn’t running, but we’ve ordered a new one. It’s inexpensive and of course it’s a critical safety item. It will probably take as long to replace as it would to evaluate, and BTW it’s pretty corroded with surface rust.

The fill neck materials all looked fine and new, but the fuel drop line was short by 7 or 8 inches. Fuel dropping in the air space can cause static sparks, and turn it into a rocket ship. (assuming it survives the high-pressure fuel line rubbing on the frame and engine). I had some of that center fuel tubing in the shed of miracles, and I cut a piece and split the end, so you can slide it up over the existing tube. Then I drilled through the two flaps and through the hose and used a piece of bare copper wire from a piece of Romax to hold it together. The joint was not meant to be fuel tight. But the extension is simply meant to allow flow continuously to the bottom of the tank, so you miss that sparking possibility. I didn’t have my phone with me no picture, but it won’t go in until Peter gives his blessing.

Made a temporary hood support out of a piece of wood since this truck has that funky short side brace designed to crack the hood on one side. When I get to the scrapyard, I’ll grab a rod off a later model and mount it in the right place like my 97 up on the core support.