My 88 BroncoII project

[1988Rangerxlt]

hey there i just picked up a 88 bronco II with a 2.9 five speed 4x4 with under 250 000km on the clock for $50.00 guy says it needs a fuel pump, cause tank is rusty, so far i have gotten it home and tried to get it to turn over to see if maybe its a bad connection on the pump but i cant even get it to turn over so i assumed it was the starter so i pulled the starter and went and got it tested and it tested good, so that leads me to believe that its a bad ground and or power, any specific things i should check for? you turn the key and hear the solenoid click thats it.

Heres some pics when i first brought it home the dash needs to be put together and it needs to be cleaned. im gonna turn this into my d/d and my offroad toy

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

looks like a good start, check for power down at the starter while some one turns the key (make sure you block the tires and its in neutral). if youve got power then youre probably lacking ground so check your engine ground and your frame ground.

 

[jaymegriffiths]

could be a bad relay. touch the posts on the starter relay together and see if it turns over. they are very universal same on lots of old trucks and cars just look for one that looks similair

 

[trail B2]

Put a wrench on the harmonic balancer crankshaft nut turn it clockwise make sure the motor is free to turn.Looks like were going to need big tires so you can cut out the fenders.

 

[1988Rangerxlt]

i tried touching the posts on the solenoid and it did nothing, and i checked to see if it was stuck already and its free, ill check for power tommorow

 

[1988Rangerxlt]

whats the best way to test the fuel pump? and where are the grounds i should be checking?

 

[copperminer2002]

Nice project. First thing you should do is check the battery connections, make sure the posts and cable ends are clean. Next, tkae the small red and white wire off the starter sylinoid, and jump it across to the big one that goes to the starter. If it doesn't turn over then, chances are you need a new sylinoid. The ground wires are 1. From the negative post of the battery, to the frame, and the on to the engine block under the exhaust manifold. there is one orange one under the dristributer that bolts to the the block with one of your bell houseing bolts. Wait,,,there is one more,, it goes from the back of the drivers side head to the windshield wiper motor mount. If all those are in place and the contact area is clean, you should be grounded.
Okay,, on to the fuel pump. If you have a fuel pressure guage, there is a shrader valve on the fuel rail. Hook your guage to that and turn the key on. You should have around 40 psi give or take a couple. If you have no pressure you should check your inertia switch. It is located on the passenger side on the fire wall under the dash. You will have to pull the carpet down to see it. hope this helps.

 

[1988Rangerxlt]

it does help me, so i take the solenoid wire off and touch it to the other post on solenoid

 

[copperminer2002]

HAd to log back in. No, you don't touch the wire to the starter post, you jump the posts across. If you don't have a jumper wire, just use a screw driver and touch it to both posts at the same time. Use an old screw driver tho, cause it will get real hot real fast. A jumper wire is best, but be careful, it will get hot too. Just touch it to the starter post and see if it trys to turn over, don't leave it on there long.

 

[1988Rangerxlt]

got the starter figured out and got the good pump on cranks and pumps fuel just dont have spark tried different plugs still nothing think it might be coil, how do i test it?

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

its probably the ignition module. i think thats what its called. (small grey box on the back of the distributor) it tends to go out. ive replaced 3. costs like 40 bucks at the parts store.

 

[jaymegriffiths]

got the starter figured out and got the good pump on cranks and pumps fuel just dont have spark tried different plugs still nothing think it might be coil, how do i test it?

buy a jy one and plug it in.
thats what i did i had one layin around...

 

[1988Rangerxlt]

okay is there anyway to find out if this on is bad?

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

put a differnt one on and see if it has spark. im sure there is a way to test it but i have no idea.

 

[copperminer2002]

•Check the ignition switch.
•Connect a 12-volt test lamp from the coil tachometer (tach) terminal to ground.
•Turn on the ignition switch.
•The test light normally should be on. if the test light is off, there is an open circuit in the coil primary winding or in the circuit from the ignition switch to the coil battery terminal. on many chrysler and ford systems, the test light should be off because the module primary circuit is closed. since there is primary current flow, most of the voltage is dropped across the primary coil winding. this action results in very low voltage at the tach terminal, which does not illuminate the test light. on these systems, if the test light is illuminated, there is an open circuit in the module or in the wire between the coil and the module.
•Crank the engine and observe the test light. If the test light flutters while the engine is cranked, the pick-up coil signal and the module are okay. When the test lamp does not flutter, the pick-up and/or module are bad. A pick-up is tested with an ohmmeter. If the pick-up coil is satisfactory, the module is defective. Before testing the pick-up, check the voltage supply to the positive primary coil terminal with the ignition switch on before the diagnosis is continued.
•If the test light flutters, connect a spark plug to the coil secondary wire, and ground the spark plug case. The test spark plug must have the correct voltage requirement for the ignition system being tested.
•Crank the engine and observe the spark plug. If the test spark plug fires, the ignition coil is satisfactory. If the test spark plug does not fire, the coil is probably defective because the primary circuit no-start proved the primary circuit is triggering on and off.
•Connect the test spark plug to several spark plug wires and crank the engine while observing the spark plug. If the test spark plug fired in step 4 but does not fire at some of the spark plugs, the secondary voltage and current is leaking through a defective distributor cap, rotor, or spark plug wires, or a plug wire is open. If the test spark plug fires at all the spark plugs, the ignition system is working fine.
•If the cause of the no-start condition has not yet been found, check the ignition coil with an ohmmeter. If the winding resistance readings are not within specifications, replace the coil or coil pack. If the coils are fine, check the primary circuit for proper voltage.
Ignition Coil Resistance

•With the key off and the battery lead to the ignition coil disconnected, use an ohmmeter to measure the primary and secondary winding resistance of the ignition coil. when checking the resistance across the windings, pay particular attention to the meter reading. if the reading is out of specifications, even if it is only slightly out, the coil or coil assembly should be replaced.
•To check the primary windings, calibrate an ohmmeter on the X1 scale and connect the meter leads to the primary coil terminals to test the winding.

Ohmmeter connected to primary coil terminals.
•An infinite ohmmeter reading indicates an open winding. The winding is shorted if the meter reading is below the specified resistance. Most primary windings have a resistance of 0.5 to 2 ohms, but the exact manufacturer's specifications must be compared to the meter readings.
•To check the secondary winding, calibrate the meter on the X1,000 scale and connect it from the coil's secondary terminal to one of the primary terminals.

Ohmmeter connected from one primary terminal to the coil tower to test secondary winding.
•A meter reading below the specified resistance indicates a shorted secondary winding. An infinite meter reading proves that the winding is open.
•In some coils, the secondary winding is connected from the secondary terminal to the coil frame. When the secondary winding is tested in these coils, the ohmmeter must be connected from the secondary coil terminal to the coil frame or to the ground wire terminal extending from the coil frame. Many secondary windings have 8,000 to 20,000 ohms resistance, but the meter readings must be compared to the manufacturer's specifications. The ohmmeter tests do not indicate such defects as defective insulation around the coil windings, which causes high-voltage leaks. Therefore, an accurate indication of coil condition is the coil maximum voltage output test with a test spark plug connected from the coil secondary wire to ground as explained in the no-start diagnosis.