2.3L ('83-'97) Need Help! Low power/vacuum/bogging down

[BunsSauce]

Hey everyone, new to the Ranger club!
Picked up a non-running 97 2.3 with 83k on it a week ago and have been working on getting it running. Ended up having 5 year old gas in the tank (about 7 gallons) so I dropped the tank, drained it, and cleaned out the...sludge. From there, I replaced the fuel sending unit & fuel filter & got it to start.
It still wasn't running great, so I went on the hunt for some vacuum leaks & found a cracked line on the heater core bypass, a PCV valve that wasn't in its grommet, and the vac line connected to the hardline through a gap in the manifold was rotten. The fuel pressure regulator was also leaking fuel & was replaced. Since doing all that, it is running better but still something is off.
In THIS VIDEO you can see the reading of a vac gauge connected to the intake manifold (I used a T & had the FPR hooked into vacuum as well) & it has some slight...pulsing? not sure what to call it, at idle & really bogs down after 3200rpm.
Other things I have changed out is Sparkplugs (NGK), wires (motocraft), cleaned the MAF, and then ended up getting a new one as well. Cleaned the IAC valve & also "backflushed" the injectors by running rubbing alcohol through them backwards.
Other tests that I've done include spraying all the vac connections I could see with carb cleaner to hopefully hear a change in engine RPM (no dice), taking the temperature of the cat to see if it was clogged - it was about 100 degrees hotter at the back, so seemed pretty normal (I think it was about 550 at the front & 650 at the back. didn't write it down) and I did a compression test - all 4 cylinders had over 200psi of compression (213, 230, 240, 230 respectively). Pulled the wires off the coil pack to look at the spark - all of them looked pretty strong. Checked O2 sensors through OBDII port - Upstream o2 sensor does change rapidly, and the downstream was reading a relatively constant .7-.8v. I also cracked one side of the cat connection to the manifold to reduce pressure & it was more or less the same. Also, the EGR valve DOES hold a vacuum & the supply hose increases vacuum as RPMs rise.
I am honestly not sure where to go from here - The exhaust does smell like the truck is running rich & when I pulled the plugs for the compression test, they were a dry black, with white residue on the ground electrode. It is NOT throwing any codes. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[tomw]

I would not use the FPR to tie in for a manifold vacuum reading. The regulator is 'above' the throttle plate, so it should not get manifold vacuum, or any vacuum until the throttle is opened.
When it does open, the vacuum moves the diapragm to allow higher fuel pressure, giving a jolt, equivalent to an accelerator pump, or bump of higher fuel pressure. It isn't a good vacuum checking point.
There is/may be a vacuum 'tree' on the firewall with unused ports, or maybe on the intake manifold itself(year dependent) that would be better for a vacuum check.
Have you checked your TPS. The throttle position sensor could have dropout points along its travel, indicating to the computer that you have closed the throttle... no throttle open==no fuel.
Maybe also check the ribbed area of the air tube from the air cleaner assembly. They have been known to crack where you won't see the damage, and when the engine torques, moving a bit, it opens the crack, allowing un-KNOWN air in, leaning out the mix.
If you put a postcard/blow-in ad card over the oil fill, engine warmed up at idle, the PCV should draw the card gently against the cam cover opening. It will take a short while to develop a slight suction on the system, but if the PCV valve is working properly, and air is flowing through the system it will pull the card so that it won't fall off.
tom

 

[BunsSauce]

Thanks for the reply; I'll check that out when I get home from work today.

I don't quite get what you mean on the FPR vacuum port though; The port is on the intake manifold after the throttle body - what I was saying in my post is that I kept the FPR plugged into vacuum to not throw off numbers/testing. I also have not seen a vacuum tree on my firewall (not saying it isn't there somewhere; I'm no Ranger expert) and I don't see one in the Vac diagram.

 

[BunsSauce]

As an update, The truck was out of time - surprised it ran at all! It either jumped time, or the last person that was in there did it to an incorrect marker. I replaced the belt, water pump, and a few other things on my way in there & she runs like a dream, is pulling the correct vacuum, and doesn't sound like a tractor anymore.

how far out she was - cam was at the timing mark ( for those who don't know, the white dot should be at that notch)

 

[tomw]

Guess I imagined things... Thought the FPR got ported vacuum, based on the throttle opening, but manifold vacuum would drop also when the throttle plate allowed in more air, and that should indicate engine load.
I would still use a different port if possible, as Teeing in there might affect the vacuum sensed by the FPR. As an example, off the wall, if you had a vacuum reservoir attached, the vacuum at the FPR would be affected by the reservoir vacuum keeping the 'sensed' vacuum, right there at the Tee, higher than manifold(until things equalized) and you want the FPR to get accurate vacuum in order for it to respond quickly as it should.
Most times the keyway in the crankshaft is at 12:00 when the engine is at #1 TDC. The cam sprocket triangle should be at the mark on the engine, a casting rib or a pointer depending, at about the 4:00 o'clock, and the aux should be 'somewhere', as in some don't matter and some do.
Sure looks as if the crankshaft sprocket 'dot' is not aligned with the keyway in the crankshaft. What does that mean? I dunno as I go by TDC and not the dot.
tom