Poor idle

[uss_essess]

1990 2.9l Ranger auto

I was running low on cash and being lazy so, rather than hitting a gas station, I decided to fill up with a gas can from the garage before I went to get the truck IM'ed. So, as I am filling up the truck, which I left idling (I said I was lazy, right?) it started to sputter and then died. Awwww crap. After a couple of phone calls I found out that the 'gas' can was my grandparents and they used it to transport water to the family cabin, and then my parents brought it home. Crapola. So, I siphoned as much out of the tank as I could, then popped the fuel line and pumped out as much as I could get of the rest with the fuel pump. Filled her back up with gas and a couple bottles of Heet, and after much cranking, she finally fired up. Ran rough for a few minutes, but eventually seemed to clear up for the most part, but I am still having some issues with my idle. When I start the truck it idles fine, but as soon as I try to go anywhere, it pretty much craps out. So it will sit in the driveway and idle all day, but if I pull out of the driveway it will die at the end of the road when I stop at the stop sign. It runs just fine when I am actually driving, and I would have no problem driving it on the highway, as long as I never have to stop, which I usually have to do at some point. So to recap, it runs fine at driving RPMs, but dies at low RPMs, such as at stop signs, red lights, and even slowing down for corners. It has a small lift and oversize tires, and losing my power steering while going around a corner can be kind of nerve wracking.

Any ideas on what might be causing the problem? Could it be something simple like replacing the fuel filter, or did I jack up my fuel pump or injector running water through the system? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hidesertrat]

Assuming the truck was running well before you added the "gas", it would seem you problems came out of the can. If there was water in the can, I can only guess there was also rust, dirt and whatever else may been in the bottom. To be pouring this stuff into the tank and have the truck die in the process, seems to indicate you must have been really low on fuel.

My guess...replace fuel filters, run some throttle body and injector cleaner through the lines. Oh, you may want to spring some extra money and run a tank of high test fuel also, to see if all that will clean out whatever it is that is clogging the fuel delivery.