Power loss - possible fuel pump problem?

[dedrie77]

Hi - first time on this forum. I have a *new to me* 1986 ranger with a 2.9L engine. Ran fine for the first few months except I was told by the guy who sold it to me that I had to crank the key into ?second? position three times before starting the engine to prime the fuel pump. Worked fine.

Two weeks ago it started having trouble on hills - engine would keep running but there was no power getting to the wheel. Feathering throttle, downshifting, or a combination of both would make it go when this first started happening, but doesn't work anymore.

I changed the fuel filter with no effect. I have two gas tanks on this model but same symptoms for both tanks.

Anybody had trouble like this or any idea what it could be?

Thanks!

 

[Natedog]

Hi - first time on this forum. I have a *new to me* 1986 ranger with a 2.9L engine. Ran fine for the first few months except I was told by the guy who sold it to me that I had to crank the key into ?second? position three times before starting the engine to prime the fuel pump. Worked fine.

Two weeks ago it started having trouble on hills - engine would keep running but there was no power getting to the wheel. Feathering throttle, downshifting, or a combination of both would make it go when this first started happening, but doesn't work anymore.

I changed the fuel filter with no effect. I have two gas tanks on this model but same symptoms for both tanks.

Anybody had trouble like this or any idea what it could be?

Thanks!

Sounds like the frame mounted fuel pump under the driver's side.

 

[dedrie77]

I thought so too. I swapped out the fuel filter and checked the pump with a pressure gauge and it came out at 38psi.

If the pressure is good while the vehicle is parked, is it possible for the pump to be failing only when I'm going uphill?

Also, there's a small part about a foot behind the battery that, when I crack it open, is a little gray sponge - it only looks like there are wires running to it. After the truck failed to go up a hill I opened the hood and this part was making a sucking noise... I think it's a vacuum regulator.

 

[dedrie77]

So now I've pulled the fuel pump and replaced it with one that doesn't work. I'll be switching them back. But in the process we discovered that the part that routes gas from either tank looks like it might be screwed up - looking through the holes the springs are each pointed a different direction and the o-rings were lying in the bottom not properly in position. There's also a filter in there that looked kind of clogged.

I've heard that this part rarely screws up, but assuming it is the problem - any thoughts as to how I can directly hook up one tank and just take this part out of the picture entirely?

 

[dedrie77]

Fixed... finally. Put the old fuel pump back in - works just fine. There's a second fuel filter in the fuel reservoir that was completely clogged. The part was $88 and would take a few days to order in, so we yarded the reservoir out entirely and bypassed that system with a couple of metal fuel lines, clamped them onto the hoses and called it a day. Drives great so far.

Of course it now has a dent in the fender from being dragged off the rock it was accidentally parked on by a few people pushing it into the last stall in the parking lot... shouldn't take much to put it right again.