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So I'm Stumped?!?!?


stevealvey24

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2011
Messages
194
Vehicle Year
1986
Transmission
Automatic
Here goes, I have a 1986 Ranger and I'm having trouble with sputtering and stalling at idle and sometimes throughout rpm range. It has new vehicle speed sensor, fuel pumps, sending unit, o2 sensor, plugs, plug wires, coil, distributor, tfi module, tps, fuel pump relay. I have a fuel pressure gauge on it and it holds 40 lbs going down the road but it bleeds off kinda quick when its just primed. Also it died the other day, i left it in drive and it picked back up in like 100 feet. I watched the tach when this happened and it jumped up to like 300-500 while rolling then picked back and up and ran fine home. Any ideas? I've cleaned all electrical connections and checked them. I'm so freakin stumped and I need this fixed because I'm kinda stuck without it.
Could it possibly be the fuel pressure regulator? Also I can kinda hint a smell of raw fuel in the exhaust.

:sad:
 
did you reset your brain?? when you replace any main sensor you need to earase any false data that your ecm already had....KOER test or just unhook the battery and and tohch the cables together and should be good.
 
Here goes, I have a 1986 Ranger and I'm having trouble with sputtering and stalling at idle and sometimes throughout rpm range. It has new vehicle speed sensor, fuel pumps, sending unit, o2 sensor, plugs, plug wires, coil, distributor, tfi module, tps, fuel pump relay. I have a fuel pressure gauge on it and it holds 40 lbs going down the road but it bleeds off kinda quick when its just primed. Also it died the other day, i left it in drive and it picked back up in like 100 feet. I watched the tach when this happened and it jumped up to like 300-500 while rolling then picked back and up and ran fine home. Any ideas? I've cleaned all electrical connections and checked them. I'm so freakin stumped and I need this fixed because I'm kinda stuck without it.
Could it possibly be the fuel pressure regulator? Also I can kinda hint a smell of raw fuel in the exhaust.

:sad:


sorry...no suggestions here....(my problems started when I pressure-washed my engine....I solved it by installing a carbed V-8)
 
Pull off the regulator's vac line and see if there is fuel in it.
 
KOER test or just unhook the battery and and tohch the cables together and should be good.

A KOER will only tell you if everything is ok right now. It won't reset the memory.

Neither will touching the battery cables together. To properly erase the KAM and reset the values you need to unhook the battery and just let it sit unhooked for at least 15 minutes. I usually do it over night just to be safe (and because I don't usually drive too far after I go to bed).
 
No fuel coming out of regulator hose. I'm truley stumped at the moment?
 
Have you checked your timing and valve adjustment?
Also have a good look at your grounding wires.

Romove thet SPOUT, it's a little square pill that can be pulled, usualy white and on the passenger side and I believe it comes out of the injector harness. Just look around in the distributor area, passenger side. If you don't pull it the timing will jump around. Time it about 10-12 BTDC.

Thats what I would do next.
Then I would start looking for a vacume leak.
 
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Just adjusted timing last night to 10degrees when i put in a new distributor thinking the pickup may be going bad. could it use another degree or or two of timing? checked all grounds and wiggled wires while running and cant make anything happen? Adjusted the valves when I first put the motor back in after a rebuild.
 
When you checked the FPR vac line it was dry. Start the truck with it off and see if it leaks out of the FPR connection, sometimes it takes a little bit before they leak. Next I would suggest the MAP sensor? Go buy one and put it in. If it doesn't work, take it out and return it! LOL!

With that I am out of ideas. Sorry dude.
 
I really appreciate the advice fellas. Ill try those two things and if nothing. I found a tranny and transfer case at pull a part friday and I'mma put a damn 302 in it!!! Got plenty of em layin around.
 
So question? I just took it for a test drive and when i took off down the highway it was definately not producing any power. i put my foot in the throttle a little more and nothing a tad more then it just like picked up and took off any ideas what this is?
 
So question? I just took it for a test drive and when i took off down the highway it was definately not producing any power. i put my foot in the throttle a little more and nothing a tad more then it just like picked up and took off any ideas what this is?

When you timed it, did you unplug the spout connector first?
 
Yea. TImed it to 10 degrees. Then plugged it back in and it changed so its working.
 
Might be a vacuum leak or the pickup coil.

I had an ignition module produce the same scenario. It would have no power in the higher rpm's sometimes, then other times it pulled very hard. Mine is a lifetime warranty so I swapped modules (even though Autozone told me it was good) and it fixed the problem.
 
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