Ford - Ranger :: 1998 - Won't Start / Stall Intermittently?
Oct 6, 2016
What's wrong with my 98 ranger. automatic trans, rebuilt last year. over the summer i've replaced the battery and the alternator. oh, the radiator too, though why that would matter i don't know. believe it's the 4 cylinder, 2 wheel drive.
without any rhyme or obvious reason, sometimes it won't start. always after driving somewhere then parking. like after i go get groceries then go to return home. sometimes when i'm parking it'll stall out too.
electronics and ac come on when i turn the key, but no mechanical sounds at all. headlights aren't dimmed when i turn the key or anything. no clicks, no starter trying to rev, nothing. check engine light is not on. recently got it inspected (state inspection) and had the battery tested during an oil change at walmart. no problems found.
i discovered over the weekend that if i shift it into neutral and roll it a foot, come to a full stop, return to park, and try to start it, it works like nothing is wrong.
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I have a 98 Ranger 4x4 XLT 4.0 5sp. It has 182K miles.
Once in a while it will blow the fuel pump fuse. It'll go 2 years sometimes. And sometimes the engine will stall just for a second making the truck "buck" as it accelerates.
Could it be the pump is about to fail? How long do they normally last? Btw, I change my fuel filter every 2 years, no issue there.
I've owned the truck since new and maintenance is always taken care of. Also, What's the best way to change the pump?
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I have a 98 Ford Ranger 4x4 automatic, in the last year it has developed an intermittent (every 4-6 weeks) no crank problem, it will usually start again within 2-24 hours.I started by replacing the starter motor/solenoid with a re-manufactured one but then about 6 weeks later it happened again. I tried to jump the starter but even then it would not start. I checked all of the fuses inside the truck and under the hood and they seem to be in good condition. The last time it died on me (until today) I called a tow truck but before they arrived it started, I took it straight to a mechanic but they could not replicate the condition! When they tried it started right up.
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I have an 87 ranger, 2.3 4cyl. 2wd 5 speed. When I start up the truck after it sits for a few hours it will idle fine but then it starts to bog down and wants to stall but after about 5 mins its fine and runs like a champ. I don't know if its a sensor or what.
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So with 172,000 miles my truck has started a new trick. When I turn on the turn signals theyll flash or interrupt normally for a few times then stop. After I turn the signal lever off and back on again they start to flash again only to stop after several times. This happens to both the left and right hand sides. The emergency flashers seem to work alright. Is this a function of the indicator flasher SF631? If so, were exactly is it located?
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Husband has 2002 Ford Ranger, 140K miles, meticulously maintained. Suddenly would not start on a Friday, fine on Saturday, not start on Sunday, started on Monday. Took to mechanic, all week everything started just dandy. They drove and hooked up to computer, nothing; cannot diagnose until actual problem occurs when they have vehicle Not ready to trade in.
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I have a 2000 Ranger 4.0L with intermittent no start. Have spark, fuel pressure is 55psi, temp sensors are reading correctly. When there is a no start condition I can pop the scharder valve, relieve the pressure on the fuel rail and it will start.
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1997 2.3 Ranger w/ 160,000 mi. Every few months it won't start, sometimes after just having been running fine. Symptoms:
-the dash lights will be dim or off completely
-the chime will be softer than normal
-the headlights will not work, or be dim
-the starter will sometimes briefly click, sometimes crank once, sometimes do nothing
-the emergency flashers will sometimes click much faster than normal
-if during one of these "episodes" it does start, the battery light will sometimes flutter on and off, and the meter will flutter a little higher than normal. The next time I stop it, it typically will have the same problem.
-it will typically start if i get it jumped
My battery, starter, plugs and wires are all fairly new. On occasion, when it is having this problem, and I am trying like crazy to start it, if when I turn the headlights on and they are no longer dim, it starts right up and runs fine.
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I have 2000 Ranger 4.0L 4wd, 5sp ...
Just in the last month or so as out temps have been dropping off I've been having troubles getting her started. It happens both when the engine is cold, ie first start of the day, and after starting when warm. It did it a couple times last spring, but then all summer and fall I didn't have any problems (warm outside air temps) but, now its happening again. I'd say any time the Outside air temp is 40F or less, I am worried it won't start. IF i get her to start, everything else is just fine and she runs like a top. Here are the symptoms and what I've done so far.
When I crank I will get a couple cylinders to fire for a second or two then it falters out behaving like fuel starvation. Then I crank again right away and nothing fires... just cranking over and over. If i wait a minute and crank again same symptoms or it will fire right up. Baffling!
I thought Idle Air Control valve and sticking fuel pump relay, so I threw new parts on, but no fix.
About 75% of the time if I turn the key on, hear the fuel pump running, turn key off and on, hear the pump again x3 and then attempt the start it is successful.
Unfortunately, I don't have a code reader, or fuel pressure test equipment. The check engine light is NOT ever on. DO I HAVE A FALTERING FUEL PUMP??? I've heard thats tough to change out.
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i have a 96 ranger with a 2.3l engine sometimes it will start right up and sometimes it has to crank 4 or 5 times to start i just gave it a tuneup and changed the oil and filter. should i run sea foam through the oil system,it sat for about seven years and i need to convert the idiot gauge to a real gauge.
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The Sonoma is basically the same as a Chevy S-10. It has a 4.3L V-6, auto trans. and 148K miles.
About half the time it will crank and crank and crank before it finally starts. Other times it will start with the first cylinder to hit TDC. I have found that waiting with the key on until the security light goes out will SOMETIMES make a difference. If I don't wait for the light to go out, it always takes several attempts to start. I hope that symptom is not entirely in my mind. I don't think it will start at all if I just continue to grind on the starter. Doing it in 3-5 second bursts sometimes works, sometimes not. It does not seem to matter if it is the first start of the day, or after the engine is warmed up.
The fuel pump appears to have been replaced at some time as some idiot sawed a hole in the bed to do it rather than dropping the tank. There is no way to know how old the pump is, but I suspect they may have been fighting the same problem, and should be shot.
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My 1998 ranger is a base model truck, 5-speed stick, 2.5L, 2wd, rubber and vinyl everything, manual everything, not even any A/C. Exactly what I wanted in my daily driver. This past weekend, I changed the heater core. Painfully (as if there's a non-painful way to replace a heater core in a modern vehicle). Thought I did everything right, reconnected everything that was connected to begin with, had no leftover fasteners, no plugs or wires hanging down, etc.
The only malfunction, besides the core, prior to the repair was an intermittent parking brake light when the parking brake was applied. Not a big deal. Now that the dash is put back together, none of the tail lights work, no running, brake, turn, or reverse, my interior light does not come on when the door opens, and the truck will turn over, but not start. I have reconnected the big screw-in plug on the steering column, checked a bunch of fuses, and gave a big middle finger to the plug on the backside of the light switch, and nothing seems to work.
What could cause something like this? Have any of you encountered a problem like this when changing cores or removing the dashboard? The truck is currently sitting in a parking space at my local fire station now that I've pushed it out (I'm a volunteer, so I made use of our empty 4th bay) and I'm sure my chief, while he is the blue-collar embodiment of Ned Flanders and one of the nicest people you could ever meet, does not want it staying there, parked all
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The facts: 98 rangers 4.0 4x4 177k
The issue: does the dreaded shudder start, check engine light is on saying lean bank 1 bank 2.
Fixes so far: have replaced every gasket intake base up, a lot of new sensors on the intake. All 3 of the 02 sensors new. Have not touched egr. Thoroughly inspected plenum and intake hose for cracks, no Pitts in the intake.
It's a NEBRASKA truck with zero rust. Thought maybe fuel pump might cause all these issues, however, the turn the key twice trick before starting makes no difference, and I can hear the pump turn on each time I turn the key.
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I'm 1200 miles from home living in a hotel right now. Was on my way to the store this morning and I took it out of gear. When to put it back in, and it wouldn't go in. Fortunately, I was still moving, so I coasted off into a parking lot. Once I shut the engine off, it went right into gear. It moves freely through them all. As soon as I start the engine, it won't shift. It is not my clutch. I can start the engine with it in gear and the clutch in, and it won't creep at all (was sitting on level ground when I tried). At least this means I can get it places if I slip the clutch a lot. Took the inspection cover off, and all looks well in there. It hasn't been acting strange. It shifted just fine right up until this. No strange noises either until now.
Now there is a slight squeaking sound if I try to force it into gear with our without the clutch pushed in. Since I've never let a mechanic touch my baby before, and I have to now, what possible things should I be looking for to make sure they are honest? I'm thinking maybe I killed my pilot bearing? Second, while its apart, I'm going to have them replace the clutch and slave cylinder since its got 160K on it and as far as I know, the previous owners never did that. Recommendations on what clutch to get? Its been towing some lately. I don't know if that makes a difference.
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My ranger decided to start leaking fuel somewhere probably a few weeks ago. I can smell it whenever I start the motor, and sometimes while driving with the windows down. Last night, I finally looked into the problem. I took the intake air hose off. The hose, air filter, and whole intake smells like gas. I'm thinking that shouldn't be the case on a fuel injected engine. After seeing some people talk about the Fuel Pressure Regulator go bad, I pulled the vacuum line off of it, and it has a very strong gas smell. I don't see any gas coming out of it, though, even with the motor running. Everything I read says if the regulator is bad, then gas should come out of the vacuum line. Is there another check I can do on it to confirm this is the problem? Is there somewhere else I should be looking? It got two new heads right before this problem started, so its quite possible I knocked something putting it back together.
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1998 Ranger, 3.0 liter manual transmission. The vehicle recently has had the engine replaced. Still a 3.0 Liter, but possibly is from a 1995 or 1996 Ranger. Replacement motor from a wrecking yard, appears to have been sitting for quite some time prior to purchasing. I had a friend change the motor out after getting the vehicle a few weeks ago.
Ranger drove fine for a week, but this morning it wouldn't start. One click is all it would give when you turned the key. Thinking the culprit was the all in one starter/solenoid, I replaced it with a new one this morning. Now the solenoid will click continuously when the key is turned, starter still will not rotate then engine.
Battery tests good - 12.4 volts; connections appeared fairly corroded.
Here is what I have done:
- Clipped off the first half inch of corroded terminal leads, replaced both sides with new battery connectors and wire brushed connections off at battery and starter.
- Replaced Starter
- With "S" connector disconnected, attempted to bypass starter connections and short terminals to see if a faulty clutch position sensor was to blame; shorting did not produce anything other than turning the key did.
- Paralleled an additional cable from battery to starter terminal to see if corroded wire connections were to blame; still just clicked repeatedly when attempting to start.
Crankshaft does rotate manually, does not appear to be seized up. Unsure of what else to check for. Not confident in friend's engine installation abilities, he may have screwed up something I'm not thinking of. On the other hand, I don't believe I would have been capable of swapping out the motor myself.
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I have a 1998 Honda Accord that intermittently won't start. When the issue occurs the dashboard lights, radio, etc all work just fine, but the engine won't turn over (no clicking, no noise at all). It's standard vehicle, but I definitely have my foot all the way to the floor to depress the clutch safety switch. The issue only seems to occur when the car is warm (i.e. it never happens on the first start in the morning), although it's been known to happen even after 2hrs of cooling down. The issue used to only occur 1 out of 100 starts, but now it's getting closer to 1 out of 4 times. I'm able to get the car going by jump starting it, but that's getting old.
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Made a trip to the hardware store yesterday. When I came out, the truck would crank just fine, but wouldn't start (98 4.0L 4x4). Tried adding gas, no luck. I had actually called a wrecker, but it eventually started after sitting for about an hour. All I did differently was hit the gas pedal a couple of times. Thinking it may be a low fuel pressure problem, I took it to autozone this morning (started it about 4 times now with no problems). Checked the fuel pressure, and it sat at a solid 65 lbs at idle. I tried holding the throttle open and it stayed at the same pressure. I forgot to try with the vacuum off.
First off, I've seen some people say 60 lbs is right, but more say it should be at about 45lbs. 45 seems right since the fuel return is on the block, not on the pump. I'm guessing the fuel damper went out, but is there any good way to check it? Also, since the damper is vacuum controlled, would a bad vacuum cause this problem? Third, could high fuel pressure cause it to not start? That's the one I'm most worried about what was wrong there.
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I have a 1996 Ford Escort that was giving me problems resulting in a new fuel pump and fuel filter, that was improperly installed and got that fixed. It has continued with the problems and they are getting worse. I had the fuel pressure checked, came out fine, then had a full engine diagnostic test, all testing fine. The mechanic suspects a sensor. The car acts like it is going to stall, then just when I think it is going to quit, it kicks in and runs great.
I got bad fuel a while back and it is doing the same behavior except does not quit. It happens very intermittently, now in every driving situation, except since I brought it in. The mechanic said if he checks the sensor when it's not happening, it would be a waste of time and money. Is this true? A faulty sensor will not read as faulty? This town is full of bridges, and the highway has long stretches of nothing and a mountain pass. He is suggesting I drive it until it happens again, then take it in, but that's what I did the first time. Do I really have to wait till it quits in one of these driving scenarios?
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I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima. I just had both top and bottom valve gaskets replaced due to oil seepage. About a week prior to this repair, I noticed the car would have trouble starting, but it was very intermittent.Now I am experiencing the starting issue 50% or more of the time when trying to start.I'm horrible at describing the actual issue, but I am going to try. I turn the key and it has trouble turning over quickly. No tinking or clicking or anything like that. I have had the battery and alternator checked and both are fine. When i had the valve gaskets replaced, the shop i used checked the starter and told me it was o.k. I'm really having a tough time figuring this out and don't want to get "taken for a ride" money wise.
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I have a 98 ranger, 4x4, 5spd 3.0 with 88k miles.
While I am driving it, everything is great, but when i start to accelerate, or torque the engine (going up a hill), I get this clicking/vibration in my gas pedal. its extremely noticeable, by feeling and ear.
Its most common around 2k to 2.5k RPM. There is a lot of play in the throttle cable, about an 1" or so give untill you feel pressure. What I need to replace or tighten?
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