Greetings and thanks for any help.

For the last 2 years 1995 ranger 2.3 will run great but every 1-3 months will just stall. Will than try to start it for a couple of minutes and in 1-8 minutes will start back up again as if nothing was wrong and then be fine for another week, month, 2 months etc. It has never happened at first start up in the morning but at times will stall 2 minutes after start (at traffic light of course). At times will turn off to run into store, come outside, no start, try for couple of minutes and then starts up fine. Changed out fuel pump, etc, etc. Biggest problem is no codes and, of course, when mechanic looks at it nothing is wrong.

Any help would be appreciated. Good mechanic has been under hood for hours over coarse of last few years and we are stumped.

 

Initially I would suspect an intermittent ignition issue, maybe a cam or crank sensor blip or an ignition module hiccup. But normally a stall incident would generate some kind of code, especially if it was related to the ignition system.

Are you sure there aren't any trouble codes stored? Due to the fact that it's an OBD1/OBD2 transition year, the '95 Rangers are somewhat of a "hybrid" between the two, and as a consequence, they are notorious for being difficult to retrieve codes from.

 

Intermittent problems are the most difficult to diagnose.

Since the starter motor will crank the engine, you can put the battery, cables, their connections & maybe the ignition switch, low down on your suspect list.

Carry your inductive timing light & fuel pressure gauge with you & when it acts out, test to see if its spark or fuel that's going missing.

Power relays will act out with the failure mode you've posted.

When it won't start, are the dash warning lights cycling on for their check, or is the dash dark??? If its dark, try swapping the under hood power distribution box located computer power relay, with a like one not needed to run the engine, like the A/C power relay & see if it'll wake up.

When it won't start, if you can't hear the fuel pump run for a couple of seconds at KOEO, try swapping the under hood fuel pump power relay, with the A/C power relay & see if it'll wake up.

More thoughts for consideration, keep us posted on your trouble shoot.

 

Sounds like a clogged cat as well. Check it out!

 

Not to disagree completely, but wouldn't a clogged cat ... STAY clogged and not cause a problem intermittently? I mean, if it is clogged, what will make it suddenly un-clog and work?
I would suspect the stuff Rockledge noted. Sounds to me like a coil that opens at a very specific temperature. If it were the fuel pump, I'd think it would happen more often. A good intermittent in one of the relay coils, or the connections they are plugged into, corrosion on the spade lugs causing rare cases where there is just not that extra milliamp of current to throw the solenoid closed, that sort of thing.
tom