Driving me crazy.. 2002 Ranger XLT auto 3.0 will not start after it has run awhile, Was very intermittant at first sometimes six months would pass, sits for and hour or so and would start right up and run great. Lately it is becoming more frequent. Good fuel press, good spark, I have changed the coil pack, fuel relay, filter , am at a loss. HELP,

 

Have the computer scanned for trouble codes & post All code Numbers. If no codes found, since it takes air, compression, fuel & spark to make em run, whats going missing when it won't hot start??? When you tested fuel pressure & spark, was it in one of it's no start fits????

 

No CEL or codes . it was not running when I checked spark just cranking. Strong spray of fuel from fuel rail test port not checked with gage.

 

OK, good feedback. When its in one of its warm no start fits, get a fuel pressure gauge connected to the fuel rail Schrader valve test port & post the fuel pressure numbers.
If you don't have, or cant borrow one, Harbor Freight has one for $20 that's good enough, if you'll wrap all the threaded fittings with some PTFE ribbon dope so they won't weep.

 

i know how much a pain in the butt an intermittent problem can be. you think you know what it is, change the part, only to have the same problem. You can throw a lot of money at a vehicle before you stumble onto the problem. problems i have heard about when the vehicle is warm is the ignition control module, pcm. a good website for how to test things is

Part 1 -Ford 3.0L, 3.8L Index of Articles

 

There's a check valve in the fuel circuit that traps pressure when the pump is off. So, you could have had some residual pressure trapped in the line when the engine was shut off.

If you turn the key to ON (not START), can you hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds when you're experiencing a no-start? If you don't hear the pump running in ON or if you check fuel pressure while cranking and it's low, give the bottom of the fuel tank a tap with a rubber mallet or, with a block of wood against the bottom of the tank, use a regular hammer to hit the wood. The idea is to jar the fuel pump a bit and see if it will start running. Just like starters, fuel pump motors can get a bad spot on them.

In addition to what jswford listed, I've heard that crank sensors like to fail intermittently. One more thing to add to the list.

Finally, I posted a youtube video of some guy who had a wiring issue at the underhood fuse/relay panel. A jiggle test uncovered the problem and he shows how to jumper the relay to isolate the problem. I'll see if I can find that link.

 

Here it is:
One more thing to check if the symptoms warrant it.