I've got a '91 ranger tw. 2.3 that won't start. i've got fuel at fuel rail(all fuses good,pump, filter are good, got gas in tank, but it's is old). changed fuel pump and eec relays. it will start and run good if i supply gas into the throttle body. injectors seem to have power. please help! thanks guys

 

What is your fuel pressure/are you sure you have pressure? What do you mean when you say it seems to have power to the injectors?

 

Well if you have fuel getting to the rail, time to check spark and ignition timing for the fuel injectors.

These trucks were known for problems pointing to the DIS module mounted on the front of the intake manifold, behind the alternator (drivers side.) This module picks up information from the crank position sensor, throttle position sensor, and a few others to determine when to fire the coil packs, and when to fire the injectors.

I guess what we need is a little more information. Has the truck been sitting, or is it a daily driver that just wouldn't start one morning?

 

it has been sitting for close to a year. before that. it ran fine.does the fact that it'll run fine when i'm injected gas mean anything? i can see that all connections to the DIS module are good.thanks

 

by power to the injectors i mean when i test them with a simple test light(with key on), they're hot. i pressed the shrader valve on the fuel rail at several diffrent times and always gives a good spray. thanks

 

I would drain the gas tank and put in new gas. I'm not sure if gas can last a year, even if it is been treated properly.

 

that's kindof what i was thinking. it's untreated gas and it looks and smells pretty weak. thanks

 

Changing the filter may also help to increase the pressure in your fuel system. I'd be hesitant to rely on a filter that'd been sitting for a year. Unless the problem is on startup only. In other words, do you just have to start it with forced feeding and then it will run on it's own power, or must you continually supply it with gas?

 

i've already changed the pump and filter. it'll only run as long as i'm feeding it gas. when i stop, it stops. thanks

 

Maybe you could check the inertia switch. Idk if there is one on the 91, and I don't know if that would stop the injectors from firing. I imagine it would kill spark first... But you have spark. (Sorry if I'm not very helpful, it's late, I've worked 10 hours on my feet today and woke up really early to take a final, not to be using excuses or anything ) Check the intertia switch.

 

thanks. the inertia switch is good.(btw, it kills the fuel pump) keep thinking, this is what i need to get her runnin. thanks again

 

Why haven't you checked for stored codes yet, in particular KOEO?

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Are they pulsing when cranking it, as evidenced by a VOM attached to an injector pigtail?

 

I really don't know how to check codes on any pre obd-II stuff. would the check engine light be on if there were codes? it hasn't been on yet. the light on the injector pigtail does pulse when cranking. thanks

 

If the harness for the injectors is pulsing when cranking over, and obviously it has spark if it's manually injected with gas... that truck should be running. The only thing I can think of is that the gas is so old/bad that it won't fire. Which it could be, but I've got vehicles running off of gas that had been in them for a year and a half or two years. Or the other case could be that the injectors are clogged. But I honestly can't see them all clogging up at once. I've seen 2.3's that have been in the bone yard for 3 or 4 years fire up with no problems at all.

 

You need to check for injector pulse with either a test light or a vom. The light being on solid is normal on one side of the connector. The system turns ground on and off to make the injectors fire. Check to see if the other side of the injector plug goes to ground when cranking or being fed gas through the TB. I have also seen this once before when a guy bought a tank of gas that had about two qts of water in it. I had to start it on ether and run it for a few seconds on ether to get it to clear the lines of water after we had drained the tanks and refilled. So that is also a possibility.