I have a 1999 FORD RANGER and at times it has a hard time starting. It only does this in the late Fall and Winter months. I have a 4 cyl. in it. It does not do this every time and you do not know if it will start, you walk away from it and come back 5 min. later it takes right off.

I talk to the FORD GARAGE about it and they tell me that they cannot tell me hat is the problem unless it does it for them. The problem is you never know when it will do this.

Hopefully someone has or had the same problem with their's.

What is the problem?

 

Well the Ford folks were partly right, an intermittent problem is tough & expensive time wise for them to trouble shoot, if it isn't present when you bring it in.

So we'll need more & better info/clues to offer up a decent guess.

Right now, without more info & from your description of when in the year the no start condition happens & 5 min later it'll start right up, I'm leaning toward a fuel delivery problem.

With the vintage of this ride, it could be a number of things, from no, to low voltage to the fuel pump, weak/worn fuel pump, ice or debris in the tank clogging the pump sock, lines, filter, or injectors, causing low or no fuel pressure, bad ignition switch, power relay, inertia switch, wiring or electrcal connector to the fuel pump, ignition switch, power relay, or inertia switch.

SO, do you have a CEL lit???? If so, run this puppy by your favorite autoparts store for a no cost computer trouble code scan & post ALL of the code Numbers, as they can provide some good clues.

What happens, when on one of it's no start fits, if you cycle the ignition switch from Off to Run several times, without cranking the engine, but slow enough that you hear the fuel pump run a couple of seconds to build fuel pressure to prime the system, Then crank the engine, will it then start right up????

Have you done a fuel pressure check when it's in one of it's no start fits????

A whole bunch of thoughts to ponder, but maybe one of them will yield results & get us started on your trouble shoot.

 

i can't add much to what pawpaw said in his comprehensive reply except to ask how many miles on the truck? anything been replaced recently on it? from your profile we can guess since you're in OH the ambient temp is frigid right now.....