The inertia switch doesn't kill all power. It will just crank and crank, but it won't fire because it's starving for gas. I learned about this switch when I rear-ended somebody in my '91 ranger, right in front of a state trooper.

Rick

 

Could it be a faulty Solenoid? My truck wouldn't start or turn over two months ago, nor would any of the lights go on, just after just having had the starter and positive cable replaced. Someone with mechanical training came along, jiggled a few wires and told me it was the solenoid. Sure enough, after buying and replacing it, the truck started again.

Charlotte

 

Hey Steven,
What did they do to fix this problem. Sounds exactly like what my 91 Ranger is doing.

 

I feel Soooo stupied!
After trying everthing I could think of and following the advise that I found on this forum and nothing worked I had it towed for repair.
Couple of hours later was called and told my "5 month old Battery was bad" New battery and it starts and runs fine. The battery was showing almost 13 on the volts meter. I even took the battery out of my old 84' ranger and tried to start my 89' got nothing. But the 84'ranger would start every time. And it's battery is 5 years old.
I'm still puzzled as to why this happend. I nomally replace my battery after it's 4 to 6 years old anyway. That's the only reason I bought a new one for my 89 ranger. The old battery in the 89 was starting the truck fine, I replaced it only because of it's age.

Now my "Check engine " light flashes On every now and then.
Must be time for a tune up.

 

If this is the 89 I would pull the codes, see the tech info post on how this is done.

 

Steven,
I had the same symtoms you did. Would lose all power when I would try to start my truck. I changed the starter solinoid but the problem came back after a few days. I was considering an ignition switch problem until I read your post and noticed no one mentioned an ignition switch as a possible solution. I took their advice and started at the source. The battery. In your case you changed yours. In my case I cleaned my terminals. Made up a strong solution of baking powder and water. Removed the terminal bolts and soaked all in the solution until no more bubbles. Cleaned the battery top off and the posts. Put it back together and no more problem. Starts every time. I suspect you probably had a corrosion problem too. Your strong battery could get through it but you weak one couldn't. If the problem shows back up I guess it's time for me to buy a new battery.

 

SteveRanger
First of all I apologize for any inconvenience reaching out have a 1987 Ford Ranger 2.3L similar problem as your vehicle if you don’t mind asking what was the outcome?

I try everything has new battery, solenoid, ignition switch, ground are good, and all fuses are good.

Regards
Rene