'02 Ranger XLT, extended cab, 4X4, 4.0L SOHC, 5-speed manual, 114K miles.
Problem has occurred twice. After extended run time and engine fully heated, when I get home and shut it down, then attempt to restart within a short period of time, the engine starts very briefly, then begins shuddering violently and dies within a few seconds. Re-attempts to start result in a very shuddering attempt to run for a couple seconds, and then it dies. After a couple of re-attempts, it doesn't even attempt to start; just cranks over with no results. Has to sit about 7-8 hours before it will restart.
No OBD II codes; Passed, no codes shown.
I purchased a crank position sensor, but haven't installed it yet: just a stab in the dark after hearing other people's experiences with other vehicles.
Any better ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

First occurrence followed a lengthy trip in heavy stop-and-go traffic. Shut it down when I got home, then attempted to re-start after a few minutes to run a short errand. Sat for two days without any re-attempts; then restarted and ran fine on first try a couple days later.
Second occurrence followed a couple hours of hitting yard sales with the neighbor, in which time I did not shut the truck down; just left it idling while we perused the sales, for fear it wouldn't re-start. Reckon it's a good thing I did, 'cause when we got home and I shut it down and attempted to leave again shortly thereafter, it malfunctioned as described.
Retries failed after sitting 4-5 hours, but after eleven hours of sitting, it started right up and ran normally.

 

I'll see if I can get things started.

Seeing as how you say you can't extract any trouble code clues, lets think about this some more. It takes air, fuel, compression & spark to make em run, so what's going missing when it won't restart?

When it's in one of it's no restart fits, use your inductive timing light on #1 spark plug wire to safely check for spark & correct timing as your helper cranks the engine.
Use your fuel pressure gauge at KOEO to test for the specified pressure (64 +/-8psi & 1/2 pt of fuel volume/15 seconds pump run time) at the under hood fuel rail Schrader valve test port & post the findings.

 

Thanks for the reply, PawPaw.
My induction timing light is lent out to a friend, so may take some time to recover it, but will give it a shot.
Regarding the fuel pressure test: what does the value of 64 represent in your formula? the psi and volume I understand, but the 64 value escapes me. (I even figured out what KOEO stands for, and that's a stretch for an old fart like me) :-)
The fuel pump was considered as a suspect from the git-go, but I tended to lean toward heat-related electronic failure. Just a hunch.... no value attached.
Thanks again!

 

The 64 is psi & the range is +/- 8 psi, so the fuel pressure range is 56 to 72 psi.

Yes I agree that the problem sounds like a electrical heat soak failure problem & a number of Ranger items are known to exhibit the kinds of problem you described, from the fuel pump, to power relays for the pump & coil pack & the coil pack itself.

There are simple tests we can suggest for whatever system, or item in it that seems to be at fault, so you can perform a low cost drill down trouble shoot that's fairly accurate to isolate the problem, then some test things you can do on the suspect item to confirm it's faulty, without throwing parts at the problem based on a hunch & hope for joy.

The two tests I suggested can be quickly & safely done with those two items, on those systems.

It's not recommended to pull a spark plug wire & let it arc to ground, to test for spark, as that extra wide gap causes a serious over voltage of the secondary spark components & can weaken good parts.

If you don't want to wait on the timing light retrieval, you could use an old spark plug connected to a plug wire & Firmly ground it's case, then watch for spark as the engine is cranked, to test for spark, but it won't test for timing. If you do it this way, disable the fuel pump so it won't run & cause the fuel injector for that cylinder to wash down the cylinder wall & dump raw fuel into the cat converter & over heat it after a restart, while cranking to test for spark on the old plug.

Don't open the Schrader valve to see if the fuel rail is pressurized, s it's not accurate & is dangerous, as fuel is highly flammable in vapor/spray/atomized form, so we don't want to read about the pressure test in the paper!!!!

Yes KOEO = Key On Engine Off.

Those two tests should narrow down which system is laying down if it's a heat soak problem. Let us know what you find.