I have a 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 2wd with the 3.0l v6 with 144,000 miles and auto trans. I love this truck. I've owned this truck for 4 years and I have maintained it well. I wouldn't be afraid to take this truck anywhere until now. What I am about to describe didn't happen suddenly. It has just got to the point where I am scared it will leave me stranded. The truck cranks right up runs and shifts fine and it will take you anywhere. But now when you drive into town (for example) and you get to your destination and turn the truck off. When you get ready to get back into the truck to leave it will not crank back up. But if you let the truck set for 30-45 minutes it will crank right up. It started this about a year ago. But in the beginning you didn't have to let it set but for a few seconds and it would start right up, and it just did it occasionally. Now it has became a constant thing. On a total different issue about six months ago I changed the coil pack, new plugs, and plug wires because a miss started while driving between 45-50 mph. What I replaced fixed it and I used all genuine motorcraft parts.

I was thinking it may be the fuel pump. But before I started throwing parts at this problem I wanted to see if anyone had this issue before. This forum has been invaluable to me and my Ford F-150 and Ranger over the years. So, if anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or comments it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

brc

 

I agree, resist the urge to toss parts at a problem on a hunch. Good idea to take the time to perform a more in depth trouble shoot to at least narrow down the suspect list as much as possible.
So lets think about this some more. Good feedback about the problem slowly getting worse over time & it acting out after the in town "Heat Soak"

I'm not clear on your wording, by the engine wont crank after a hot soak, do you mean the starter motor isn't cranking the engine, or the starter cranks the engine over smartly but the engine doesn't start & run???

 

Dang, I forgot to ask, if you've scanned for set or pending trouble code clues & if so, post All code Numbers as they too can help focus a trouble shoot.

 

I apologise for my wording. The engine turns over but will not crank. No warning lights on the dash. I turn the key on and hear the fuel pump cut on. I hooked up my scanner to tool up and their are no stored codes.

It may be good for at couple of driving and start ups. I got stranded in town Tuesday and it was doing fine until the third stop and start. I got someone to come pick me up because I had waited as long as I could and it would not start back up. After I finished what I needed to do in town (about an hour). I went back to the parking lot and it started right up. When I got home I killed it and it would not crank up. Waited a few hours went outside and it started right up. Just don't know where to start.

 

Ok good feedback, no set, or pending codes so from that clue we know its something the ECM isn't monitoring but its not the battery, starter motor, or likely not a fuel pump power feed problem, as you say the starter motor cranks the engine & you can hear the pump run. BUT we don't know what the fuel pressure is when it wont start / run, nor if you have spark when it acts out. SO, use your inductive timing light on any easy to get at spark plug wire, to safely check for spark when it wont start. Also hook up your fuel pressure gauge to measure pressure when it wont run & post the fuel pressure Number. It should be 64 +/-8psi.

 

Thank You so much for the reply. I would do everything you stated but I don't have a fuel pressure gauge or a timing light. Just a shop full of regular tools.

I went to start the truck up this evening and it fired right up. But I did notice that the anti-theft light was blinking rapidly. I remember reading somewhere that if it was blinking rapidly the number of times it blinked gave you a clue as to something was wrong. I thought I was getting it confused on my Nissan trucks I use to have. So, I unhooked the battery cable because it was blinking so rapidly I was afraid it would run the battery down. 😔

 

Anti-Theft blinking is a Good clue & a ELM scan tool & running FORScan on the viewing device of your choice, can access & query the anti-theft system for trouble code clues as discussed here Low Cost ELM Scantool - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com). Maybe you'll be as lucky as me, when I had a no start condition, that my ELM & FORScan clues quickly led me to a faulty under hood power distribution box power relay, a common problem Ford part!!! Anyway consider borrowing, or coming by the inexpensive ELM & get the anti-theft system scanned & post All code Numbers.

 

I have a 2004 Ranger with a 3.0L. too. At 165,000 miles it developed this exact problem. I started keeping a fuel pressure gauge in the truck. The next time it happened I put the pressure gauge on it and cranked the engine. It didn't start because the fuel pressure stayed at exactly 0 PSI. I put a new fuel pump in it and this hasn't happened again in 30,000 miles.

 

If there’s a Schrader valve on the fuel rail you can at least check to see if the pump is still pumping fuel

 

I am sorry I am so late posting this, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their response and advice on the problem with my 2004 Ford Ranger. I had to stop fooling with it for a while due to medical issues.

I washed my Ranger this weekend. I let it set and run the entire time I washed it and dried it off. I turned the truck off and let it sit for a while. Went to start it back up and it wanted to crank, but it wouldn't. I turned the key to the start position and got out to listen and the fuel pump wasn't cutting on and it wasn't. I let it sit and cool down a bit and it started right up. So, I am going to replace the fuel pump and see if that is the issue.
There is one thing I forgot to mention about the truck that has been going on for a couple of years. I was reminded by it because I did it this weekend. If the truck is in park and you rev the engine up it starts missing between 2500-3000 rpms. If you floor board it while it is park it will not go over 3000 rpm. It does not do this when you are driving it. Even after I replaced the coil pack, plugs, and plug wires it still did the same thing while in park. I don't know if this has any issue on what could be going on with it now.

Thank you so much,
​​​​​​brc

 

Lets think about this some more. Murphys Law has to love this one. Think about it, this failure mode also Nicely fits an acting out power relay & you have Two under hood, power distribution box located, thus hot running power relays, that control the fuel pump. One is the PCM relay, that turns the fuel pump power relay on to run the fuel pump, So we're talking about Double Jeopardy here, two known problem parts, one operating the other & Both operating in a adverse under hood environment, so both are deserving of checking out, before tossing a fuel pump at the problem.

Easy to test their operation. When it wont hot start, do the dash warning lights come on & wink out for their self test, when you turn the ignition key to On, before cranking the engine??? If so, the PCM power relay is working. At the same time your watching the warning lights, also listen if the fuel pump runs for a couple of seconds & cuts off, to build pressure for a start. If the pump runs, its power relay is working, if you can't hear the pump run, or the dash warning lights don't come on & wink out for their self check, suspect the power relays have a heat soak issue, a common problem.
To prove your findings, swap in a known good, like relay, not needed to run the engine & see if that clears the hot no start problem. If it does, replace the relay with the heat soak problem.

If the relays seem to be working, the dash warning lights come on & you can hear the fuel pump run for a couple of seconds & cut off but the engine won't hot restart, check fuel pressure & use your inductive timing light on any easy to get at plug wire, to safely check for spark going missing on a hot start, as thats a common no spark condition too!!!!

Now about the WOT No Load engine rev. Thats not wise for us to do, as it can cause the engine to over rev & come unraveled & make a mess. SO, thats why Ford programmed in a computer monitor rev limiter, to shut the fuel injectors down, to save us from a Big expense!!!!

More pre fuel pump replacement thoughts for consideration.

 

I truly appreciate your informative reply. You described the problem in a very understandable manner in which the novel of use can understand. I will check for the relay problem. I did find out earlier about the reving the engine in park. That Ford did build in a system to not allow it to go over 3000 rpms. I wasn't "*******" it as my late grandpaw would say.I was just giving it a little gas to see if anything was wrong.

Thanks again paw paw for your always aboundant supply of automotive knowledge.👍🥳

 

You can replace every part on the truck and it will still do this. It is programmed to do that. It is in the programming in the PCM.

 

Yeah I was told earlier in a reply it was designed to that. I had no idea. I wasn't doing it for fun. I was doing it to see if the truck was running okay. Thanks for the reply and the info.