1994 Ford Ranger 4x4 XLT
192,000 KM
4.0



Hello Every one,
I washed the engine compartment yesterday evening , was very careful not to get the distributor , distribution box , more anything that looked electrical wet. After washing I fired up the Truck to make sure it started for me in the morning ,and let it run for a while to dry things out under there , started just fine. Get up this morning the Truck is turning over but wont start. (Note : I did have problems with the fuel Pump relays prior to this and thought maybe this was the case again because I can't hear the fuel pump buzzing when I turn the key. So I switched a couple relays around in the distribution box and tried to start it , still not wanting to fire up.)So I guess before I go ahead and remove the Bed and buy a new Fuel Pump does any one have any suggestions on how I can trouble shoot this problem
I am very inexperienced when it comes to electrical trouble shooting . From what it sounds like to me there is a short somewhere??? Or my Pump is toast, please help.

 

To simplify and focus troubleshooting, you first need to determine if it's lacking spark or fuel.

 

Well seeing as how it started ok just after the bath, I'd guess the fuel pump is likely ok.

BUT, seeing as how the problem arose after sitting all night, I might suspect a condensation problem INSIDE the distributor cap & or maybe inside the spark plug & coil wire boots, so have a close look there too. If you find moisture there, dry things out & try again.

I like to clean & spray the inside & outside of my distributor caps with silicone, butter on a thin layer of a good dielectric grease, to the insides of the plug & coil wire boots & the external spark plug insulators, to help prevent flash over, or electrical leakage on rainy days, or damp morning starts.

If moisture doesn't seem to be the problem, check for spark from the coil. You could do that with a timing light on the coil wire. positioned so you could see it while cranking the engine.

If that seems ok, then check for fuel pressure at the fuel rail. If you don't find any, recheck the fuel pump relay, maybe "thump it" to wake it up, check the in cabin inertia switch, to make sure it has't been bumped or kicked & tripped, or unplugged.

If that checks out ok, then do a voltage check at the inertia switch, to see if power is there for about two seconds, when you go to the "run" position on the ignition switch. If no power is found, then back up to he fuel pump relay & check there. Also check the fuel pump fuse.

Let us know what you find.

 

take a screw driver and stick it in the spark plug wire... put it against the motor somewhere it can touch metal and have someone turn it over. see if you can see spark. (make sure its not a painted surface)

Matt

 

It's a 4.0L so it has EDIS - no distributor cap. But I'm thinking along the same lines, in that maybe the EDIS module/connectors got some moisture in them or something like that. I believe the '94s still had a seperate EDIS module, if so, it is located at the right-hand front corner of engine compartment, mounted on upper radiator support. It will look the same as the one you can see HERE.

You can try manually running the fuel pump by grounding the FP pin on the EEC Test Connector located under the hood. Just run a wire from the FP pin slot to a good ground and the pump should fire up.

 

Hey guys,

I just got home from work , my parts store was on the way home , so just incase, I bought a new relay , the fella that I deal with said if I bought a new one, and it solved the problem , he refund the old one that had failed ,so really I had nothing to lose.Anyway got home replaced the old with the new and Just like that fired right up. Problem though ??? Why am I blowing these relays , this is the third one in approx. three months???? I guess I could buy a skid of these and I would be o.k. , but I want to elevate this from happening every month. Thank you every one who posted an answer to my question above I'v learnt allot so far.Please let me know if anyone has any other suggestions to help me nail this problem down. regards, Vinni

 

Wait a minute, you said you swapped a couple of the relays in the power distibution box around, this morning & it wouldn't start.

Did you try to start it again this evening, with the old relay, BEFORE you installed the new relay????

If not, try putting the old relay back in & see if it'll start. If it does, something else is likely amiss here.

I'm kinda thinking maybe something dried out today!!!! Or maybe you have an electrical connection problem somewhere, maybe around the power ditribtion box, or an ignition switch problem.

Anyway try the old relay again & see what gives.

 

Dry it out, find what leaked, seal it with silicon, and move on.

I don't promise it will be that simple, but it works.

 

This is a good lesson on what to spray and not to spray when washing the engine. I'm not saying you did it, but apparently some people think that little black box is completely immune to water. Boy do they find out different.

 

Hey guys,

I just got a chance to check the old relay , it was blown . So something is causing the relay to malfunction, maybe because its an aftermarket part, just poor quality?