My truck stalled 1/2-way to my job today. Weak fuel pressure. Had it towed back to my nice quiet driveway. Currently zero fuel pressure. Inertia switch seems fine, I get a soft clicking when I should hear the louder click of the pump. I think the soft click is the relay under the hood. I don't have that schematic, so I'm going about this differently than I'd like. I need a newer Chilton's book. Anyway, looks as though I'll be dropping the tank tomorrow. It's getting cold too. But it doesn't have a skidplate for some reason unlike the older version. Pros & cons.
And O yeah, it has 5/16 tank of gas & if I had line freeze in this mild weather with that & BP (Amoco gas), the ride on the Rheule's truck would probably have helped that.
I've even left the key in the on position for a few seconds repeatedly, minutes & even most of an hour with no change other than no fuel rail spray. I've been able from time to time had it nearly wanting to run, as long as I don't touch the gas, which I usually consider taboo during cranking. Yeah I now why.
Anybody think I'm missing something? I was able to trip the inertia switch, and reset it, but it seems the least likely. Of course I'll contort myself enough to get a meter on it if there's good reason. The body & seals are like new in that area with no signs of any issues. Shoot, the windshield was brand new at the dealer due to a big crack so I'm told.

 

Bugger it. I just read my thinking's wrong on 1 detail. I should be figuring on removing the bed instead?! I remember reading of this kinda thing before of pickup tanks, but haven't actually had to do one yet. The straps don't look that hard to get to, but I didn't allot all that much time to that task yet. I was focused on elimination of causes.

 

Are we talking about your 93 Ranger here???

Have you checked fuses & the fuel pumps operating voltage at the inertia switch at the KOER position????

Have you tried "thumping" the fuel pump relay to see if it's sticking & will wake up. Or swapping it out for a like one not needed to run the engine, say the A/C relay & see what happens????

If all that comes to naught, have you tried "thumping" the fuel pump to see if it'll wake up????

How many miles on this fuel filter????

If you come to the conlusion that the fuel pump has gone belly up, it's said by those that have done it, that unbolting the bed & sliding it back is easier than dropping the tank.
Just be sure to first unplug the tail light harness & take the fuel filler hose connection loose.

Let us know what you find.

 

1st off, the old Ranger is gone to a new owner. Perhaps that could mean a new member here. That would be good. Anyway, I pretty much did accomplish the checklist after a fashion. I couldn't find a spare relay with similar label in the truck, but my ears seem to hear its soft clicking in the absence of the pump's louder kicking. The inertia switch was in ok mode and tripped when I hit it mildly. Made a noise seming to indicate it had power after I reset that. After more reading, that's pretty much how I arrived at my conclusion. The idea of sliding the bed back is wierd to me. I hadn't remembered about the taillights & I wouldn't be surprised if I have to be careful with the trailer harness extension.
I'm thinking I'll have to do the job on my 1st day off this week do to cash flow & doing something new to me. Hopefully I have tomorrow off, but it's supposed to rain most of daylight. A big tarp over the cab & bed may keep the gas dry enough though to do the job. Should be fun by the sound of it. I have the bed full of tool boxes & the spare at the moment. That spare seems to take up nearly half the bed. It's a P26575r15. Probably don't need one unless I go up north.

 

Well before you get crazy & yank the bed to pull the fuel pump, I'd do a operational voltage check on the fuel pump at the inerita switch & again maybe at the pump, depending on what you find at the inertia switch.

This would tell you if the fuel pump relays contacts & wiring are handeling the pump motors load ok, without a serious voltage drop.
If your getting a voltage drop, it'll make the pumps output weak.

When last was the fuel filter changed????
If it's clogged up, you'll have flow problems & the fuel pump will give up the ghost much sooner.

Might be helpful to know the vehicles service history, which engine, year model & mileage.

 

I wish I knew more of its history. The previous owner was too tall to be happy with it & a lot of the stuff was ham-fisted poor quality work, so I'm assuming the worst for its 118,000 (120,600 displayed) history. An example of the work is using crummy butt connectors to rewire the headlights & swapped mini fogs that need replacement already. The headlights cut out at 55 on M53 Southbound on my 3rd night of ownership, prompting me to tear in, solder & apply heat shrink & tape.
Other than all that, I need special needle probes to check the voltages as you suggested. Wondering if a set I saw at Harbor Freight would suffice until I get better probes. Even if they leave too large a pinhole, I could reseal with liquid tape.

 

As it turns out, you hit the nail on the head Paw Paw. I climbed underneath for another check & noted a junk harness clip along with a lot of grit inside the pump harness, but nothing obvious. Then I rigged up a test with the inertia switch yanked. Ahem. Went back to engine bay fuse box & swapped relays, which got it to fire a couple of times but then as dead as before. Actually, the AC relay works great for that & kinda thinking it's now my spare as I'm not going to need that circuit... Anyway, I found out somebody got mighty ham-fisted with the socket. Pried up the yellow cover under the relays & closed up the spade connectors with long nose pliers. I'm kinda disappointed both in the previous owner to a higher level & in spoiling my gripe-fest of a big job in the rain. I'm thinking he probably spent a lot of time in ghetto areas in spite of living in a middle-class yuppie city.
Anyway, thanks for the reminder. See if I can play with other bits tomorrow before it gets really nasty. Umm, I am hoping the forecast for Sunday is truly legit as this thing could be a lot of fun in snow. 4x4 high in heavy rains seems to indicate good snows should be an irresistable playground even compared with my last 2 Ranger 4x4s.

 

OK, good trouble shooting & feedback & to hear you found your problem without having to yank the bed & pull the fuel pump.