98 Ranger stalling / running rough.

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Sep 4, 2009 | 10:21 AM

jimmiwan

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98 Ranger stalling / running rough.

I have a 98 Ford Ranger 5 speed, 2.5l with 100,000 miles on it. It was parked for about 3 years. I recently got it running again. I replaced a few things, starter, battery, battery cables, alternator and belt, initially to get it running. It ran fine for about 1000 miles. I noticed the other day that the engine was taking a little bit longer to turn over than usual when starting, but it didn't seem like a problem until yesterday. I got into the car, started it, and put it into reverse and it wanted to stall if I didn't give it lots of gas. I put it into first and the same thing happened, lots of gas or it stalls. I started it today and drove it around the parking lot to see if it was still happening and it is. I let it idle for a while and it definitely doesn't sound right.

I am puzzled, probably because my knowledge under the hood is limited. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sep 5, 2009 | 01:56 AM

killit

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From: arkansas

You sure the alternator you put on is good? dead cell in battery? if not getting sufficient voltage from batt/alternator then your PCM, computers, etc i.e. nothing will work right ... If everything was fine initially for 1000mi, sounds to me your battery and/or alternator replacement is bad.

Sep 5, 2009 | 07:37 AM

daddy hadday

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Having sat for three years, I would start with the basics. You might want to change the fuel filter if you already havent done so, also put a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in your tank. Rust and other junk may have settled at the bottom of the tank over the years and all you did was awaken it.

Sep 5, 2009 | 08:04 AM

pawpaw

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From: SW Va

I like both of the above ideas.

Did you dain the tank before starting it up, or did you run the remaining 3 year old gas through the fuel system & engine????

Sep 6, 2009 | 11:39 AM

93'ranger2wd

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Also, I would think about changing the spark plugs and wires if you didn't do so already. Did you change the oil and filter? If not then you better do so quickly.

Last edited by 93'ranger2wd; Sep 6, 2009 at 11:41 AM. Reason: forgot to add something in

Sep 6, 2009 | 02:09 PM

tomw

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From: suburban atlanta

Check for loose or broken vacuum lines. If they leak, you will have an uneven idle. Your IAC idle air control is the device to control idle speed. If it gets gummed up, it can sometimes fail to keep a good idle. I would expect that you also would want to change the air filter, and check records to see if the timing belt had been changed. I think it is a 65k mile item, but that may be different for different model years.
If you have good power when accelerating, then you have adequate fuel flow, and can skip the filter change stuff for now, unless it seems to lose power over time the longer that you run it, which could indicate the junk in the tank is clogging the filter over time.
I would assume that you have either burned or replaced the original fuel that was in the tank for 3 years driving more than 1,000 miles, so that should not be a factor.
tom