changed engine in 90 ranger and it wont start .but there is a twist to it

 

You need to give us a lot more info than that

 

Sounds like ya used all your energy and patience putting 'er in and need to save up a little puff so you can express yourself in something like clear sentences (been there!)

So... it will turn over (right?) but won't fire. Does it turn over fast, slow (or normal) - is it chugging but won't quite catch or just turning over with no firing sounds at all? Are you seeing any smoke or smelling any fuel?

First off - fuel. Is there enough fuel in the tank (sounds like dumb, question, but just trust me, be sure of this before going any further!). Did you hook up the fuel lines? Do you hear the fuel pump go when you first turn the key? Do you smell fuel (flooding) when you crank it over a few times or when you pull a spark plug is it getting wet? Later on you may be wanting to do more in-depth trouble shooting like fuel pressure but if it looks ok so far maybe take a quick look at the ignition side.

By the way, was this engine running before you put it in? Are you reasonably sure it had decent compression and that the timing was OK? Did you touch the distributor/camshaft (eg: timing belt/chain) in the process of R&R. If you have one of those in-line spark testers, put it in and get somebody to check for spark when you are turning it over. Did you double check you put the ignition wires back on in the right order and the coil wire is on tight at both ends?

If no joy by now, post back what you've found and any additional details that come to mind (where did you get the donor engine from - was it a junkyard pull or did you rebuild the original?). Did you replace the ofriginal engine with an identical one, or are you changing up engine size (2.3? 2.9? 4.0) or maybye one from an older or a newer year (what year?) Is the original (and donor) a manual or auto transmission? fuel injected? and so on.

Good luck - hope you get help from someone brighter than me!

PS: not everybody (hardly anybody) was born knowing everything! We learn the most digging ourselves out of self-inflicted problems. Hope you got somewhere warmish and dryish where you can spend a little time figgering this one out. Folks on here are pretty helpful - you just have to put yourself in their place and give what info you can to narrow things down a bit.

 

rebuild or replace the distributor, it's my standard answer these days.

 

Hi Trucker,

Welcome to FTE. This is a great site for all kinds of help. But to get that help, you have to help too. What engine (2.3-4 cyl; 2.9, 3.0, 4.0-6cyl) do you take out? What engine did you put in? Do you have a manual or automatic transmission?

Information such as this is needed to determine starting circuit wiring, fuel delivery and ignition system you have. What was the problem with the engine you took out? Did you tag all of the wires, vacuum lines and fuel lines so you knew where they needed to be hooked up? What year engine did you use for the replacement? How many miles are on the truck? Give us that information, plus the "twist", so we can give you some ideas of what to do to get your truck started.

 

i changed engines from a 2.9 to a 2.3 replaced every wiring harness on the truck and i have no power to the fuel pump i can strait wire the pump and i can hear it run but the truck still wont start

 

it had an auto trans and now has a 5 speed

 

the truck is a 90 and engine and trans is a 92 the motor has just been rebuilt

 

it had an auto trans and now has a 5 speed
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you are a glutton for punishment, see if injectors are getting a ground pulse and power, also see feul specs for different engines may be a prob mabey not. If you have good feul pressure and spark then check for proper timing..

 

Did you also change the ECM, aka computer?

Assuming you have added a clutch pedal, have you installed and wired the switch that only allows the starter to run when the clutch pedal is depressed?

 

yes i added the clutch pedal changed wiring harness in the dash and ecm

 

seems to me there is ECM powering issue. may be something was damaged. But computers for 4 banger and V6 differ (i say about program and calibration saved in UV EPROM).

Just compare wiring diagrams and you will see difference. At first glance not to many changes, two banks of injectors, but different calibration and different number of cylinders, different firing order.

Why there is no CEL, no power on Computer? hah! are you sure all fuse links are not burned! the wiring is simple, check all with DVOM