1994 Ford Ranger XLT 2.3L gasoline
Summary:
Good little truck if we can fix the above issue
Faults:
The truck had 88,000 miles on it, but we put a new engine in it when we bought it, so the current engine has just 11,000 miles on it. It performed very well for several months, but then developed a starting problem.
It always starts first thing in the morning, and always starts after the engine has been off an hour or more. But the problem occurs when we need to stop at a few different places for a short period of time, starting and stopping the truck after only a few minutes. (If I run errands in town - a quick stop at the bank, then the grocery store, then the post office for example, it's likely not to start the second or third place).
At first the problem seemed to be that it was flooding. We found out it needed a new catalytic converter. We thought that had solved the problem, but it's back again. It may go a week without the problem, then it happens again.
General Comments:
Runs well and we'd like to keep it a long time.
Seats are a little uncomfortable for a long drive, but we don't use it often for those kind of trips.
Biggest issue is finding the cause of the intermittent starting problem.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st March, 2009
9th Nov 2009, 11:04
Check the fuel pump. Mine had same issue. Have had to replace the fuel pump 3 times. The last time I upgraded fuel pump, and since then no problem.
12th Jan 2010, 11:51
Sounds like it could be the coolant temperature sensor. When these go bad, the engine thinks it always need to do a cold start, which gives it more gas. In turn that makes it flood when the engine is warm.
16th May 2010, 01:49
It's the voltage relay. I've had my Ford Ranger for five years; sometimes it goes 6 months, sometimes it does it every other day, usually after a short trip somewhere, and come back to find it won't start. I happened upon a simple fix to pound the top of the relay box, a black long box behind the battery. Sometimes just shutting the hood hard resets it, but about the time you rely on that and get back in to start it, you find it was hard enough, I read on another page on this site it is the voltage relay, which makes perfect sense knowing there is little moving part in a relay.
12th Aug 2011, 15:31
I agree with the above poster. Mine had the same problem, and it turned out to be the fuel pump relay. It's located in the fuse box in the engine bay behind the battery. To test if it's the relay, the next time it won't start, pull that fuel pump relay out and cool it (the failure of mine seemed to be temperature depending). If it starts after cooling the relay, that's your problem. (Don't ask me how you're going to cool it in a parking lot somewhere. Maybe a stranger will let you hold it in front of their A/C vent for a minute or two..)
26th May 2009, 21:34
It could be the starter.