Hi guys, i was cruising down the highway and all of a sudden I just loose power. the engine did not sputter like it was starving for fuel, it just quit. So I shifted down to 4th gear and low and behold the engine started running. so i am going to unplug and clean as many connectors as i can reach. in the meantime, if and when this happens again, what should i do to help determine the origin of the problem? It seems to me that since the engine didnt sputter. I lost spark and not fuel. this is a 2002 engine with 60,000 miles. thanks a billion

No CEL light..? No codes pulled?

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It could be fuel, actually... If the pump quits, there will be pressure in the system until it is exhausted. The walls of the fuel line, after the pump, will expand a smidge under pressure, and once they have contracted as the injectors are fed the last bits, there will be no pressure. If you open the schrader valve to check pressure on the rail, even with a working system, you'll get a squirt of fuel, then nada. That squirt is the residual pressure forcing fuel out the valve. It's pretty quickly used up.
I'd check ignition switch, rollover switch, fuel pump relay, grounds, fuel pump driver, and if ignition, crank position sensor, coil(s), etc.
tom

no cel light came on, as far as codes i assumed there wont be one. Iam I wrong?

This would happen on my 87 2.3 all the time. I had the problem consistently for a while and replaced a couple coils, ignition module , still no difference. Finally when I got the pickup coil replaced (ontop of distributor, just remove the cap) it fixed my problem. Just like yours it’d stall driving down the highway or randomly at a red light. Wouldn’t sputter or anything either. Fords don’t tend to get bad fuel pumps. I’d replace the pickup coil, hopefully that will fix your problem like it did mine


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1987 single cab ford ranger
4 cylinder
2.30 L
5 speed manual
2 wheel drive - rear

excellent feedback thanks keep the ideas coming. Im afraid with the problem being intermittent no diagnostic scanner is going to detect the problem. any suggestions as to what i should do if and when this problem returns would be most helpful.

A 2002 has coil-on-plug instead of a distributor, so no pickup inside, FWIW.

If you have no codes(you can have codes w/o a CEL or SES being lit), I'd look for connections that are loose, corroded, or have few strands of wire left.(damaged)
I'd also pull the relays from the power distribution box, check for corrosion, and re-seat them, ditto the fuses. Might not hurt to check the underside for corrosion or loose connectors. If it was just the engine without any funny instrument cluster action, then it is more a 'one circuit' thing if electric, rather than power for all accessories, cluster, etc. The one circuit could be computer, ignition, or fuel.
tom

What you should do next time it happens is keep a screw driver or an extra spark plug handy. While cranking the engine check for spark. That’ll narrow down the problem big time


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1987 single cab ford ranger
4 cylinder
2.30 L
5 speed manual
2 wheel drive - rear

The alternative to a screwdriver or spare plug is a can of carb cleaner or other fuel that you can stuff down a vacuum line to provide a few moments of fuel. When the engine dies, squirt some fuel down a line or through a port into the intake and try to start the engine. If it lacks for fuel, it will fire for a few seconds on whatever you allow it to ingest thus indicating it likes to run, but is being starved.
tom

OK thanks guys, Ill learn how and where to do both methods.

My 92did that for months, I changed the computer in the passenger side of the kick panel and that cured the problem. I don't know if the newer models like yours has that. turns out my windshield had been leaking and corroded it.

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Stock 92 2WD 2.3L 5spd Manual