My 99 2.5 4cyl left me stranded for the second time in a year. First time I lost power and engine died. Would not restart. Changed the fuel pump and all was well until yesterday. After about 70 miles it just suddenly began to lose power and died. Engine would crank, but not start. I had it towed home and let it set for about 2 hours. Tried a restart and it fired right up. I shut it off and moved cars around to get it into the drive way. Tried starting again and would not fire. This morning I went out to see if the fuel pump was working. Removed the fuel cap and had the wife turn the key on. The pump activated for a few seconds. I thought that perhaps the fuel pump relay had an intermittent short, so replaced it. It fired right up. I moved the truck into the driveway and let it idle a couple of minutes occasionally revving the engine. After another minute or so the engine started sputtering and eventually died. Would not restart. I performed the same test on the pump and it pumped for a few seconds and stopped. Tried a restart and nothing. Truck has 91K miles. Fuel pump was changed 3K ago.

Any ideas on where to check next??? Thanks, Dave

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1999 XLT Extended Cab 2.5 5-Speed

Next time it sputters, leave the key in ON, squirt a fuel alternative down one of the vacuum lines into the intake manifold, and try to start. You may/may not be losing fuel pressure and volume. A gauge attached to the port on the fuel rail would indicate if pressure is there or not. The alternative is you are losing ignition, as the valve timing must be good(the engine runs), and you have compression, etc.
The computer keeps the fuel pump relay energized after the engine start, monitoring one of the sensors to know the crankshaft is still rotating. If that signal goes, the computer will cease with the sparky.
tom

I appreciate the hints. The next non-rainy day, I will tackle this issue. I am also going to R&R the fuel filter and inspect all grounds and connectors.

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1999 XLT Extended Cab 2.5 5-Speed

Tried to start the Ranger this morning. It would not fire. Squirted some carb cleaner in the intake manifold vacuum port. Attempted a start and it sputtered, wanting to fire. So, must be a fuel delivery issue. Since I changed the fuel pump just last year, I think I will try a fuel filter first. Crossing my fingers......

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1999 XLT Extended Cab 2.5 5-Speed

what brand of fuel pump did you put in?

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

Not sure. Airtex??

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1999 XLT Extended Cab 2.5 5-Speed

Check the connection on your inertial cutoff switch which is located in the upper passenger side floorboard up almost nearly to the dash. Check the connector and make sure it totally and firmly plugged in. It shuts juice off to the fuel pump in case of an accident. You'll know it when you see it. It's got a reset button on it.

Check out this thread:
2003 Ford Ranger - Fuel Pump Not Getting Power

If that's good, after that, you gotta see if you're getting voltage to the pump. The only way to test the voltage is to test it with it plugged into the fuel pump module from the back side of the connector. You gotta carefully pull or cut back the protective plastic sleeve to expose about 3-4 inches of the wires going to the connector (we're NOT cutting the wires here or skinning the insulation off the wires here. that's not necessary)

My 2003 Ranger has 4 wires going to the connector. Black/Pink is my hot wire and solid black is my ground. But you can figure it out if your wires are a different color. Here's how. The two fattest wires are the hot and ground wire. The thinner wires are just signal wires for the sending unit and the ground wire for the sending unit. Pull the little plastic gel weatherproofing thing out of the back side of the connector that the wires are going through and pull it back down the wires a couple of inches. This exposes the metal terminals in the connector that the wires are attached to. Take two paper clips, the kind that come incased in plastic, and skin the plastic back a little on both ends of both paper clips and stick one in the backside of the connector next to the hot wire and the other in the back side of the connector to the ground wire making sure the metal on the paper clips are touching the metal wire terminals inside the connector then clip on alligator clips from the paper clips to your volt meter. And make sure the hot and the ground NEVER touch anywhere at the connector or the volt meter. Turn the key-on-engine-off and you should see the volt meter jump up momentarily to around 12 volts then back down. Then turn the key all the way over trying to start the truck and you should see a constant 12-14 volts while the engine is being turned over.

After you accomplish that, post back.

By the way. You're also gonna need a fuel pressure gauge to figure this out. You can get an Actron gauge for around $35 at auto parts stores or get one at Harbor Freight for like $20. You need to find out if you have hold pressure. If you don't have hold pressure and you got a brand new fuel pump module then you got a leak in one of the hoses inside the fuel pump module. I installed a brand new NAPA fuel pump module one time and it turned out it had a tiny pin hole in one of the hoses in side the pump that was squirting gas out the side of the hose leaking pressure. Factory defect. If you find out you're getting proper voltage to the pump after your voltage test you can actually pull the fuel pump up out of the hole a little leaving the bottom submersed in gas and get a flash light then get someone to crank the engine over while you see if there are any leaks in any of the hoses down below. Wear goggles and gloves.

Well, the Ranger is running again. I replaced the Airtex pump assembly with a Delphi unit. Also replaced the fuel filter. Without doing anything else, I started the truck. Fuel pressure was a rock sold 62 PSI. My Son helped me with this project and he recommended I drive about 30 miles so the computer could get back to normal operation after the battery cable disconnect.

I also replaced the throttle position sensor because during the static resistance check the throttle inputs were erratic and did not repeat. After replacement of this sensor the inputs were smooth and repeated.

Next I adjusted the idle stop screw. I was having issues with the throttle sticking a bit when coming off idle. All I did was turn the screw in about 1/2 turn and it now works perfectly with no hang ups.

The only thing I want to do is clean the idle air control valve. After revving the engine it would stumble and almost die. However, after the 30 mile run in, the idle is smooth with no stumbling after revving and returning back to idle.

Right now the Ranger runs as good or better than ever. I am pleased! I do need to do a tune up; plugs, wires, etc.

I want to thank the members here who responded with helpful hints. This forum is a tremendous resource for the Ranger owners!

Thanks! Dave

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1999 XLT Extended Cab 2.5 5-Speed

Good info. thanks for the post

99xlt Dave, Might I suggest cleaning the throttle body? And giving the intake manifold inside a good cleansing with 'converter safe' cleaner. The idle 'sticky' and the stumble upon closing the throttle may be related to a buildup in the intake. The PCV dumps crankcase vapors(and oil mist to a degree) into the intake and it ends up leaving a messy coating that can make the throttle plate and channel 'gummy'. The coating also affects throttle response, though it makes no sense at first thought.
If you have good mileage on the odometer, and have not replaced the O2 sensor, it might also be a 'good thing'. I have almost 80k on my old(OLD!) Ranger 2.3, and had problems with the plug wires that led me off onto a goose chase. Bad plug wires that worked fine mostly, but would have sessions where they did not were the cause. I replaced the O2 because it was on sale at Rock, and that, along with the plug wires, made the engine run better than it has since new. The O2 made the response a bit 'snappier' is all I can say, and it now idles from cold without stalling(had done that since new). Just a suggestion.
tom