Hey guys im new here. I just bought an 87 ranger xlt ext. cab friday with the 2.3l. only 4 spark plugs i think. when i bought it the gas guage didnt work. So i dropped the gas tank and removed the sending unit, cleaned the connector(turned out to be the problem), and re-installed. however when i was pulling the clips out of where the hoses connect to the sending unit i bent one up and it quit latching properly. now one line is loose where it connects to the sending unit but you cant pull it off. i figured it would be fine until i make my way to the junkard one weekend. the other line was secured tightly to the sending unit and had no play. At first, the truck would stall occasionally when coasting up to a light in neutral (5 speed). sometimes it would start back up, sometimes it would have to sit for a few minutes before it would start back up. it eventually progressed into a bucking that is very intermittent. it seems like it happens more often when ive been cruising down country roads at 50 mph for about 10 minutes rather than city driving (stop and go). It bogs down kind of like when you hold down the kill switch on a dirtbike while the engine is full throttle. Giving it gas does nothing. But usually after about 20 or 30 seconds of that all is back to normal. I decided to replace the fuel filter yesterday but when i opened the fuel filter cartridge, there was no filter inside. i put one in. thought i fixed it until it did it on my way home an hour or two ago and i had to pull onto the shoulder and by the time i had stopped it was running fine again. I dont know how long it has been run without a fuel filter or if this problem occured before i bought the truck. it happens 2-5 times a day usually. Also the truck is INSANELY slow. Been like that since i had it. Dunno if it has a problem or is just like that. Never owned a ranger.

Sorry it was so long there are a lot of things that could contribute to a PITA problem like this.