1988 Ford Ranger XLT

Hi there. New to this but I need help. My ranger xlt acts weird sometimes. I will park it go in the house and when I come out and try to start it again ......... nothing. The battery is not dead , its like the shifter is not lined up or something. Sometimes I jiggle it a bit and it goes, sometimes not so I go away and come back in a while and she goes. I am pretty hopeless with cars and would love a little help. Any ideas. Thanking you in advance for this type of thing truly represents the power of the internet as far as I am concerned. Love and respect
Tom Kowalsky from Canada.

hi, could do with knowing if your ranger is manual or auto transmission as this will make a big difference in the relevant advice,
there are a host of reasons why your ranger is acting up. if auto then it could be as simple as adjustment to the selector or a dodgy inhibitor switch, but one the other hand it could be an engine problem if the motor is turning over but still fails to start then it may be that when your engine hot, you are loosing compression therfore you will have insufficient pressure to ignite the fuel.
please let me have any other relevant info the greater the detail the better i may be able to help.
regards brian.

hi, could do with knowing if your ranger is manual or auto transmission as this will make a big difference in the relevant advice,
there are a host of reasons why your ranger is acting up. if auto then it could be as simple as adjustment to the selector or a dodgy inhibitor switch, but one the other hand it could be an engine problem if the motor is turning over but still fails to start then it may be that when your engine hot, you are loosing compression therfore you will have insufficient pressure to ignite the fuel.
please let me have any other relevant info the greater the detail the better i may be able to help.
regards brian.
Thanks for the reply Brian. I have an automatic trans (2.3 L ) I just took it in to my mechanic whom I totally trust. He replaced the spark plugs which were fouled beyond hope and discovered a leaking trans seal which was located in the shifter. (who knew?) He also informed me that my valve seals are gone and are the reason for my plugs fouling so quickly. Runs better now but occasionly still idles like crap stalls once in a while and then is hard to start. I have very high mileage (300,00 KM'S ) and am wondering if I should do the valve seals or look for a new truck. I love my ranger and would certainly buy another one. Oh and sometimes while driving all of a sudden the check engine lite comes on but when I shut it off and restart it goes away.(sounds like a computer huh? Anyway as you can probably tell I am not the mechanic type so I really appreciate the help. Happy new year to all and God help my truck please , I need it to get my boys to cadets . Tom.