90 Ranger won't start after spark plug change

[sindicus]

Hello All,

I'm in need of some expert advice . I recently changed the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor on my wife's 90 Ford Ranger, and now it's turning over, but it won't start. I believe it has to deal with some hoses that become disconnected, but I don't what the hoses are for or where they go. A side effect of being a beginning do-it-yourselfer, I guess.

I have checked a couple of manuals, but they don't seem to care enough about those particular parts to describe what they are. One of the hoses is extremely small with maybe a 1/16'' opening which runs from the driver's side of the engine over towards the air filter on the passenger's side and the other is a rather large tube (1/2" opening or so) that runs from an oddly shaped cylinder on the driver's side next to the brake fluid reservoir. Both hoses I believe connect to the intake manifold on the driver's side, but as I said, I am not sure as to the order.

Any help would be very much appreciated, part names, locations, whatever. The engine is a 2.9L V6. If you need any other information, please let me know.

Thanks

[sindicus]

Well, I talked with a mechanic and he said the vacuum hoses that came undone would only make the truck run rough or miss, but should not keep it from starting. I ran tests on the fuel pump and injectors, and it gives me a spark, but it still won't turn over, and it's even stumped the mechanic .

Could I still get a spark if one of the spark plugs was bad enough not to allow the truck to start?

[Psychopete]

Originally Posted by sindicus

Well, I talked with a mechanic and he said the vacuum hoses that came undone would only make the truck run rough or miss, but should not keep it from starting. I ran tests on the fuel pump and injectors, and it gives me a spark, but it still won't turn over, and it's even stumped the mechanic .

Could I still get a spark if one of the spark plugs was bad enough not to allow the truck to start?

You stated the fuel pumps and injectors were tested, but never gave the result.. Since you have spark, have you tried to spray any carb cleaner or something flammable into the upper intake plenum? Just remove the bigger hose and spray some in there and crank it over. If it runs, you're got a fuel delivery problem.

Does it crank a few times, pop, then not do anything after that? If so, the timing is 180 degrees off and is firing when the exhaust value is open. You can verify this by if the engine is flooding out really bad and you unhook the fuel pump you just gets lots of popping out of the exhaust.

I would sanity check it. Find top dead center, make sure the rotor is pointing on the #1 wire on the distributor cap. The crank turns 2 times for every single turn of the camshaft.

To find top dead center, take out #1 spark plug. (Passenger side front plug.) Turn the harmonic balancer (pulley on the end of the crank) with a breaker bar or something *CLOCKWISE* as you're facing the front of the engine. (do not spin backwards, if you miss it, start over. You might make the timing chain jump a tooth going the wrong way). Put your finger up to and against the #1 spark plug hole until you feel air beginning to push out (it will push well). This indicates you're close. Look on the harmonic balancer and line the marker on the block to the T.C. mark. You're on #1 top dead center at this point.

If everything checks out, run the codes:
http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/

Pete

[sindicus]

Sorry about that. The pumps and the injectors all passed their tests. My mechanic also suggested putting some oil into the intake, which I did, but no luck.

It actually does crank a few times and then pop, but it still won't start. So, I will try what you said and see if it I can get it to work, and will let you know the results.

It's really funny how much you can learn about these things in only a few days.

Thanks Pete

[sindicus]

Pete,

Right before I started the test you described, I double checked the spark plug wires and discovered that the wires were in the wrong order. After fixing those, the popping noise went away.

She still won't start, but the cranking is a lot smoother now, so it feels like I took one step in the right direction for a change. Should I still check for "dead center"?

[Psychopete]

Originally Posted by sindicus

Pete,

Right before I started the test you described, I double checked the spark plug wires and discovered that the wires were in the wrong order. After fixing those, the popping noise went away.

She still won't start, but the cranking is a lot smoother now, so it feels like I took one step in the right direction for a change. Should I still check for "dead center"?

Sounded like it was definately a timing issue, I usually don't think of the plugs wires because I change them one at a time so I don't have to think about it.

Oh, I am sorry, I should have gone in to more detail about what that actually means. Top dead center is then the piston is all the up on the compression stroke. (Both valves are closed, this is why you can feel the air) It's basically about to fire on that cylinder. That is why I recommending finding TDC and checking the rotor on the distributor to make sure spark plug #1 is firing in the correct place on the distributor. Mostly anything that deals with timing involves finding top dead center.

Lets say you find TDC, follow the #1 spark plug wire to the distributor, then see of the rotor is pointing on that wire to spark. If it is, then you'll know that the timing is correct. If not, the wires may need adjusted on the distributor if possible. You might find that maybe the wires are shifted to right or left. This would certainly cause a no start. If you have to remove the distributor, it's a pain to get it seated back in on this perticular engine. Just getting to that stupid distributor alone is pain .

It may seem strange at first, but once you've done something with TDC, it all makes sence. It's sort of a spot for setting the cam and ignition timing. If you move the distributor at all, be ready to re-time the engine with a timing light. It will have no power if it's off.

As far as the oil, did you just put engine oil in to the intake? It's needs to be some sort of mist, or else it may never fire. I learned that rule when I was a kid building potato guns using hair spray as a propellant. If it was engine oil, it's probably a good thing, your cylinder walls are probably washed out at this point. You may check the oil for gas if it's flooding out a lot. I would recommend changing the oil. If you keep up on the maintance and keep everything in good order, that engine will last a long time. Just never, under any circumstance, EVER over heat the engine just a little. These engines are known for cracking heads under heat. If you notice a slight increase in the running temperature, I would be tempted to remove the radiator and pressure wash out the fins/inside of radiator (I'm kind of hillbilly, but not really, just not afraid to get dirty). I would also have the cooling system flushed to make sure everything is in good order. Sometimes the heater core can get a little plugged and cause issues if you have a lot of rust in the coolant.

Pete

[sindicus]

So, and forgive my novice questions, the rotor returns to the same spot every time you turn off the car? So it should be pointing to the #1 spot every time I look under the distributor cap?

[Psychopete]

Originally Posted by sindicus

So, and forgive my novice questions, the rotor returns to the same spot every time you turn off the car? So it should be pointing to the #1 spot every time I look under the distributor cap?

It's not a big deal. Better to learn this way then trial and error like myself.

No. It could be anywhere when you turn the car off. The rotor will point to the #1 spark plug terminal on the distributor when the engine is at top dead center. It's basically a sanity check that the #1 spark plug is firing when it's supposed to. If it's not on #1 on the distributor when #1 piston is at top dead center, the spark plugs are not firing at the correct time.

Pete

[sindicus]

Some more questions for you:

If the fuel pump pressure is good and the injectors are firing properly, does that mean the fuel filter is also good?

Can a bad fuel filter cause the truck not to start?

Would gas in the oil keep it from running?

[Psychopete]

Originally Posted by sindicus

Some more questions for you:

If the fuel pump pressure is good and the injectors are firing properly, does that mean the fuel filter is also good?

Can a bad fuel filter cause the truck not to start?

Would gas in the oil keep it from running?

I'd say it was still good since it would be restricting the fuel flow. If you have 40psi at the rail, it should at least start. It's good to replace them every so often, if they do get a little plugged it makes your fuel pump work harder. It will cause it to fail much earlier, but that's just regular maintence.

Gas in the oil just isn't good for the internals of the engine. It's not a lubricant, so I imagine it would shave years off the life of your engine given it was driven like that for a long time.

Pete

[Scrapper]

if your plugs are getting wet after as much cranking your doing on this truck you don't have enough spark to start it..and if there is no gas on plugs you have a fuel pump problem somewhere that it's not letting it get to plugs to fire..and on your question on gas in oil not letting it start..it will still start but your eating up your main and rod bearings. always remember no spark no gas no start. but you do need to make sure your rotor butten in cap is pointing to number 1 in cap when you get it on top dead center.. (tdc)....

good luck.......

RICK.....

[sindicus]

Thanks Rick. That was actually what I was going to look at next was to see if the plugs had gotten too wet.

[sindicus]

OK, latest update. I checked the spark plugs, one of them was rather wet, but not that wet. The rest of them were rather dry, but they did smell of fuel which I am assuming is a good thing. Tried to start it again after placing the plugs back in, but no go.

So far the only recommendation that I havent done is find TDC. And I have a couple of questions about that.

1. Pete, you said that the harmonic balancer is on the end of the crank. Is there anything coming out of that pulley? Am I going to have to take something off to get to it?

2. What is the mark on the block going to look like?

3. And what does T.C. stand for?

[Psychopete]

Originally Posted by sindicus

OK, latest update. I checked the spark plugs, one of them was rather wet, but not that wet. The rest of them were rather dry, but they did smell of fuel which I am assuming is a good thing. Tried to start it again after placing the plugs back in, but no go.

So far the only recommendation that I havent done is find TDC. And I have a couple of questions about that.

1. Pete, you said that the harmonic balancer is on the end of the crank. Is there anything coming out of that pulley? Am I going to have to take something off to get to it?

2. What is the mark on the block going to look like?

3. And what does T.C. stand for?

I am just guessing that the firing order is off. Meaning, it's probably right, but the #1 plug wire is probably not on the #1 post on the distributor. I wish I could draw it out on a picture. You may have to shift every wire one to the left or right depending if it's even off. For all we know, it could be a problem with the ignition.

In other words:
At T.C. or TDC, the #1 spark plug wire should be nearing where it needs to fire. So, when you do find TDC, follow the #1 (passenger front) wire up to the distributor. Remember which post it is and remove the distributor cap. Look at the rotor and make sure it's pointing to the #1 post that you just remembered. If not, shift the wires accordingly.

The harmonic balancer/vibration dampner/etc is the pulley on the end of the crank. (turns 3 belts, all the way at the bottom) If you turn the engine by hand (via 1/2" ratchet or breaker bar, it's just a big bolt that threads into the end of the crank that holds the pulley on), you'll notice some markings on it. On the passenger side of the engine, right by the pulley, there's a little pointer that sticks out. It's flat, about a 1/4" wide I think. Your's is going to differ since my Ranger has been modified quite a bit. I've got no emmissions, no A/C, no air box (Custom Intake/MAF Conversion), so it maybe a little harder to see.

T.C. stands for Top Center, or Top Dead Center. I think the Dead is used like, "It's dead on." Or it's perfectly in place. For your purposes, T.C. mark will suffice. It's hard to find absolute TDC without a cam degreeing kit.

Have you had a chance to run the codes, or have the codes ran?
http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/ Try this if all else fails.

Pete

[sindicus]

Thanks for the explanation Pete. It's been raining here off and on for the last couple of days so I haven't been able to get to it, but I should be able to look at it today.

As far as the codes go, I have not checked them, and since the trucks not running, I can't really have them checked . I, unfortunately, am very limited on the tools that I have (just a ratchet set and some screwdrivers). My mechanic was nice enough to let me borrow some of his equipment to run some of the tests. It just cost me the gas to go get them.