I have a 2004 Ranger with the 4.0 L V-6. It has 105K miles and change on it. And I'm having a problem with the engine quitting on me while driving, only to have it restart after sitting for 5 to 10 minutes. I've researched this problem on the forum, as well as several other Ranger-related forums, but haven't found a definite answer to my problem. I had it towed to the local dealership and explained the problem. They did some "troubleshooting" and determined that the fuel pump was bad. The fuel pump was replaced and I was sent on my merry way. I got about 7 miles and it happened again.

So, here's what I've found in my research. The problem could be caused by:

Fuel pump relay
Inertia switch
Ignition coil
Distributor magnetic pick up
Ignition modulator
TFI module

Are there any others that I missed? And what is the probability of each component being the culprit? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

2004 ranger 4.0l does not have
Distributor magnetic pick up
Ignition modulator
TFI module

Coil Pack would be a very very long shot, there are 3 coils inside, 1 coil failing would cause misfires but not stalling, all 3 failing would be.....well........unheard of

I think I suggested using a test light on inertia switch here or at TRS.

The Ford Dealer should take another look at it for FREE since they replaced the fuel pump on speculation and it doesn't seem to be the problem, so they OWE you another look, fuel pumps and labor to replace them is not cheap.

There are very few things that can cause an engine to stall
Lack of fuel of course is the most obvious.
Get a can of Quick Start(ether) and wait for engine to stall, try to restart

If no restart then pop the hood and open the air cleaner and take out air filter
Spray Quick Start into the air tube going to the engine
Leave air filter and cover off
Try to start engine
If it start and dies then fuel is indeed the problem
If it doesn't start then you have no spark
This is called a 50/50 test
Because with this one test, you eliminate 50% of possible troublespots

There are really only 2 things that can cause no spark in a 2004
Bad CKP(crank position) sensor
Bad computer

CKP would be the one to replace first, lol, much cheaper than computer
NOT CPS(cam position sensor), CKP sensor is on the lower front of the engine next to the crank Pulley
CKP sensors rarely fail, but if there is no spark that is where I would start.



Caution: you should not spray anything into the air filter air tube going to the engine, the MAF sensor is in there.
But for this one test you will not hurt anything, for sure.

 

Thanks for the reply. The problem isn't with the engine stalling and not restarting...it dies but can be restarted after 5 minutes or so. And it will continue doing that until the battery is exhausted. I believe that's why they replaced the fuel pump. I considered a computer problem, but wouldn't that create a one-time shutdown without a reset? Bad fuel pump relay? Maybe. I considered the inertia switch but that also seemed like a one-time event and anyway, this happened while just cruising on the road. No acceleration or deceleration involved. It's frustrating.

 

"........it dies but can be restarted after 5 minutes or so."

So if engine doesn't restart instantly then do the 50/50 test before the 5 minutes is up, that will tell you if it is a fuel or a spark issue causing the no re-start.

Every time you turn the key off and then on the computer reboots, so it could be a computer problem, but I wouldn't expect a time delay of 5min., a reboot is a reboot so......

OBD = on board diagnostics, it is an industry wide standard communications protocol used in automotive computers to talk to other "computers"

You can get an OBD2 Bluetooth reader, under $40, that plugs into the OBD2 port on ANY car/truck sold in US/Canada from 1996 and up, you then connect to it wirelessly/Bluetooth with any smartphone or tablet/laptop that has bluetooth.
You can, of course, get "codes" but you can also view LIVE data while driving, be careful, to see if there are any problems the computer is seeing prior to or during shutdown.
i.e. you could see RPMs suddenly drop to 0, CKP sensor shut off, so computer shuts off spark and fuel instantly.

These OBD2 readers work on any vehicle, 1996 and up, and are plug and play so a good investment if you plan on driving any vehicles for the next few years, lol.

 

Hey RonD,

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll have them do the 50/50 test tomorrow.

Ron Tolbert