Hey guys I just got a 94 ranger yesterday with the 3.0l v6 in it, 5 speed 2wd, an it ran fine purred like a kitten yesterday then today driving to a buddy's house it randomly just shut off, no sputtering nothing. Just shut off, been fiddling with it today and I'm getting plenty of spark, so it can't be anything to do with spark, earlier I could hear the fuel pump turn on an prime and it still wouldn't start, checked all my fuses, all good. But now I do not hear the fuel pump kick on, dropped the tank and some yahoo took the pigtail off so it just wires on the 4 prongs for the fuel pump, one was disconnected so I re connected it and now I can't here the fuel pump but my fuel gauge works now as it didn't before, I've researched a bunch but all the things others have tried won't work for me. I'm stumped can't figure it out and I don't want to dump a bunch of money into it and still no results. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks. Also the truck WILL turn over. It'll sit here an crank as long as the battery will let it. Just won't fire.

 

Welcome to the forum


You can easily find out if it is a spark or fuel problem with 50/50 test
Spray gas, or ether(quick start), or carb cleaner into the intake then try to start
If it starts and dies then fuel is the issue
if it doesn't start then spark is the issue
50/50

Testing for spark is fine but it doesn't mean it is sparking at the right time, 50/50 tells you

Assuming it is fuel related, check the engine bay fuse box.
There is a 20amp fuse, #22 I think, that is the Fuel Pump Power Fuse
And there is a Fuel Pump relay in same fuse box, often labelled FP Relay

When you turn on the key the FP Relay should "click" closed and then click open after 2 seconds.
There will also be a relay next to the FP relay, EEC or PCM Relay, it will "click" closed slightly before FP Relay, but it will stay closed.
So two relays should "click" with key on.
(if you are working alone unhook negative battery cable, turn on key, then hook battery cable back up while you have finger on relay)

If wires at gas tank were loose then you could have blown FP fuse

In the passenger side of cab, in the footwell just above carpet level will be the Inertia switch, can also be behind kick panel on that side in '94

Google: ford ranger inertia switch images

To see what you are looking for
The power from the FP fuse runs thru the FP Relay and then to the Inertia switch, the inertia switch is there to cut fuel pump power in the event of a crash or a roll over.
Electric fuel pumps are nice but dangerous as they will happily keep pumping fuel out of broken fuel lines to start or feed a fire in the event of a crash.
Inertia switch has a heavy weight inside that will break power connection to fuel pump in a sudden stop or roll over.
It has a reset button, but once reset it needs to be replaced or a hard bump or even slamming a door will cause it to stop FP power again.

You can check it to see if it was tripped, if a car/truck has been in an accident and then repaired and sold they often won't replace the inertia switch.
But it is still a good place to see if fuel pump is getting power from engine bay.
There are two connectors on an inertia switch, one gets power from FP Relay and the other sends that power out to gas tank/fuel pump.
So if you have a test light or volt meter hooked to either terminal and a good ground, when you turn on the key you should see 12volts for 2 seconds.
You might see 5 to 7volts after that(key on), that is normal, it is computer monitor voltage, no amps so can't run the pump, just low volts.

 

Fixed it, thank you for your input really appreciate it, the guy before me said he knew nothing but there was a brand new FP and fuel filter on it. Took the bed loose an slid it back, bought a pigtail for the wires spliced them together and slid the pigtail onto the FP and it fired right up. I checked everything before this, CPS, spark, inertia switch everything and couldn't figure it out. But thankfully its fixed now!

 

Good work tracking down the problem

Thanks for posting the FIX