I've been on the hunt for this resolution for a while. When i turn the key on, my fuel pump will stay grounded and keep running indefinitely. changed and swapped relays with no luck. If the relay is not stuck, what else would cause this to happen? I have fuel, spark and compression. Sometimes, if it stays warm outside long enough, it will prime for 2 seconds and run like a dream no issues.

This also causes a no start.

 

parts changed:
IAC
fuel pump and sender
electric pump
distributor (rotor, pickup, ICM)
fuel filter
fuel injectors
fuel pump and eec relays and pigtails

 

Welcome to the forum

I assume you have a Ranger with a 4cyl engine, what YEAR?

If its 1994 or older you could have a short at the VIP/OBD Connector in engine bay

Fuel pump running full time with key on should NOT cause running issues or startup issues, the 2 second thing is a SAFETY FEATURE and has nothing to do with engine operation.
But it could be a sign that the computer itself has a problem, and that will cause running/starting issues

If you have a 1997 or earlier Ranger, Fuel Pressure Regulator(FPR) may have a leak, so engine is flooding via FPR vacuum line when fuel pump stays on


When using an electric fuel pump there is a risk that the pump could keep running if a fuel line breaks, so computer will normally only turn on the fuel pump when engine RPMs are above 400
Computer does turn it on for 2 second as it Boots Up, but won't turn it on again until RPMs are above 400, or if rebooted for another 2 seconds
So if fuel line breaks in an accident or ?? the engine would stall and fuel pump power would be cut, so it wouldn't pump out gasoline causing a dangerous situation.

When electric fuel pumps were first used on carbureted engines they employed an Oil Pressure Switch and Relay, if engine had oil pressure switch would Ground the Relay and fuel pump got power.
If engine stalled then no oil pressure and fuel pump was off.
Carbs have float bowls so have a fuel reserve to start up engine
Fuel injection doesn't, but does have a computer, so the 2 second thing was used to Prime the system for startup

But outside of the Safety thing there is no reason the fuel pump can't run all the time when key is on, engine on or off wouldn't matter, FPR on engine or Fuel Filter(1998 and up) just sends extra fuel back to the gas tank, it won't flood the engine unless there is another issue

 

So i should definitely give a little more information.

I have a 1987 2.3L Ranger. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me because like you said, it shouldn't cause a no start if the fuel pump continuously primes. But in my case thats precisely what happens. It it is hot and sunny for 4 days straight, i will turn the key, and it will prime for 2 seconds and fire up perfectly without a mis. But it's cooler outside now and rainy, and I go out there, turn the key and that FP just primes all day and will not fire.

I don't know what causes this, but SOMETIMES i will crank it when its acting up and it will fire, but it will pump out black smoke and misfire like crazy. Definitely not the way it should. Once it is tricked into starting, it will turn off and on no problems but still not run properly. if i let it sit a few hours it will go back to no start status.

You mentioned something about the test connector fuel pump ground. How can i tell if there is a problem there? My intuition is telling me i have a grounding issue. Maybe a short somewhere.

Also i did try to swap the computer and it didnt seem to do anything.

The guy that had it before me changed the FPR and it doesn't smell like gas or anything like that. I don't have a fuel pressure gauge to test that for sure.

 

So I have a 1987 2.3L Ranger.
I know it doesn't make much sense that the fuel pump running constantly would cause a no start, but that seems to be the only indication that i have that something else is wrong. I think its probably a lot more that is malfunctioning than i can see.

When it primes all day, it generally wont start. SOMETIMES i can trick it to fire, but it seems to be completely random, and when it does fire, it runs very poorly; puffing black smoke and missing like crazy. When that happens, it will start up on its own again no problems (a little faster than normal though).

If it primes for the 2 seconds like its programmed to, it will run flawlessly.

That steered me into the direction of swapping the computer out. I did, but it didn't seem to make a difference, so i put the old one back in.

I'm going to mess around with the test connector when the rain stops. What am i looking for there? My truck doesn't pull codes even if you unplug sensors.

Also, the FPR looks new and doesn't smell like gas in the vacuum line.

 

All fuel injection computers have a "Clear Flooded Engine" routine

Ford, and pretty much all the others, use this:
Turn key on
Press gas pedal down to the floor and hold it down all the way
Crank engine
it should NOT start, it should NOT fire at all

Let off gas pedal, even while still cranking, and engine should start
I use this every morning to start my high mile 4.0l engine, I like to get oil pumped thru the engine before it starts.

How it works
Key on = computer on
There is a Throttle Position Sensor(TPS) on the engine
When you press gas pedal down all the way the throttle opens all the way(WOT) and TPS sends computer 4.5-4.9volts to indicate this position
If computer sees TPS voltage at wide open, and engine RPMs are 0 it starts "Clear Flooded Engine" routine

This means computer doesn't open fuel injectors, so no fuel should get into the intake, but Spark is still working
If a little fuel is in the intake engine will fire but not start and the air flow(open throttle plate) will "dry flooded engine out"
If you release the gas pedal computer will start fuel injectors, OR if RPMs get above 400 computer will exit "Clear Flooded Engine" routine, so if there is enough leaked gasoline in the intake it will get above 400rpms

This "Clear Flooded Engine" routine depends on TPS voltage, and throttle cables can stretch, so you no longer have WOT and TPS voltage doesn't get to 4.5volts
Press down gas pedal all the way, put something heavy on it to hold it down
Go to the engine and see if you can open throttle a bit more, if you can, then cable is stretched, but there is a simple fix, Google: Ranger Throttle cable mod