ok so now i got two rangers dont have a pic of the other one yet but its coming, but i pickedthis truck up for 800 bucks it wouldnt start. well i knew what was wrong with it it had sat for a whole year and had old gas in it, so i put new plugs and battery and it fired right up. but after a while it did it again so this time plugs,and fuel filter. ran good but it is doing it still doesnt start sometimes. it rolls over really slow and when it does start it misses while idling just a hair. so guys help me out i dont know what to do. this is what i do know......

fuel pump runs
its not fludding because i cant smell gas
already cleaned mass air
and plug wires dont spark or arch

 

Check the battery voltage before and after starting it.
Should have ~12.x volts before starting and 13.8 to 14.3 volts AFTER starting it.

If not, get your alternator tested.

I think it's been running off the new battery, which is now going dead.

 

^^yeah that is a possibility, if you kept trying to start it your battery could be weak.

 

How 'bout a lil more info about the truck, so we know what system we're working with. Year? Engine?

 

ya sorry it is a 94 with 2.3 2 wd. and the wierd thing is if it sets all night it will start right up, or right after i turn it off but if i drive it for say ten minutes it wont start unless i give it gas, but like yesterday wouldnt start till i hooked some jumper cables on it and let it roll over alot.

 

Scan for codes, but it looks like you have done a royal job screwing it up by doing things like removing the cats.......

 

Sounds like a voltage problem. Check cables, connections and the alternator.
Also, before starting it, try this. Turn the key on to full run position, when all the lights come on, count to three, turn it off, back on, count to three, then start it. See if that helps it start. That'll prime the system.

 

First off, Bob, this is his '94 he just got, not the '93 with no cats. Second off, why you gotta be a dick? That truck won't have any problems with no cats, except a little less on the low end grunt.

 

Do you have any idea what the PCM does running without cats?

Good thing your wife has the intelligence in your family!!

 

sory dont know what you mean by pcm but im going out to work on it in a few minutes it will probably start right up as ussual in the morn but before i go what do you think i should look for and check and thanks alot guys your alot of help

 

Let us know my truck is acting wierd, and not starting.

 

ok guys sure enough i went out to start it and no joke started perfect, i let it run for about five minutes and shut it off. i checked the oil, looked at the motor for about ten minutes and turned the ke again and nothin it will roll over but wont start. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy??????????????

 

the fuel relay switch that was it i think. i didnt realize it at first because the pump was working but it wouldnt reset itself after driving a while, if it happens anymore ill let you guys know thanks for all the help..

 

did you replace the cap and rotor? plug wires?

 

does my truck have a cap and rotor aince its the 2.3 four cyl, and if i does where

 

I believe it does. Just follow the plug wires to the cap.

Change those out. Could be a bad wire.

 

i already changed the wires and plugs and the wires go to the coil packs its got two of them, is the cap and rotor under the coils

 

Yhea, I don't know if how many miles you got on it or when your last tune up was but I would do a full tune up on it. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, clean/ replace air filter, & the change fuel filter. I know your geting fuel and air so it's prolly a spark issue, but it would also be nice to have everything takin care of so you don't have to worry about it later.

 

i changed the , fuel filter,air filter,plugs, wires, cleaned mass air, checked egr, changed pcv valve, and still misses at idle it sat for a year before i bought it so i dont know i just looked at my haynes manual and it has nothing to say about tthe cap and rotor on a 2.3

 

Ok when your plug wires come off the engine where do they go? They should go to the cap. Where all four plug wires come together. this should have two metal clips holding in on, pop the clips and pull it off look inside of it and see if the little metal **** inside look worn also the metal piece on the rotor that sits inside the cap make sure nothing looks worn. Also you said you replaced the wires. Did you replace the wire coming off the coil as well? This would be a real short wire coming off a black round thing and going the center of the cap.


wuz looking for a pic for ya and found this it may help out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system4.htm

on this one look to the pics on the right of the screen it is a four cyl. cap and rotor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributor

 

Here's the pic I wuz looking for



I went back to look at the pic and realized at the bottom it says So No I gess you dont have a a cap or rotor.

 

thats awsome man sorry i had to step out for a second, so do you think its my coils that are making it miss or the idle control valve

 

Neither.
I think that after sitting for a year , you have a couple valve springs that were compressed and are now too weak to close the valves.
Another issue would be that any moisture that may have been in the fuel lines has rusted the inside of them , the rust particles have now worked their way to the injectors and partially plugged them.
And , No , changing the fuel filter again won't solve that problem . You'll have to remove the injectors and have them cleaned.