Hello, I purchased a 1995 3.0 Ford Ranger XLT with the blue knight interior.
I keep having a battery issue. The ranger starts up but keeps draining the battery when sitting for the night. The OBD2 port wasn't reading when i would go to connect it. It'd just flash a white blank screen, I connected the scanner to my GMC Envoy and got a reading. So it's not a busted ODB port scanner.

Any idea as to what i can look into?

 

Welcome to the forum

Most common issue is the Battery itself
Car Batteries last 4 to 6 years

Typical failure mode is they self drain after a few hours of sitting
So next time you drive it and get home disconnect the Negative battery cable
Next morning hook the cable back up and TIGHTEN IT, then see if it will start normally not slow cranking
If not battery is bad, self draining, even New Batteries can do this, rare but rare ain't never, lol

If it starts normally then yes you could have a shorted circuit
You will need a Volt/Amp meter to test circuits

 

I got the battery checked and it turned out to be fine and charged up fully. I connected it back into the ranger this morning and got power to the cab but no crank whatsoever. Im going to check the alternator to see if its failing even though its new. My shift lever is difficult to get out of Park, I let the steering column drop onto the seat and removed the shift lock actuator and lubricated it with WD-40 and reinstalled. I got the truck into Neutral and it started up.

Whats a good Volt/Amp meter to use for testing?

 

It reads like the the Park/Neutral switch if not getting into Park when shifter does, so starts in Neutral but not Park, so not a battery or alternator issue

On automatics there is a "Shifter Interlock solenoid", it prevents the shifter from being moved out of Park unless key is on and foot is on the Brake
It is a 12volt solenoid the pulls a pin back so shifter can be moved out of Park

Google: 1995 ford ranger shifter interlock solenoid

"Hard to get out of Park" could be that is not working or unplugged

 

I was thinking it can be this, which is why i took it out the other day and I was going to replace but it seemed fine. I'm going to try a parasitic draw test when I get a multi-meter to see if that can be drawn out or looked Into before the shift lock solenoid, I know it as the shift lock actuator.

Only thing reason why is im not sure if the shift lock solenoid would be the reason for my battery to drain over night or 2 nights.

 

Battery is not draining if it started after shifting to Neutral

 

It didn't start up or have any power, i tried both park and neutral to see if I'd get a response but no juice. I'd get a low ding noise every now and than though.i couldn't see any lights on the dash so I didn't know if it was from the door being open. Battery was drained when I took it to be tested and charged. Battery light came up when I turn the ignition on without trying to crank the engine. It is possible I do have a battery, alternator, a parasitic drain somewhere or a possible bad alternator wiring harness. I'm going to try starting it in the neutral or park position soon.

I'm sure I'll figure it out soon I'm going to test the alternator and battery with a multimeter soon, best option I have before removing more parts and installing new ones. I'm sure I'm going to do the neutral safety switch and the shift lock actuator as well to be sure the shift lever works properly

 

Can a shift lock solenoid possibly be causing battery drainage if it is faulty?

 

Sure, any electric device, if left on, can drain the battery
The interlock(shift) solenoid Locks the shifter in Park when its OFF, so no power drain, its only activated(unLocks) when key is on and foot presses down brake pedal

 

Okay I still have to run my test to be sure that something else isn't draining the battery if not it could just be the sensors