Please in desperate need of help!
1997 Ford ranger super cab 2.3 manual tranny...got a crank no start and its driving me crazy! Love my little ford it been a great truck! Not ready to give up on her yet one.night while driving home truck lost all power and hasnt statted since please led me in the right direction thank

 

First thing to try is some starting fluid to see if it's a fuel problem.

 

Thanks for.responding I've already tried starter fluid no luck

 

Assuming the engine has compression (mechanically intact), a no start whilst using starting fluid suggests no spark.
Check power to the spark coil pack.

 

Has compression and spark! Damn thing just won't fire up! HELP!

 

Try the starting fluid again.
Do you hear the fuel pump run for two seconds upon turning the key to run?

 

I cycled the key on and off five times before trying to crank I hit with starter fluid each time I crank it... I'm lost!

 

If you're positive it has spark and adding fuel doesn't work, It's time for a compression test, your timing belt could have jumped a tooth or 2.

 

+1 ^^^^

If an engine has compression, above 120psi, and fuel, in the cylinder, and spark, at the right time, then it will start, simple as that

2.3l and 2.5l SOHC Lima engines use a Timing Belt, which needs to be changed every 80-90k miles
They can stretch or break, no engine damage occurs, but No Start will be the result

After cranking the engine, pull any spark plug and its tip should be WET with gasoline
Light that tip with a Match or Lighter and it should burn quick and bright
If it doesn't burn at all or very well then you have WATER in the gas tank
Injecting water along with Starting fluid can cause a no start

Water and gasoline can't mix, they stay separate
Water is heavier than gasoline, so it will settle to the bottom of a gas tank
Fuel pump pulls in "fuel" from the bottom of the gas tank, so..............................

 

check your air filter and box for crud it will mess up your MAF sensor and iac valve so it will not start

 

Don’t know if this will help. I have a 97 ranger 4.0. I had the same problem..Crank but would not start. What I found with mine was a bad ground at the fuel pump 15 amp fuse in the fuse box under the hood.. I put a wire on the ground side of the fuse and ran it to a grounding point. It started right up. So it maybe worth a try. Good luck and hope that this helps

 

I think(hope) you mean Fuel Pump Relay Ground
Fuses are NEVER EVER grounded

Fuel Pump relay is grounded by the Computer to send 12volts to the fuel pump, its a safety measure
So either that wire to the computer was broken or computer was broken

Computer only grounds the fuel pump relay for 2 seconds with key on, and then not again until engine starts, RPMs above 400, cranking speed is 200rpm
Many think that is a problem since they don't hear the fuel pump running with key on
Its not, its a safety thing, in an accident a fuel line can be broken, and you don't want an electric fuel pump to continue to pump out gasoline, that would be a BAD thing, so if fuel line broke engine would stall(no fuel) so RPMs would drop under 400 and computer would shut off the fuel pump


In the early days of electric fuel pumps an oil pressure switch was used, no oil pressure = no electric pump
But these engines used carburetors so had fuel left in "the bowl" for start up and then electric pump would start
Oil pressure switch wouldn't work with Fuel Injection, so the computer was used