Howdy. I’m a new member here and this is my first post. I’ve got a 1988 Ford Ranger XLT with a 2.9L EFI, 2wd

It’s a great little truck, starts pretty great on the first crank.

lately if I get to a red light it will occasionally stall on me when it’s in neutral and won’t start back up immediately. I’m pretty much stuck in that spot. if I wait 3 to 5 minutes, it’ll crank back up and drives off fine, does kinda sputter a little bit if i'm trying to rush things. Drives great as long as my foot is on the gas. The other day it did die on me as I was shifting from 2nd into 3rd. I was luckily able to pull off onto a side street and wait a couple minutes.

Its only had one previous owner and seems to be pretty well taken care of. I’ve only had it a few months

Just wanted to pick ya’ll’s brains before I took it to a shop. I took it in a month or so ago to get a tune up and get it checked out but the problem must have slipped by them, also seems to be becoming more frequently.

Also anyone know what rpm’s it should be idling at on the tachometer?

I had a buddy suggest that it could be the EGR valve but I’m not sure

Work I’ve had done so far
-New spark plugs, wires, rotor button and distributor cap
-changed fuel filter twice
-new fuel pump
-cleaned fuel system
-changed oil filter
-new alternator
-new battery
-serviced transmission
-serviced rear end

Thank y’all for your time and any suggestions

 

Welcome to the forum

If it only happens after engine is warmed up then it could be failing TFI module on distributor, spark control module
TFI modules would get Heat sensitive when older
After warm up, the upper engine bay gets hotter, and when you stop air circulation is much less in upper engine bay, the fan air exits down under the engine, so TFI could be getting too hot and shutting down, so engine stalls and no fan at all
TFI then gets even hotter as it sits, so you have to wait until it cools down enough to work again

Couple of tests
Get a can of Quick Start(ether) starting fluid
When engine stalls, try to restart to confirm it won't start
Open the hood and spray some Ether into the engine
Try to start
If it doesn't start/fire then yes its a spark issue
If it does start, run and die then its a fuel issue
Called the 50/50 test

Carry a spray bottle of water
After a stall, try to restart confirming no start
Open hood and spray water on TFI module to cool it down
See if it restarts sooner than waiting

AND.............it could be the ignition Coil, while its less common on a TFI system for the coil to be the issue they can/do get heat sensitive when they get older