New to the forum, new to the ranger game. Weekend before last, bought a 94 Ranger XLT 2.3 manual from a guy for $750. It’s beat up and has 400k miles but who cares. Went into it knowing it wouldn’t start, thinking in my head that even if I have to put a starter on it, still a good deal. Got to the guys house, and he said he played with it a little and got it to crank just fine. Drove it home that day and never had another problem with it. Couple days later, it started acting up again. All I got from it when I turn the key is just a loud click, so I ended up replacing the starter. That did the trick for a few days and ran great, I never even drove my f150 but now I’m back to square one with it doing the exact same thing. It has a new battery, new(ish) alternator, new starter now, and all the connections/terminals are clean and all I get with the turn of a key is just one loud click. Everything else comes on and works as it should. I’m lost, and hoping somebody can guide me in the right direction before I get even more frustrated. I’ll try to attach a pic of it just for fun

 

In 1994 there is still a Starter Relay on inner fender, 2 larger posts and 1 smaller post

Just a jumper wire
Make SURE trans is in Neutral(manual) or Park(automatic)
Even blocking a tire would be good

On the starter relay(wrongly called a solenoid, lol) unplug the smaller posts red/blue wire

Use the jumper wire from Battery Positive to that smaller post, relay should CLICK and starter should activate
If you get the click but no starter activation then replace relay, contacts inside are bad, or its wire to starter is, but you said all wires were cleaned and checked

 

I have tried the jumper wire on the relay, just one loud click and no starter activation. I was going to try and replace that relay next since it was relatively inexpensive, I was just making sure there was nothing else I needed to check before I did that. And it does in fact seem to me like the clicking when attempting to start from inside the cab is coming from that relay on the fender but when I had a friend listen underneath he said starter. But it sounds like relay to me

 

Try this test as well

Same jumper wire from battery positive
On the starter relay there are two Larger posts, one has battery Positive cable and several other wires attached, the other larger post has just one wire attached
Touch jumper wire to the larger post that has just the 1 wire, and starter should activate, if not then that one wire is bad or starter motor is
If starter activates then bad starter relay is confirmed



In 1994 the starter motors have their own built in relay/solenoid, the relay/solenoid is the smaller cylinder on the top of starter motor
The starter relay on the fender sends the starter motors relay/solenoid 12v and two things happen
The solenoid part pulls back, which pushes out the starter gear on the starter motors shaft
When solenoid has pulled back all the way contacts on its back side(relay part) connect positive battery cable to Starter Motor, so starter motor spins, AFTER gear is engaged

In later years the red/blue wire thats at the starter relay on the fender was extended and runs directly to starter motors relay/solenoid, so no "middle man"
But after a few years another starter relay was added in the engine fuse box, lol, this was part of anti-theft alarms and then PATS after 1998

 

I have a 3.0 and was having around the same issue. Played with it for about 3 months desperately hoping it would start, ended up replacing the fuel pump and it started up and made it about 5-6 miles before I turned it off and ultimately suffered the same fate. Come a month later I went to investigate and turned it over and started up like a charm. Wouldn’t recommend turning it off anywhere you wouldn’t mind leaving it just in case, but she’s running fine(ish) now and is my daily. Hope this was some help