1997 Ranger "NO START",,,,,,

[Ilike55s2]

Well,,I figure ya'll have heard this a few times but I got me a wooly Bugger here,,,!! My neighbor had this and finally got tired of paying mechanics and trk still will not start,,So ,,he brings it here and left it! Called me later and said I could have it for $200. It is actually a Mazda with a Ford 4 cylinder engine with 8 spark plugs,,,,!! 4 on each side of engine,,?? NNever seen a 4 cylinder with 8 plugs,,,?? HMMMmm All my Rangers have all been V6's
Anyway, I felt sorry as he really cannot afford to buy another trk so I;m gonna try to get it going for him but NOW ,,,I"M stumped as well.
I put a gauge on fuel rail and needle never moves with key on, So I checked the Inertia switch and even bypassed it with a jumper wire but still no pressure on gauge! Checked the fuel pump relay by switching it with a known good relay, still no pressure and No noise from pump with gas cap off fill nozzle.!!!
Only'ist thing I think it "Might Be" would be the ignition switch on steering column?????? Any other thoughts sure will be Welcomed,,,,,

 

[RonD]

8 plug 2.3l will be a 1989 to 2001(1998-2001 is a 2.5l)

Does it have a 60-wire PCM(computer)?
If so its a 1989-1994 2.3l, which would be more likely in a earlier model Ranger swap

Dual spark plugs added more power, Dodge Hemi used dual plugs, going distributorless allowed dual spark plugs to be an easier add-on
But 4 valves per cylinder(DOHC) added even more power so a better use of head space in a cylinder, so dual spark plugs were only used for 10 years or so
Airplane engines used dual spark plugs, actually separate dual spark systems for safety reason, but to take off and landing both spark systems are activated for best power

For fuel system, I assume its fuel injected so no carburetor?
If you have the 60-wire PCM then its an OBD1 system so there will be an OBD1 connector in the engine bay
Look here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/OBD_I.shtml

2nd drawing shows what this connector looks like, find it, it will be on the main wiring harness from PCM

Fuel pump slot is labelled in the drawing
If you GROUND that slot with Key ON, you should hear the fuel pump relay "click" closed and that should start fuel pump
If you don't hear the "click" then PCM relay may be bad or its fuse

If you hear the click but don't hear the fuel pump running then leave the ground connected and test for 12volts at the inertia switch, if no 12v then Fuel pump fuse or fusible link is bad
If you have 12v then fuel pump is most likely bad
Need to slide the bed back an then test for 12v at the top of the tank

There may be 2 fuel pumps, one in the tank, and one in the frame rail under drivers seat area
They share the one 12v wire from inertia switch, so you can test for 12v there if you have 12v at inertia switch


Just as a heads up
The PCM runs the fuel pump relay
When you turn on the key the PCM grounds the fuel pump relay for 2 seconds and 2 seconds ONLY, sending 12v to inertia switch, so there is no 12volt to fuel pump after that 2 seconds
Once engine starts(above 400RPMs), PCM grounds the relay full time, cranking speed is 200RPMs, just FYI
This 2 second thing is a safety feature, so if there was an accident and a fuel line broke, the electric pump won't keep pumping out fuel to feed a fire, broken fuel line means engine stalls so pump shuts off

Using the Jumper Ground in the slot by passes that safety feature, but relay will shut off when key is shut off

With Key OFF, pull out the fuel pump relay, there should be 4 or 5 slots in the GREEN relay base, test each slot for 12v, that 12v is from the fuel pump fuse or fusible link
No 12v = no fuel pump power
Turn key ON
Re-test, there should now be a 2nd 12v slot, thats 12v from PCM relay, no 2nd 12v means PCM relay is not working or its fuse is blown