Fords4Us
Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
- Messages
- 51
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Snohomish, WA
- Vehicle Year
- 1983
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Size
- 2.8L
- Transmission
- Manual
Good morning all. Our 83 Ranger has been having ongoing and slowly worsening carburetor issues, as the various feedback and emissions modules have failed. It's the 2150 Motorcraft, and we've already made the decision to do the Duraspark/Holley carb conversion. We haven't finished saving up for it, and we were hoping the Ranger would limp along until we could get our funds pooled to get going on that project. Looks like the Ranger had other ideas.
I started having issues with rough starts and stalling on cold mornings. I had experienced that in previous years, and had installed a block heater (fun project, BTW, I'd do it again in a heartbeat). That really helped. But then I started having issues with the engine stalling after it was already at normal operating temps. It was actually fairly predictable - about 5 minutes after I got in to drive somewhere, that first time I put in the clutch to shift, my idle speeds would go to zero and I'd be rolling along in a dead truck. I'd either have to pop the clutch or restart it. If I restarted it right away, it acted like it was either starved for fuel or for a spark. I'd have to keep the starter engaged for awhile before it would catch again.
Then over the holidays we left it parked for about 10 days. When I went out to start it yesterday, in supposedly "Ranger-friendly" temperatures above 50F, it wouldn't start at all. Strong battery, strong starter just kept turning over and over again. It was definitely getting gas because I could catch the whiff of raw fuel. We just had the oil and filters changed, so the air filter isn't clogged. Best we can figure, this is one of our beloved carb issues, getting more severe.
Any ideas for getting this thing going again prior to the carb conversion? Or is our beloved Ranger a paperweight until then? Thanks all, you folks have always been a big help as we've come to know and love (usually) our old Ranger.
I started having issues with rough starts and stalling on cold mornings. I had experienced that in previous years, and had installed a block heater (fun project, BTW, I'd do it again in a heartbeat). That really helped. But then I started having issues with the engine stalling after it was already at normal operating temps. It was actually fairly predictable - about 5 minutes after I got in to drive somewhere, that first time I put in the clutch to shift, my idle speeds would go to zero and I'd be rolling along in a dead truck. I'd either have to pop the clutch or restart it. If I restarted it right away, it acted like it was either starved for fuel or for a spark. I'd have to keep the starter engaged for awhile before it would catch again.
Then over the holidays we left it parked for about 10 days. When I went out to start it yesterday, in supposedly "Ranger-friendly" temperatures above 50F, it wouldn't start at all. Strong battery, strong starter just kept turning over and over again. It was definitely getting gas because I could catch the whiff of raw fuel. We just had the oil and filters changed, so the air filter isn't clogged. Best we can figure, this is one of our beloved carb issues, getting more severe.
Any ideas for getting this thing going again prior to the carb conversion? Or is our beloved Ranger a paperweight until then? Thanks all, you folks have always been a big help as we've come to know and love (usually) our old Ranger.