Something weird happened to me last night

[Chic N Stew]

I was driving home from feeding my grandma's animals, and as i was leaving, my truck was acting a little slugish, i didn't think anything of it. So then i started going and i mashed the gas to the floor to pass a slow car, when i did, it started cutting out, it did this all the way home, any ideas what it might be

its an 86 ranger 2.9 EFI

I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but it almost felt like when your about to run out of gas and it started to cut out, or maybe a vacuum line, or i dread head gaskets, but i don't know

 

[fordman49450]

put a fuel pressure gauge on it and see if the pressure drops while it's acting up. could be a plugged filter, bad pump. Also do a volume test on the fuel pump

 

[danger03ranger]

It sounds like a fuel filter. Or it could be a bad plug or wire. but i would check the filter before i did anything. That is the cheapest to start with. Good luck with it.

 

[Chic N Stew]

LOL, I kinda don't have a fuel filter on it right now, this is where it's supposed to be

 

[mikhail]

that looks like the lower one, my '88 b2 has one right by the starter. and why would you take it out?

could also be fuel pump, or maybe the TFI. i just had a similar problem that ended up being a ground wire, but i had changed the fuel filter, TFI, and cleaned the IAC trying to fix it since those could be causes.

 

[Capt Jay]

No fuel filter? It's probably debris in your injectors. Why would you remove a fuel filter. They're cheap and it good defense against debris in gas and keeps you from having to replace the entire engine.

I'd say your lucky though, I'd go with a weak fuel pump...you hope.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Jay

 

[Chic N Stew]

I was trying to get the shield off because it was bouncing and hitting the floor, i was using an air hammer and it slippeed and broke the fuel filter housing

It's a ford part and its like 100$

I was at school and i didn't have the money to buy a new one and forgot about it

Before it started happening, when i go KOEO i hear what seems to be bubbles in the fuel tank, almost like someone is sticking an air hose in water

 

[Jon Boy]

LOL, I kinda don't have a fuel filter on it right now, this is where it's supposed to be

there may be a filter missing, but that sure looks like a filter on there to me. farther up the line behind the protection plate.

 

[Psychopete]

there may be a filter missing, but that sure looks like a filter on there to me. farther up the line behind the protection plate.

Looks like frame mounted fuel pump.. My '88 fuel filter was further up the stream, after the frame mounted pump, right next to my drivers side header. Could be different on '86, the filters themselves are fairly big, if you can't find it, that's probably where it was. It's cheap enough to replace, luckily they left the regular fuel clip setup and didn't replace with hose clamps. <-- worst case.

Pull codes.

Pete

 

[Jon Boy]

yeah, ok. didn't think about that one. lol

 

[BLOODBANE]

A plugged cat? My wifes old Geo did that once when the cat was plugged up. It was sluggish and wouldn't do over 20mph.........

 

[ZMan]

First gens have 2 pumps, you sure it wasn't one of the pumps you removed? Because thats definitely a fuel filter on your truck.

edit: unless that is the pump, but I thought the pump had 2 lines going in/out..

 

[kunar]

i had a bad ground to the computer. it acted similarly. every time i hit a bump it would just die, and it would be okay a second later.... i say check your wiring everywhere.

 

[NewCastleRob]

water in the gas??

 

[crazy96863]

I have had this happen when O2 sensors go out. Still drives but spits and sputters everywhere. Check this if your truck is fuel injected. Ford switched them over to fuel injected around the 1986 or 1987 models.