Serious issue...

[Bmwz389]

Hey guys,

I'll try not to make this long lol. I recently did a thermostat and it shattered into pieces when I pulled the coolant hose off. Needless to say a piece fell behind my crank pulley, got caught and destroyed the crank position sensor to nothing, mangled the crank hub as well. I replaced the sensor, straightened the hub as best as I could because I cant afford to replace it. I followed alldatas procedure. I checked the air gap between hub and sensor and it was within spec, tight, but within spec. Replaced the timing belt and timed it right.

She spit and sputtered and puffed smoke (because she leaks from pan and might have some blow-by) She started up and cleared out. I pulled it out and shut the car off because i still needed to install the fan. Went inside to clean up the oil leak, came back out and she wont start!

Not a single thing changed other than I had the battery on a charger when I started it. It spits, chokes, blows black smoke, backfires, the works. BUT WILL NOT TURN OVER.

I pulled the plugs, they were fouled so I cleaned them. Wont start with starter fluid. She's trying to fire over (so I know there is SOME spark), I know shes getting fuel because I cranked it with no ignition and let the injectors spray without plugs for a second. It has to be getting air.

I'm getting stumped and I'm sick of working on it and getting nowhere.

PLEASE, fill me in with any insight!

Thanks guys,

Brandon

 

[Bmwz389]

Oh sorry it's a 93 lx with a 2.3 n/a!

 

[Billjr]

Try doing a compression test? Also I know you said you set the timing but I have made the mistake of being 180* off when I thought I did it right. This would/could give the symptoms you describe. Good luck.

 

[Billjr]

Sorry, I see you wrote that it originally started. Maybe it jumped time?

 

[Bmwz389]

I know she smokes a bit on startup but she ran fine before the CPS went out on it. I didn't blow the timing belt, it just needed to be replaced. I didn't rotate the crank 180 when I pulled the belt so I know its correct, or it wouldn't have started at all.

I checked timing probably 6 or 7 times at different intervals and shes dead on with the hashes. I COULD be 180 off if my friend turned it by accident and forgot, but still, wouldn't it have NOT ran the first round?

Thanks for the fast reply!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

Maybe the DIS got fried with all the mayhem and finally let loose.

 

[Bmwz389]

Well before hand I replaced both coil packs, wires and plugs. The only thing left in it would be an ignition coil correct? Is there a way to test it so im not throwing money in the dark? Lol

Thanks!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

don't know if autozone or advance can test the DIS module, but one way to test it is if you have a friend with another 91 to 93 mustang or 90 to 97 ford ranger. remove your DIS off the intake and plug it into theirs and see if it runs.

these units are known to crap out and do funny things.

 

[Bmwz389]

I tested it at AZ consistently 20 times. It was so hot you could feel it radiate lol. Never failed once. We stopped because the machine started overloading and buzzing.

Took the pulley system apart and the hub. There was some rub (which there isn't supposed to be any), I tried putting a .7mm feeler between it, which is in between the middle of spec, and it doesn't fit in some spots.

I'm tired of trying to straighten this hub out. Could it being too close/lightly rubbing cause an issue? I've ran out of ideas again.

Also, will a hub off a 2.3 ranger with a coil system work? I know these are duraspark, but I don't think they would produce two different ones for it. Which years would work if they did?

Thanks so far yall!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

rob the hub and stuff off the ranger - as long as it's early 90's to 97ish they are the same. they should look just like yours. if the ranger is a 93 or 94 the stock exhaust header is a great thig to grab and it'll bolt right on and you loose 20+ pounds and pick up some power.

 

[Bmwz389]

ok im planning on goin to the junkyard saturday so well see if i can find anything lol. someone said they wont work if they are just single coil system. but ill look anyways. i was planning on grabbing one anyways cause my manifold has a leak and i heard they are a good benefit to the mustang, and are cheap lol. ill let you know what happens and if it fires. im ready to just bury this car haha.

thanks!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

the 80's rangers are a single fire system and the v-6 ones are too, but the 90's 2.3 Ranger motor and ignition system is the same one - just look to see if it has the 2 coil pack setup like yours and the DIS on the intake like yours. I pulled a DIS and coil packs off a 96 Ranger and they work just great on my 93 mustang.

 

[Bmwz389]

So are you saying that the 90-97 Rangers hub will work even if they are NOT a DuraSpark system? I can always pull one off and check, but it'd be nice to know up front haha.

The odds of finding duraspark systems in yards around here are slim, so I'm checking my options lol.

Thanks for all the help so far!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

the 90 to 97 rangers are a duraspark - they have the same engine and ignition system as the 90 to 93 mustangs.


Basically any 4 cylinder ranger or mustang that has the 2 sets of coil packs on the passenger front is the same engine / ignition deal. The ranger has a different power steering and accessory setup, but that doesnt matter for what you are needing.

 

[Bmwz389]

Ok that's what I thought. I grabbed one off of a 95 I believe, there were no mustangs anywhere (just as I presummed). All Rangers haha. I grabbed the pulley and hub for 13 bucks!

Also got a Ranger manifold too. I had no idea they were tubular! Scored that for 20 bucks as well haha.

Hopefully this fixes my problem otherwise its back to square one.

I will keep yall posted on the results.

Thanks again!

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

Ok that's what I thought. I grabbed one off of a 95 I believe, there were no mustangs anywhere (just as I presummed). All Rangers haha. I grabbed the pulley and hub for 13 bucks!

Gotta love the good price - Mustangs are getting fewer in the yards and well picked over - nice that there are many Rangers to get parts off of

Also got a Ranger manifold too. I had no idea they were tubular! Scored that for 20 bucks as well haha.

Did you get the one with the O2 bung on the bottom? If so - that came out of a 93 or 94 Ranger. 95 to 97's had the O2 bung in the pipe. But yep - Now you know why they are so popular.

Hopefully this fixes my problem otherwise its back to square one.

I will keep yall posted on the results.

Good luck - hope this solves the problem!

 

[Bmwz389]

Hell yes it solved the problem!

I also finally found a firing order of the coilpacks to motor so I found out I had two backwards. Opps lol.

And Will there be an issue between the two maifolds? I can't remember exactly which year it was, But I believe the bung is on the manifold. Not 100% sure.

Thanks for everything! I was about to lose the only marble I had left lol

- Brandon

 

[Delray Dude]

slight issue on the manifold - 93 and 94 rangers had the O2 bung at the base of the collector and 95 and up doesnt - they located it to the exhaust pipe. either will work, but you'll need to weld in a bung piece on your existing pipe or header.

If you dont have a bung - i have a pipe piece about 12" long with a O2 bung that you can probably patch in. But if you have the O2 bung on the bottom of the header you are golden