# 1990 Ranger won't start **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** ford, ranger\ **Created:** [July 23, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095 "2008-07-23T02:24:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bookie1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bookie1963](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bookie1963)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/1 "2008-07-23T02:24:35Z")
Have a '90 Ranger 4.0L auto. Turns over. New fuel pump. Good pressure at fuel rail bleeder. Will run with starting fluid sprayed into air filter tube. Stops running when you stop spraying. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_G](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dave_g/32/768_2.png) [@Dave\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Dave_G)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/2 "2008-07-23T02:27:53Z")
Does this have throttle body injection or standard fuel injection? Either way the injectors are not opening-you can have fuel pressure and inactive injectors. ---
**Author:** ![bookie1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bookie1963](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bookie1963)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/3 "2008-07-23T02:29:04Z")
standard fuel injection. Idle speed motor a possibility? ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_G](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dave_g/32/768_2.png) [@Dave\_G](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Dave_G)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/4 "2008-07-23T02:35:34Z")
You’ve already determined that you have a fuel issue with the starting fluid. Air doesn’t appear to be the issue here. You need to figure out why the injectors aren’t pulsing/firing. ---
**Author:** ![bookie1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bookie1963](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bookie1963)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/5 "2008-07-23T02:42:14Z")
Any suggestions? A month ago, after sitting a month, I started it up and it was barely running. It died and hasn’t started on it’s own since. Was running great before that. Engine was rebuilt 12000 miles ago and I was working on the body previously with occasional starts. ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/6 "2008-07-23T02:44:41Z")
The fuel injectors aren’t spraying fuel because they aren’t getting the command from the engine computer. It might be from a bad wire, or no power (12 volts) between the engine computer and the injectors. It might be that the engine computer isn’t getting the information it needs to tell the fuel injectors to spray. Finding the cause will require the use of a repair manual, or a mechanic with a repair manual, and multimeter, and wiring diagrams. ---
**Author:** ![bookie1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bookie1963](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bookie1963)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/7 "2008-07-23T02:48:40Z")
I’ll have to start checking there tommorrow. I have a manual on it with all the schematics. I appreciate ALL the help. Thank-you. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-ranger-wont-start/17095/8 "2008-07-23T04:27:29Z")
Without going into the entire diagnosis it sounds like there is a fuel pump control issue and this could be an ECM problem, fuel pump relay or inertia switch problem, or even an ignition module problem. What you should do is go to the diagnostic connector under the hood and there should be a tan wire with a light green stripe in that connector. Run a jumper wire from that lead to ground somewhere. If the truck runs then you will at least weed out a pump relay or inertia switch problem. With a VOM preferably and testing at the diagnostic connector, make sure that tan/green wire is grounded for a couple of seconds when the key is first turned to the RUN position. After a few seconds the ground will disappear but should reappear when the engine is being cranked over. No ground when cranking could point to a faulty ECM circuit or an ign. module problem. And make absolutely SURE that all fuses and fusible links are good because there are several in the engine control circuits. Depending on the results of that test a manual or wiring schematic will be needed to follow the rest of ths steps.