My '93 Ford Ranger suddenly died while I was driving, no sputtering or bucking, it was just as though I had turned the key off. When i tried to restart, the engine would turn over but not engage. It’s as though the engine is either getting no gas and/or spark. My shade-tree mechanic says he got a diagnostic code that was #539 followed by #1 seven times at two second intervals. he says he ran the test 6 times and got the same result every time. Does anyone have any idea as to what this means?
The Ford OBI diagnostc system uses two digit codes. Your shadetree mechanic needs to go back and pull the codes per these instructions. http://www.extreme-check-engine-light-codes.com/Ford%20OBD1%20Decoder.htm
Tester
A 539 on this vehicle simply means the A/C or defroster was on during the test. Chances are it will point to nothing, but you could have him run the test again while making sure the HVAC is off.
As to the seven 1s you mention, what’s probably going on there is that it’s not seven 1s at all but rather 3 11s and a single separator code that is being interpreted as a 1.
Elevens mean a pass and a 539 is not going to cause your truck to die and refuse to run.
In a nutshell, none of those codes have anything to do with the problem.
Has your guy not told you yet what’s missing here? (spark or fuel, etc.)
This is “like Deja Vu all over again”.
Did you already lose track of the thread that you created yesterday on the same topic?
Please take a look at the helpful advice that I and some others gave you yesterday:
http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2271817.page
He did mention that there seemed to be no spark or no fuel symptoms
“It’s as though the engine is either getting no gas and/or spark”
It’s as though…??
Does your mechanic state that the engine is getting spark?
Does he state that it is getting gas?
Yes, this is the first “thread” that I have ever responded to. I am Just getting familiar with this format.
There’s just not enough info known for anyone to make a guess but a code problem it’s not.
No spark OR no fuel covers a lot of bases and the fact that both are intertwined makes it more difficult as the fuel system operates off of the ignition system through the ECM, fuel pump relay, etc.
Odds are this problem is a simple one to diagnose and I have no idea why your shade tree guy can’t narrow it down a bit.
I’m the Shade Tree. There is No Spark, The Cam still turns although I haven’t checked index,can’t find port to check fuel flow. Turned off a/c and got 331, 33codes. Not familiar with specifics of this year and model. Any ideas about these codes.
I would check for voltage at the ignition coil with the key in both the RUN and the START positions.
If power is present then I would suspect there’s a problem with the TFI Module on the distributor. These are a very common problem and even led to a class action lawsuit against Ford.
If power is not present then the possibility of a faulty ignition switch or a blown fusible link that provides power to the switch. Hope that helps.