Starting problem with a 1994 ford ranger

1994 Ford Ranger 6 cyl, 4.0litre, 2wd. Cold starts are fine. When the vehicle is driven 30km or more, stop, with not restart. It sounds like it wants to start. Leave the truck for and hour and it will start. This use to be an intermittent problem now it is every time.

Carry an extra sparkplug in the vehicle. The next time the engine won’t start, remove one of the sparkplug wires and insert the extra sparkplug into the end of the wire, and lay the sparkplug on the engine. Now have someone try starting the engine. if the spark at the sparkplug is a yellow color or nonexistant, the problem might be with the ignition module.

Tester

Could be a failing fuel pump.

It does not run rough when it gets going, idles well. When it does start it will smell like old fuel for a few minutes. I have changed the fuel filter and the smell has disapated.

You still want to this spark test. Ignition modules function in two modes. These are the start and run modes. During the start mode, the ignition module allows full battery voltage to ignition coil. This ensures a cold engine starts when the fuel mixture is greatest. Once the engine starts, and the ignition switch moves to run position, the ignition module drops the voltage to the coil or goes into the run mode. That’s because it doesn’t take as hot of a spark to keep the engine running. And it also saves wear and tear on the secondary ignition components.

So it could be that the start mode of the ignition module is failing when it gets hot.

Tester

Is the ignition module on the driver’s side fender by the fuse panel? Is this just a simple swap?
fordrocks

When you try and restart and turn the ignition key do you hear the “Buzz” of the fuel pump? If you don’t its quite likely the Fuel Pump Relay (located under the hood on the drivers side)that is giving you fits. This has happen to me several times. Give it a tap or just replace it.

I figured it out to be the inition module. Thanks for your reply.