1996 Ford Ranger Starting Issue

raldur

Hi, I have a 1996 Ford Truck Ranger automatic 2WD 4.0L EFI 6cyl. In the morning I can start up without issue. I run around town a bit, shut down the engine, come back, attempt to start the truck and nothing. There is no "resistance" when turning the key. What I have to do out of desperation is to to take the shift bar and lift it up and move the shift indicator arrow well left of the "P" symbol. I then apply gas and the truck starts. I just replaced the battery and the issue is still occurring. I am sure tomorrow morning I will be able to start the truck without issue. Why would sitting overnight make things ok in the morning with regard to starting? What is going on? Thanks!

kschencks

I have a 95 ford ranger and i started it up to drive to the store and when in got back in it to start it back up it cranked and ran briefly and cut off! I waited 2 min and it started up and i drove home. I have had a problem with a sqealing and i replaced the serpatien belt, but didnt stop the sqealing and now i have the starting issue. My question is, could this be a related issue?

raldur

I am not sure. I wish I knew. I am newbie with fixing issues with my vehicle. I have been googl'ing nonstop for days. I replaced the battery because they could not charge it at advance auto parts. I am now suspecting the starter solenoid. It's a cheap thing to swap out. I just don't want to unload a lot more cash. I also read where the relay fuses may be gone. The thing I don't understand is why the truck can start in the morning, but after running around and parking for a while, it won't start up again. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with the transmission.

kschencks

lol. I know what you mean about not spending too much. I recently removed my fuel filter and it was clogged! I'm replacing it tomorrow and see how that works, but it makes sense to me though.

jules57

We are looking to buy a 96 Ranger 4cyl. that has not been started for 6 years. We can smell old nasty gas but the tank is empty. We put in a few fresh gallons of gas but it wouldn't start. We can get the engine to start on ether but it won't pick up any fuel and run.. Should the injectors be the first place to start tearing out and checking for varnish? How can we tell if it is the fuel pump?