1989 Ford Ranger won't start.

[ted erdelyi]

Sorry if this is the wrong place I didn't see anything for an 89 ranger but they were were same from 89-93 IIRC.

My current problem is my 89 Ranger I recently bought, it has 100K miles on it, not a bit of rust or rot. The truck is solid but the trans was bad, the bushing for the torque converter had to be replaced by the truck came with another trans in the bed so I just swapped out the trans and the truck's been great.

Till my daughter left the head lights on all night killing the battery stone dead. Now the auto club came to give her a jump and they send this little old lady out in a car with a jump pack, she was Still in her pajamas. My daughter said she tried to hook the cables up in a few different places and after 5 minutes declared the starter dead, offered to call a flatbed, (which my daughter declined, it would of cost $300 to tow it 40 miles home) luckily I have a buddy with a car trailer who came down after work to drag me home.

While I spent all day eliminating what it wasn't these were the things I did find.

The starter solenoid was fried,
The fuse for the fuel pump relay was toast,
The 50 amp alternator fuse was burnt
And the fuel pump relay won't stay latched unless you jump it
Finally the last thing is if I jump the relay with all the new stuff put in, it'll start and run, I'll I let go of the ignition key then it's like some one shot the power off to the ignition circuit, the starter turns, I can get fuel to the intake and even make it start but once I let go of the key, disengage the starter, it stops.

Thanks in advance for any help I receive and I look forward to getting to just hang out on the site.

Ted E.

 

[FR-425]

Okay, nice. So she obviously hooked the jumper cables up in reverse and fried a whole bunch of stuff.

One step at a time is my advise.

Number one: have the battery tested, reversing while jumping can fry a battery. A mere voltage check will not due, it needs a load test.

Replace all the relays, and at least have a look at the ignition switch which is located on top of the steering column about 18" down from the key, There is a steel rod that runs down from the key tumbler to the switch. Over current can fry this switch. They also are just a common failure. (the plastic body crumbles with age) Two screws and it's off, easy peasy. I suspect this because of the "release and stall" symptom.