My truck stalls while driving, it will restart once I come to a complete stop and click it off then on

Asked by GuruJHZH May 24, 2017 at 09:23 PM about the 1992 Ford Ranger XLT Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I received a ranger recently from a good friend who passed away, I previously owned an 89 ranger 4x4 and was very happy with it. The ranger i have now is a 2.3 stick shift, great once it gets going, but without warning it will just stall. very scary for me, but i really want to keep this truck. I changed the fuel filter and checked the fuel pump it is functioning well. I don't know what to check next...please help. Thank you

16 Answers

14,105

This is a very common problem, but tricky to diagnose. I'm thinking that the problem is definitely fuel related. Maybe the inertia switch but I'm more inclined to believe the fuel filter or fuel pressure regulator or one of the two fuel pumps (there are two: a high pressure and a low pressure pump).

36 people found this helpful.
14,105

The fuel pump relay? These can go bad, or their connectors get corrosion and make bad connection. These are usually in the fuse box under the hood, or on the side of it. Be worthwhile to buy a new one for a few dollars and pull the old one when it is stalled and put the new on in and see if it starts.

19 people found this helpful.
14,105

Lastly.....I have had these symptoms happen on several cars. The symptoms you describe sound more like a Crankshaft Positioning Sensor failure. These will kill a car instantly. And if it is an intermittent failure, the car will restart, until the failure becomes complete.

28 people found this helpful.
200

Mine just randomly started dying too. Not to the point where it's shut off yet but I'll down shift or rev with the clutch in and then drop it and it's just at comletely times basically the whole time I'm driving. Just happened today not sure what to do. My battery light came on for a second but I just got a new battery a few months ago? Thinking gas related but might be altinator seeing how it's hardly held a charge since I got the truck (1996 2.3l)

20 people found this helpful.
290

I have a 1999 Ford Ranger. I bought it used. The previous owner put a new battery in it before I bought it. I was driving it home and while driving on the highway and it just shut off. The kind man came to the rescue with another battery. No luck with that one either. He took it home and put a new alternator in it. I picked it up the next day and it ran fine. Two days later I was driving to work at 2:00 am and it just shut off again. I replaced the battery and alternator and battery. Again no luck. So I searched the Internet and came across a answer just like I'm going to share with you. Turn your key on the accessories mode. If the little diagram of a battery is not lit check the fuse for your alternator detection is no good replace it. I did and no more problems. If the fuse is no good your alternator is not charging your battery and with cause your truck to shut down.

29 people found this helpful.
290

I have a 1994 Ranger xl 2.3L 4cy, been trying to find out what is making it not run. Been in and out of the parts house, they don't know nothing over there, or the are keeping every thing to them selves. Well after changing part after part, they tried to sell me a Check Engen Light Code Detecer, so know how high every thing is over there, I came home and thought I would look it up on the computer, to see what I could buy one for. Well come to find out, every car from 1986 to 1994 has a built in code detecter built into them. From 86 to 91 or two code numbers, and 92 to 94 or 3 code numbers. Well to make a long store short, There is a plug under the hood and is stamp EEC on the battery side back by the fire wall, real easy to find on a 94 modes. All you do is clip a paper clip into the EEC plug, start your car, but must be warm, so warm it up first before putting the paper clip in. Then just start your truck and watch the check engine light, on mine it flash once and then 4 times, this means it is a 4 cy. then after that you just count the flash, on mine the first time was 9, so I wrote down 9, then the second set of flashes was 9 again, and the third set of flasher were 8, it will keep doing this until you have all the codes that it detected. 998 Code for my truck is the TPS sensor, which controls the Air and Fuel mix. Wham bam thanking mam my truck runs again. There are videos over on Google to You tube, just google how to check your codes on what ever type of car you have. Now why did any of those people at the parts house know about this code detecter, would have save me lots of money if they did. I hope this will help some of yall with your problems.

27 people found this helpful.
50

Hi i have a 2017 2.2 dct and it does randomly had it to the agents a and no solution to the problems please advise the way forward

5 people found this helpful.
60

Hi all, I have a Ranger 2008 with only 140k km on the meter. 2.5 TDCi engine The engine stalls but only when I am going faster than 100 km/h I have replace the Fuel Pressure Relief Limiter Valve due to starting problem, had no problem with stalling engine previously, maybe they are not related but strange it is. Will start by replacing the LP Fuel Filter in engine compartment at the hand pump

6 people found this helpful.
40

I had the same problem I changed my spark plugs and she runs fine now

4 people found this helpful.
60

I have a Diesel engine, is this thread all about petrol engines. Anyhow my problems still persists, only thing is that I have become a king on restarting the engine at 60 mph ;) Have bought a used spare engine though, been adivsed to replace the HP Fuel Pump but I am still convinced that its a electrical problem, I need to locate all involved electrical plugs to inspect them for cracks or aging and clean them with electrical cleaner and have some LPS 1 on the plug seals. My problem most often occur at high outside humidities

150

Im not sure about mine my 1994 ford ranger turns on fine runs good for a few miles then the check engine light comes on..once the CEL is on and i stop at a red light my truck goes to shaking a bit like its losing power or something i really dont know whats wrong

15 people found this helpful.
90

I have a ford 2014 xlt, the car goes off while driving, after turning it off and on it comes on but when a gear is engaged and try to accelerate, the car goes off again. It is worse when its up hill.

9 people found this helpful.
70

I had this same problem with a 2004 ford ranger 4.0 liter by 5 speed manual and went through the fuel pump and filter fuel pump relay the coil pack crank sensor and a bunch of checking grounds. Finally pulled the inertia switch off and the plug was melted and just bypassed it and shes run good since then. So definitely check that first. It wasnt popped up and didnt look like anything was wrong until I pulled it off and could see

7 people found this helpful.
50

I have a 93 ranger I have replaced the fuel pump fuel filter spark plugs and wires PCV valve valve cover gaskets and throttle positioning sensor it's shaking while running idling or driving doesn't matter and shutting off on me constantly sometimes it will do 45 and then other times it doesn't want to get up to speed at all it always cranks back up though after shutting off but it's getting harder to crank someone please help I am stumped

5 people found this helpful.
10

GuruJHZH: Did you find a solution to your problem? "My truck stalls while driving, it will restart once I come to a complete stop and click it off then on"??? I have this same issue.

1 people found this helpful.

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