I bought a 2.3 ranger a little while ago with the idea of swaping the motor out cuz i was told it was blown. I recently talked to the former owner and he said the truck just stopped working one day, while he was driving down the highway, no knocking or any other signs. I was thinking i would just hook everything back up and try to start it and see what happens. Any ideas of what i should check for? Its a 96 by the way. Thanks

Is the timing belt broken?? If everything else is/was working and it just stopped with no noises or anything thats usually what it is. That would be the easiest thing to check first, then check the fuel, and different sensors.

Good idea, thanks. I talked to him again today and he said after it died on the highway that he tried to start it a couple times at home and it justs made some clicking sounds. Anybody else have anything like this happen before? Thanks for any help.

so when he turns the key it just makes a rapid clicking sound? If that's the case it sounds like either bad battery, bad battery connections or the starter solenoid.

If that's the case and the battery is good, it's a cheap fix.

Yea i was thinking about that to but that doesnt really make sense about why it died on the highway, does it? Im just thinking out loud here.

Yeah your right, it sounds like he's not telling you everything. Have you checked the fuses? I had a problem blowing the fuse that relates to the fuel system and I can't remember if it made any clicking sound while trying to start it but it's what caused mine to randomly die on the road. It shorted out on the engine, a bolt that held a sensor related to the system rusted out, melted exposing the wire and would ground out on the engine randomly.

Is this truck at your house?

your truck can just die on the highway, and not start again. if your alternator is not charging your truck will eventually not have enough juice to keep firing the sparkplugs and running the stereo and sensors and la la la... so it'll quit, that also would explain the clicking and not starting... no juice. a new battery will temporarily 'fix' the problem, but check the charging system too...

* or charge the battery,... may not need a new one.

the clicking maybe the relays working i would start at the battery the the starter and the the alternator if you have any knowledge witha voltmeter that would be your best friend i just finished the first parts of my ford tech training and we did alot of eletrical stuff that semester the voltmeter and test lights were my bestfriends