Learn All About : Ford Ranger Fuel Pump In 2023 (Problems + Solutions)

It seems to happen all the time.;  you’re driving your vehicle, and then all of a sudden, you’ve run into a Ford Ranger fuel pump problem. And now, you can’t make it to your appointment. But that’s why we’re here.

With our help, you’ll be able to find out what went wrong with the vehicle. It could be fuel pump, but it could also be a completely unrelated thing.

And you might also find out that the fuel pump is not the problem.

That said, if you want to know  how to identify the root of the problem and fix your vehicle accordingly, read up! more about these problems, make sure to read the entire article.

Importance of a Fuel Pump

If you’ve ever wondered where your gasoline goes after pumping up your car, well, let’s just say that the fuel pump takes care of this.

You see, the filter sock is responsible for picking up the gasoline. Once it has picked up the gas, it’ll send it to the DC motor and the fuel filter, where it’s then screened out.

After that, the gasoline goes out to the engine. However, if pressure builds up inside the filter, it’ll be sent back to the gas tank.

When that happens, the pressure regulator will take care of that.

Typically, fuel pumps can either be found on top of the tank or inside the fuel pump module.

And as you might guess, the fuel pump plays a critical role in any vehicle.

If they were to be damaged, your car wouldn’t start all since the gasoline can’t get to the engine.

Furthermore, the engine’s temperature might rise up if the fuel pump got damaged.

And for that reason, a fuel pump can quickly become the source of many problems.

Table of Best Fuel Pump/Accessories for Ford

Common Problems with Fuel Pumps (+Possible Solutions)

We know how frustrating it can be to spend so much time on your car and still not be able to find the culprit.

Don’t worry, though. Below, you’ll find typical fuel pump issues most Ford Ranger owners have run into:

1. Car Cranks But Won’t Start

A car that will not startup is one of the most common Ford Ranger fuel pump problems you’ll encounter.

When the vehicle does not start up, it’s usually related to the fuel pump. But before jumping to any conclusions, please run the following test:

• Turn off the car and wait a couple of minutes, and then turn it back on. As soon as you turn the key to the on position, listen for a “hum” coming from the vehicle. You’ll hear it kick on and then kick-off.
• If your car is in great shape, you should hear the “hum” sound as soon as you turn it on. But in the case of your vehicle, you might not hear anything when you turn the key since the fuel pump broke. could have gone bad.

As valuable as that little test might be, you still have some work to do. You could have a bad fuse that you just need to replace.

So, get in the car and find the owner’s manual. Now flip the pages until you find the fuse diagram.

Next up, find the fuse box and open it up. After that, pull the fuse out of the box.

Now take a closer look at the fuse. A healthy fuse shouldn’t have any break in the connection.

A bad one, however, looks like it was cut in half inside. So, if your fuse looks like that, replace it as soon as possible.

Once you’ve replaced the bad one, your car should work again.

2. Pump Not Getting Any Voltage

If you’re not getting any voltage to your Ford Ranger fuel pump, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to fix this problem by resetting the inertia switch.

If you don’t know what that is, it’s simply a safety feature.

If there’s an accident, the inertia switch will turn off the fuel pump relay. That way, fuel flow won’t come out of the car.

But as helpful as that feature might be, it can be problematic at times, more than you’d like, honestly.

For instance, the switch can get triggered if it gets hit by something. When this happens, the fuel pump won’t work at all.

If that’s the case, resetting the switch is more than enough to get the truck back on the road. Not sure how to go about it? Here’s how to reset the fuel cutoff switch:

• The inertia switch on the Ford Ranger is located on the passenger’s floor where your feet would be sitting. If you look down in there, you’ll see the red button.
• This button should be pressed all the way in. However, if the switch is popped up, it most likely got hit by something.
• So, to reset the switch, simply press it down.

After resetting it, turn the key to the on position, and your truck should normally usually start again. However, if the switch is resetting itself constantly, you might have to replace it. If that’s the case, watch this video to replace it:

3. Engine Sputtering

The fuel pump is essential to any vehicle. So, if the fuel pump breaks goes bad , you could face some weird problems.

For example, it’ll drop the fuel pressure. As a result, the engine will sputter.

This problem is usually caused by low fuel. If you’ve been driving your car with low fuel, that’ll cause damage to the pump.

That said, If you don’t know whether you’ve got fuel or not, follow these steps:

• Get a fuel pressure gauge. That’ll help you determine the fuel pressure. After that, find the fuel rail and hook the fuel pressure regulator to it.
• Next up, start up the car. That’ll run the fuel pump so that you can test for pressure.
• You should now be looking at 50 pounds. For instance, the fuel pressure for the Ford Ranger is supposed to be between 47-63.

If you’re getting anything below that, there’s definitely something wrong with the fuel pump. In fact, your fuel pressure might not even budge.

With that in mind, it’s safe to assume the fuel pump went bad and must be replaceIt’s safe to assume the fuel pump went bad and must be replacedd..

4. Engine Overheating

There are plenty of reasons why an engine might overheat. For example, some of the most common issues are related to blown-head gaskets and coolant.

But if you’re in the middle of nowhere and have checked just about every possible scenario, you might want to check the fuel pump.

This issue is not as common. However, if there’s something wrong with the fuel pump, it’ll have a hard time sending enough gas to the engine. When this happens, the engine could overheat.

5. Loss of Power

If we had to point out a common problem among Ford Ranger drivers, it would be losing power. But even then, it’s pretty hard to tell why this is happening.

For instance, if you’re losing power when accelerating, you could have clogged fuel filters.

After all, they’re responsible for screening out any dirt the gasoline might have. So, if they got blocked, the filters will not be able to do their job.

Another problem worth looking into is the air filter. If the filter got damaged, impurities could get inside the engine, which might be why you’re losing power.

However, if you’ve checked all those things and still can’t figure out just what’s wrong with your car, you could have a fuel pump that’s about to die.

To check if you’re getting power to the fuel pump, get a multimeter.

If you’re not getting power, the fuel pump went out of service, and you must change it out.

6. Fuel Pump Whine

If anything, we’ve seen many Ford owners talk about how noisy their fuel pumps are.

This is one of the most apparent Ford Ranger bad fuel pump symptoms.

If you had a Mustang, you would have nothing to worry about since they’re pretty noisy anyway. But that’s not the case for the Ford Ranger.

In this case, this might very well be an early sign that the pump will die any time soon.

How much should you expect from it? That’s hard to tell as it could survive for another 5,000 miles.

But for safety reasons, you should have it tested and find out what’s wrong with it.

7. Stalling

A not-so-common issue related to the fuel pump is engine stalling. The car will start up like it always does.

However, it’ll occasionally die when it’s in motion. What’s more, the vehicle will also jerk if the fuel pump went bad.

Now, if you suspect this has something to do with the battery, chances are it isIf  you suspect this has something to do with the battery, chances are it does not.

The vehicle wouldn’t start at all if the battery went out. So, it’s safe to rule that out.

Finally, you could very well have a bad coolant temp sensor. But if the car hasn’t thrown up any codes, then there’s no need to worry about that.

8. Can’t Drive Uphill

The day has come, you finally decided to go on a trip with your family, and all of a sudden, you noticed the massive power loss going uphill.

So, you’re there, trying your best to step on the pedal and hope for the best.

So, why is this happening in the first place? When driving any vehicle uphill, your car and all its components must work harder than they usually do.

So, if there’s something wrong with your fuel pump, the truck will struggle to go up.

This also applies if you’re carrying heavy loads. And as expected, replacing the fuel pump will get rid of this issue.

Fuel Pump Replacement Cost

The average Ford Ranger fuel pump replacement cost can go anywhere from $250 all the way up to $700. In contrast, the fuel pump itself costs about $300-500 for the Ford Ranger.

Before throwing parts at your car, we wholeheartedly suggest going through all the problems we covered above.

But if you’ve gone through all of them and determined that there’s nothing you can do to fix the car, then it’s time to change out the fuel pump.

Luckily, replacing the fuel pump on the Ford Ranger is not tricky as other cars — we’re talking about you, Jaguar.

Last but not least, avoid getting an aftermarket fuel pump. Instead, get an OEM.

The aftermarket ones are not as reliable, and chances are you’ll run into a bunch of issues down the line.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have a feeling your fuel pump is not working as it should, the following information will help you find that out:

Where is the fuel pump on a Ford Ranger?

Before replacing the fuel pump, make sure you didn’t hit the inertia switch, as that might be your problem.

That said, the fuel pump on a Ford Ranger is located on top of the gas tank. To get there, you’ll have to remove your bed.

Is replacing a fuel pump hard?

No, replacing a fuel pump on a Ford Ranger is not hard. It’s not the easiest job in the world.

However, it is nowhere near as hard as other vehicles. So, you’ll most likely be fine if you attempt this on your own.

Can a fuel pump go out with no warning?

It’s not impossible to tell that the fuel pump is about to die. But In many cases, they just go out without any warnings.

When this happens, you’ll either have a hard time starting up the vehicle, or it will not turn on at all.

Will a bad fuel pump throw a code?

If the fuel pump control module broke, the vehicle might not throw up any codes.

Conclusion

If you find yourself having a hard time with the Ford Ranger fuel pump, the solutions we covered above should help you find the underlying problem.

Perhaps you’ll find out that your fuel pump is still in great shape, and it was a fuse all along.

This is pretty common, and this is the first thing you should do before replacing the fuel pump.

However, if that didn’t solve whatever issue you ran into, you’re better off taking the car to a certified professional.