gettin it to start

[1986_bronco2_4x4]

my buddy is tryin to sell me a 1986 bronco 2 its got no rust and looks to be in good cond (only wants 350 dollars). the only thing is that it sat up for awhile so it dosent want to start. we drained and replaced all fluids then tried to start it all it would do is turn over.you could smell gas but it ddnt seem to be firing. the next step is of corse new spark plugs and im going to take a look the plug wires and see if their sparking then look at the dist. cap... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and it has the 2.9 im wondering if thats a good engine also. do you think its worth it?

[TJDukit82]

$350 is an awesome deal if you can get it to start and whether or not it runs well it's still a good deal if the body is straight. The 2.9L has it's problems mostly with cracking heads but if you keep it from overheating it shouldn't be a problem. After you get it running I would put a radiator in it from a 4.0L Ranger or explorer which should keep it cool. If you aren't getting spark there a lot of posts on here on what to look for and what to change if you do a search you will come up with a bunch of stuff. Most people recomend getting the TFI module tested. I would do plugs and wires for sure and a new cap and rotor then you should be left with the coil and the TFI module after that I'm not really sure.

Good Luck

[slamball]

To add on to what TJ said, check all your connections and see if there is moisture in the distributor cap.
Good luck

[1986_bronco2_4x4]

thanks for the help im going to give the dist. cap a check this weekend... it looks kinda hard to get to tho...

[vabronconut]

thanks for the help im going to give the dist. cap a check this weekend... it looks kinda hard to get to tho...

you said you drained all the fluids? did you drain all the fuel in the tank? i would drain the fuel in the tank, put in fresh fuel, then let the fuel shoot out of the fuel rail for about 10-15 seconds. i would also change the fuel filter. make sure you hear the high pressure pump running on the frame rail.

when a truck sits for a long time the fuel varnishes and looses its flash point and will not ignite in the cylinder with just a spark. you HAVE to get rid of ALL the old fuel first. when a fuel system varnishes it coats the fuel regulator, fuel filters, pumps, pick ups screens, and most importantly the injectors. the filters are easily changed. the pump you can easily take off and squirt carb cleaner in to clean, the pick up screen is not that bad just have to take out the sender unit, but if your draining the tank anyhow it would be a good idea to do it then. the injectors and regulator can be cleaned by putting a GOOD injector cleaner in the first tank of gas, it will work itself out.

all this is just what i would do after i changed the gas, filter, and purged the fuel system.

hope this helps

[1986_bronco2_4x4]

I got it running! i tried everything i could think of and got it to run by puttin a little seafoam in the tank but turns out it has a bad trans... it wont even roll

[vabronconut]

I got it running! i tried everything i could think of and got it to run by puttin a little seafoam in the tank but turns out it has a bad trans... it wont even roll

thanks for keeping us all updated ! awesome that you got it started, sucks that you can't drive it. you said it sat for awhile, it may be worth trying to drop the trans pan and changine fluid and filter, pull the valve body down (do not pull it apart) and spray it down with carb cleaner. the valve body and filter varnish the same as fuel over time especially if the fluid was in piss poor shape prior to parking it. the filter clogged from this may keep fluid circulating enough to refill parts of the tranny that had drained from sitting so long. i may be worth the $30 to try???? good luck and keep us posted

tom

[1986_bronco2_4x4]

alright so i figured out the trans is bad so i started asking around to some of my friends and one of em has a trans out of an 85 for a hundred bucks it had a 2.8 will it fit mine 86 witha 2.9?

[TJDukit82]

Yes it will I put a 2.8L out of a '78 Mustang in my 89' and everything bolted right up so the bellhousings are the same and eveything else should be good.

[WAREAGLE]

GOOD JOB BRO!!!