Ford Ranger won't start

MJA1009

MEMBER
FORD RANGER

1993 Ford Ranger over 170k miles

My father put in a new alternator and battery, about 2 weeks ago. This past Friday, I was driving it, when all of a sudden it made a squealing noise, then it just shut off and I had it towed back to the house. It tries to start, but it grinds real loud and smells like burnt rubber. The power steering pump has been broken and not working for a long time, and somebody looked at it and said it wouldn't start because it had something to do with the rotors that turn the belt, or something like that, and that it could cost from 500 - 900 dollars to fix it (that was a rough estimate from a friend mechanic of my husband's). Does this sound right?

I needed a vehicle to run right away, so we ran out and bought a used Oldsmobile, and are having problems with that already (posted in the other autos thread). I just don't know what to do. Spend more money to fix the Ford, or the Oldsmobile.

Please help

1 Reply

NOS

MECHANIC
320 POSTS

Ok the best think I can tell you to do is go through a prosses of elimination take the belt off try turning each pully that the belt runs on and find the one that don't turn. And that one would be the one that is making the belt squeal and it and in some cases it can killl the motor. Also take the belt off and turn the motor over see if it does. You have a pully locked up somewhere replace it and you good to go. If it is the powersteering pump it will have to be replaced. NOS 8)