Hello, I'm hoping someone can shed some light on my problem...
I jumped in to another thread and decided, with some encouragement ;-) to start my own thread... so here is what I am dealing with...

I have an 88 Ford Econoline Fuel Injected Dual Tank 302. The other night I took off to the store and the van began to stutter as if it were running out of gas, then died. I had about 3/4 of a tank, just filled. Had trouble starting the van, but finally got it started and took off to the store, no more problems that night. The next morning my wife hopped in and it wouldn't start, it would "run" but only for a second and die. Last weekend I tried starting it and it ran for about 5 minutes then died and started to act the same way, just wouldn't run.

I bought this thing last year and the rear tank never worked right. It would run for about a half mile then act like its running out of gas then die.

I think it is the in tank fuel pump is the problem there, but now the front is giving me similar problems.

After some diagnosis here is what I've found so far...

Fuel Pressure Test at the rail: 35-37psi
Fuel Volume Test at the filter, before the high pressure pump:
Front Tank selected: 1 liter in 20 seconds - correct according to Haynes
Rear Tank selected: 1 liter in 3o seconds - below requirement, obviously the problem with that tank.

I've been told that the TFI Ignition Module is typically faulty for this generation of Fords. I ran a diagnostic and came up with zeros, no code.

Anybody dealt with anything like this before? Any help would be appreciated.

thanks,
-aaron

 

I gave you some suggestions on the old thread so check it out, things that have worked for me in the past with ignition problems.

 

I would also change that fuel filter regardless, that can boost fuel pressure and volume.

 

I'll check out your reply, thank you. I did change the fuel filter, it was the first thing I did... cheapest and easiest! :-) thanks for the suggestion.

 

Here is what Tom replied in the other thread... for those of you who may want the info later...

Run the vehicle at night in the dark and see if the wires have any blue sparks anywhere especially where they touch ground or each other. Also inspect the wires and look for burnt or charred areas where they come into contact with anything. Bad or old wires can cause voltage leaks which can overload all the ignition components and cause overheating and failure of any of the components, the distributor pickup, the distributor cap, the coil, or the ignition module. Also inspect the inside of the distributor cap and rotor for burnt or corroded terminals and clean or replace the cap and rotor. If you don't find any obvious damage or spark leakage here's what you can try, spray all the wires and distributor with WD-40 and let them sit for about ten minutes, this will draw the moisture from the wires and they should work for about a month if they are bad. This is just a temporary fix and the wires will have to be replaced. Just some things you can try.

 

You need to mount the fuel pressure gauge where you can see it and drive the van. When it does it see what the pressure is.
This will tell you if the problem is fuel delivery or not.

 

Subford, I let the van idle until it died with the fuel pressure gauge on it.... when it died the pressure shot up to approximately 42psi then dropped back down to a little under 35psi after it died. I found that interesting, I was expecting a drop in pressure, which would've explained the cause. thoughts?

Also, it won't run long enough to drive. I tried that, kinda glad I couldn't get out of the driveway cause that would've been a bummer.

 

It would not be fuel related then.

You need to check for spark KV on the plug wires, You might have a bad Ignition coil or a bad plug that snaps onto the Ignition Coil.
This is some what of a common problem.

If not the coil I would go after the TFI module on the distributor.
If it was the PIP sensor you should get a code set.
Of course it could be other things like a bad Ignition Switch or power relay (try to jump the POS + battery post to the red wire on an Injector and see if it still runs).

 

Just another obvious thing, check the spark plugs and gaps make sure they are not too far out of gap or electrodes are completely eroded. That will also overload the coil.

 

Also check the vacuum side of the fuel pressure regulator, if there is gas present in the line then the regulator is leaking and will have to be replaced, this can cause an over rich condition which will make the motor hard to start or stall out. I went crazy trying to figure that one out on my Dad's taurus, it drove me nuts, but a very simple fix.

 

Thanks guys for your suggestions... I'll take a look at what you are suggesting and see what I find. I want to point out one detail I don't think I made very clear. When the van "dies" it doesn't choke to death or sputter or stall... it literally dies... just shuts off as if I turned it off with the ignition. I've never experienced anything like this before.

I'll post any progress. thanks!

 

by the way... how do I check the coil to see if it is faulty? How do I check the spark KV (what is KV?) on the spark plug wires?

 

You can check the resistance of the coil or sub it out with another one.
But it may check good with a meter and be open when the coil gets hot.

1 KV is One Thousand Volts and so on.

I use this snap-on tester:


Ignition Coil testing:



/

 

To test the coil you can check resistance values between the terminals, the problem with coils is they tend to fail under load and when hot or vibrating so they may test okay cold but then fail when the engine is running, it's usually easier just to get another coil and try it out.

Subford- that's a nice tester, i usually try my visual methods or the ohm meter on the spark plug wires. Sometimes you can even hear the snapping/clicking of the spark on bad wires! The WD-40 method works remarkably well, i have saved many cars from being towed, especially on wet or moist days.

 

Ok, I replaced the TFI Module and it runs... no problems. Go figure!

Thanks to all who helped out... its been interesting and a learning experience. fortunately now I know what to do if/when symptoms start again, and I've got some new tools I wouldn't otherwise have! :-) thats always a plus!

You guys ROCK!

I'll do my best to check in every now and again to see if I can help.