How hard a job is that?

 

not to bad on removing the transmission , removing the dog house allows access to the top bellhousing bolts, then the rest is done underneath it.

 

Well, I made the 11 hour trip from Alabama to Winchester, VA. Still have the stumble issue, but I really think this is engine missing not transmission. It is hard to say for sure because sometimes tapping the brake and disengaging the lockup seems to make it go away. But other times if it is stumbling and I turn off Overdrive it continues to miss in 3rd gear.

But now the engine won’t start. Tried to start it the next day. It cranks and misses as if it was out of gas. Fuel pressure gauge says 42 psi.

This is the same “vapor lock” issue I have had for the last 2 summers. But then it would do this when hot outside and you slow down from interstate speeds, and start up again after 20 minutes or so. Now it’s 40 degrees and the engine is stone cold .

ill have to get a tow on Monday. Good news is I’m glad something finally definitively broke so now the root cause can be found.

Stranded in VA,
Steve

 

The ecu locks the converter in 3rd gear also , what happens when you touch the brake with od off when it’s acting up ?
Did you return the 2nd ecu ?
I know you said you replaced the ignition module a year ago, this would be an easy part to plug in and see if it will start and run.
Also these come in grey and black, since you dont have the original i would try both colors to find the correct one, you cant rely on parts store application book.

 

I don’t think it lasted long enough in 3rd gear to get my foot on the brake.

im not sure how to order the “wrong” color. Don’t know what vehicle to choose to order it.

numberdummy can you tell me Ford number for ignition control module for 1990 e350 with 460 CID ?

 

Did a little research , black modules didn’t come along until 94 model year , explains why the parts stores tried selling me the wrong part. You should have a grey module. Motorcraft DY1075 should be your part #. So as long as thats what you have and it’s only a year old i would doubt thats causing it without testing it , could verify spark and base timing with a timing light and the spout connector unplugged while cranking.

 

Guy here took me into town in his 1994 e350. His had almost the same stumble!

 

The ecm is just about the only engine control part that you have not not replaced?
Earlier I mentioned checking the slack in the timing chain. I have not done that to mine yet but am thinking that you did?

 

The 460 has a double row chain, very durable, it would not cause an intermittent problem.

 

OK, finally back at home with a real computer keyboard instead of a phone.

What a saga.

So first of all the "stumble". I still had a fair amount of the usual stumbling on the way there. Sometimes I would ride the brake "lightly" while it was stumbling, and it would still stumble. But when I listen to the engine, it seems to be running fine by ear. The stumble is all "physical". So I'm still on the fence about whether or not it is engine or transmission.

So I made the 700 mile trip from Alabama to Winchester, Virginia without issue (other than the intermittent stumbling). I arrived Thursday night. Got up Friday morning, and tried to start the RV, and it would not start. It would crank over, and sound like it wanted to start, but would not. It sounded like it was out of gas. This is the exact same issue I have been fighting for about 2 years now where it does this when hot. But there was snow on the ground and the engine was dead cold. Fuel pressure showed 42 PSI on the digital gauge. I tried all weekend to start it, and could not.

Called a tow truck on Monday morning. He came out, and had me try to start it. As I tried, he pressed on the gas pedal with his hand. Suddenly, it fired right up! The driver said he figured the TPS might have been bad and that by messing with the gas it wiggled something and made it start working. But, it's a brand-new TPS - less than a month old.

Anyway, with it then running, I started to drive home. I decided when I stopped for gas not to shut off the engine so I did not risk it not starting again.

I got about 2 hours down the road when my digital volt meter that I leave plugged into the cigarette lighter started beeping about low voltage - the alternator was not charging. (my in-dash ammeter has not worked since I got the RV 10 years ago). I made it to a parts store parking lot. They let me swap out a voltage regulator, no change. They ordered me up a new 100 amp alternator, and I worked that night pulling the old one (luckily I put my whole Craftsman tool chest in the RV before I left). The next morning when they opened the new alternator was there. I put it in. Still no charge to battery.

Now on the dash of this RV there is a 3-way rocker switch. In the middle is "off". To the left it will "stick", and when in that position the engine will charge the house batteries. To the right it is momentary, and you have to hold it down. This gangs the house batteries to the engine battery for an emergency jump start. I had noticed over the weekend that the boost mode was not working well as I ran down the engine battery trying to start the engine.

So, I took my wrench and gave the solenoid under the hood a whack. Suddenly the alternator started charging the battery. Bad solenoid all along. Here is the solenoid controlled by the rocker switch:



But hey, now I have a new alternator.

Got on the road. Strangely, I had almost no stumble all the way home. I did not shut of the engine once. About 30 minutes from home I had to go up a large hill, and then I had what I would call "surging" as I went up the hill. Again the engine seems to run fine. So maybe it is the transmission, I really can't tell at this point. I rode the brakes lightly and it still surged.

I pulled into my storage facility to dump my waste tanks. I was going to drive the RV down to Birmingham tonight. I did not shut off the RV while I dumped the tanks. As I was trying to pull out of the facility onto the main road, the engine stumbled. I quickly backed up into the parking lot, and it stumbled and died.

Tried to restart, and it is the same old thing - cranks over, misses like it's out of gas. But this time, the fuel pressure gauge read only 10 PSI! After numerous key on / key off attempts, the PSI came up to 20 PSI, but this is still not enough to run the engine. And it is normally 40 PSI at idle. I waited about 20 minutes, and then on key on it spun up to 40 PSI, and then the engine started up fine.

Now I still have the OEM fuel pressure regulator in the engine, so it's possible that that is the culprit. But I'm betting on the high pressure fuel pump.

So I drove it across the street to my mechanic. Gonna let him fool with it. The brakes are squishy, got a squealing AC/PS belt that squeals even when replaced (not a bearing as it shuts up when I squirt it with water), and some other things I'm going to have him look at. Tired of putting all my free time into working on the RV.

Steve

 

Oh I do not have the new ECM I returned it.

 

(Sometimes I would ride the brake "lightly" while it was stumbling, and it would still stumble. But when I listen to the engine, it seems to be running fine by ear. The stumble is all "physical". So I'm still on the fence about whether or not it is engine or transmission.)
.
Steve
When you use the brake pedal to unlock the converter it will only stay unlocked for a few seconds with the throttle applied, the ecu will ignore the brake input and re-lock the converter even with the brake lights on. If you have a tach on the dash you can see this happen.I should have mentioned that in previous post.
Sounds like you have several issues going on.
I dont think the TPS is one of them, otherwise you would have a check engine light on.
1)Fuel pump or poor wiring in the fuel pump circuit , leaning more toward wiring.
2)Suspect the converter is shuttering when cruising.
.
When the tow driver gave it gas while cranking and it started my initial thought is the IACV was stuck shut, when it would not start did it have good fuel pressure on your gauge ?
Steve

 

OK so riding the brakes does not keep the converter unlocked.

Yes, I can feel it when it unlocks. And I can feel the RPMs increase a little bit. I don't have a tachometer.

IACV was replaced about 6 months ago.

When it would not start in Virginia, when the tow guy was there, I was getting 42 PSI on the gauge.
When it died hot and would not start when I got back to Alabama, the pressure gauge started at 10 PSI and after numerous key-on attempts would slowly come up to 20 PSI, which still would not run the engine. After sitting about 20 minutes, the pressure came back up to 42 PSI on key-on and then it fired right up.

Steve

 

An analog tach not digital would be nice so you can compare a shutter stoping when the converter unlocks and see if it resumes when it locks back up.
I know you stated the iacv was replaced , that doesn’t mean its not sticking at times , and if you give it a little throttle and then it starts and idles pretty much confirms the valve was stuck closed.
The ecu doesn’t know the valve is stuck closed, still squirts the same amount of fuel and creates a flooding condition. The valve allows air to enter the engine to start with the correct air fuel ratio, giving it gas is like being a manual iacv 😁
Was the valve a motorcraft brand ?
I also still believe you have a voltage drop somewhere between the battery's and engine to cause the other issue , maybe a bad solenoid but i would remove and wire brush all connections and measure for a voltage drop , the picture you posted of the solenoid looks to have some poor diy workmanship.

 

LOL the solenoid is Winnebago factory work. The only DIY stuff in that picture is the ribbed red cables. I used a jumper cable to relocate the single house battery from the tray you see there to a pair of Group 29 batteries in one of the storage bays.

Steve