I have a 1989 E250 Camper Van, converted by InverTec, called a Falcon. I have been having considerable trouble getting it to start and run smoothly and reliably. The van has a fuel injected 351 Windsor driving a C6 transmission. There is 70K miles on the 2WD van. My mobile mechanic (I live out in the country) recently pulled a part from the engine which he described as a vacuum control valve and indicated that this was likely the source of my problems. He indicated that the valve was stuck in the closed position and hence needs to be replaced. The part is clearly marked with a Motorcraft part no. E9TE - KB and a date (6-29-88). I have contacted several local auto parts houses and gone on line to find out more about this part. I have run into a stone wall! Most of the parts stores can't trace the number and the one that did said that it is an EGR valve, which it is not. Similarly on line I can not get any information when I Google the complete part number. I have found that the E9TE followed by a bunch of numbers does refer to a distributor of that period. Any help identifying what I have and where to go to get a replacement would be greatly appreciated. Oh yes, the part is a steel cylinder 1 1/8 inches in diameter and about 2 inches tall. It has a two pin spade electrical connector at the top and the bottom has an 1 1/2 inch trapezoid flange with two bolt holes to mount the part. At the bottom there is 1/2 inch diameter tube extending 1/2 inch below the flange. The tube has what appears to be an "O" ring at the top to make an air tight seal when the part is anchored with the appropriate anchor bolts.

 

Can you tell me where on the motor that device is mounted? It sorta sounds like the (IAC)Idle air control valve but could also be the EGR valve/sensor combo. The part number you found is a Ford specific engineering number that won't help identifying a replacement as aftermarket suppliers don't use it.

You can help yourself considerably if you bought this code reader... Equus® 3145 - Code Reader (carid.com)

When EFI components develop issues the computer will set codes related to the issue that help narrow down the problem, the above device will retrieve those codes for you.
However with the age of this vehicle deterioration of vacuum and electrical lines and connectors is often as big an issue as the EFI components themselves, so this isn't an exact science.. it often takes some patience and determination to figure out what is going on.

A common problem with these older trucks is in the fuel delivery system, your truck has a rather complicated one with low pressure pumps in each tank, a high pressure pump on the frame along with a resovoir/switching valve assembly that directs fuel to and from the appropriate tank and buffers between the low and high pressure pumps. If the vehicle has a single tank this device doesn't have switching capability but it still buffers between pumps. In all cases the fuel pressure at the engine should be 30-35psi at idle and that should raise to 40-45psi when vacuum is removed from the fuel rpessure regulator.. which is at the rear drivers side of the motor on the fuel rail. There is also a shrader valve on the same side where a gauge can be installed for pressure testing. If possible connect a gauge and road test the pressure, it should never drop below the idle speed pressure and should allways tend towards the no vacuum pressure when the engine is under load. If the vehicle passes this test then you have elimiated the fuel system as a potential problem, if it doesn't pass then you could have a dirty fuel filter, one or both pumps are weak, or one or more injectors is dirty and partially stuck open, this wouldn't be unusual to find if the vehicle has been parked for some time. Another thing to note is that the fuel pressure should maintain after the engine is shut off, if it drops to zero immediately this may indicate a stuck injector, if that is the case the engine oil will smell of gas and will read high on the dipstick if it's been going on for some time. If the oil is clean then the fuel resovoir could be leaking fuel back into the tank, it contains rubber seals and diaphrams that deteriorate like anything else.

 

I agree with Conanski that it sounds similar to a the IAC or EGR sensor. Can you post a pic of the part?

Does it look something like any part shown in this pic?

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Also do you have a calibration code sticker on the door jam? Should look something like this... If so, then if you can post the number, then one of us may be able to pull up the correct part number once we know what the part is.


If it is an egr valve then it will look similar to one of these minus the position sensor.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...egr+valve,4968

 

Thanks Conanski and Annaleigh for your replies and help. I got your messages late this evening so I will try to answer the questions and provide a photo or two tomorrow. However we are expecting snow tomorrow and being a woose, it may take me a day or two to get back to you. A quick answer to one question however is that the part I have looks a little like the part show in the lower left corner of the picture of parts provided by Annaleigh. It has the exact same electrical connector, it is cylindrical like the picture example however the attachment flange is at the bottom, not the side as with the photo part. In the middle of the flange a tube extends about 1/2 inch which penetrates the engine when it is bolted in place.

 

Thanks again folks. From your comments and some more research on the Internet, I finally figured out what I have. It is the Idle Air Controller (IAC). The confusion on my part is because my mechanic separated the solenoid portion of the IAC from it's body and simply handed me this part to replace. I see now that my options are to replace the entire unit plus gaskets on either side of the spacer, or try to clean the unit along with the throttle body? and reassemble it with new gaskets. I do hope that this is the part that needs repairing to solve my problem of difficult starting and problems with idling and running. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated from you experts. Regards

 

Conanski knows much more then I do about how all the sensors and electronics work.

Glad you identified the part. The lower left part in the pic is in fact the IAC used on my 88 E150 with a 5.0.. Since you have a 89 with a 5.8. the IAC might be different.. That is part of the reason why I ask if you could find your calibration code number. With your calibration code I could probably find the ford factory parts list used for your specific van. Below is a copy of my calibration code parts list. All but the fuel pump in my pic above are parts for my van as per the calibration code sheet.

The IAC is known as the Valve assy. (throttle air by-pass). There were 2 different ones used on my van

 

The IAC is the same on both 5.0 and 5.8 motors, if it is siezed shut that certainly would cause an idle problem. The valve can be cleaned if it is just gummed up but sometimes they are not salvagable, and the control solenoid either works or it doesn't. If your mechanic is confident the solenoid is good you may get away with just replacing the valve, electronic replacement components have a terrible reliability record these days compared to the OEM parts so don't toss any parts that are removed. Idle problems can be hard to track down though, both the TPS and the IAC work in tandem with the computer to control idle speed, but if the motor is running lean because of a vacuum or gasket leak then nothing the computer does will make the motor idle smoothly.
How does the van run otherwise?

 

Conanski: Thanks for the knowledgeable help. It snowed today so I chose not to work on the van. I did try to purchase the Equus 3145 by clicking on your link, but quickly found out that they are currently out of stock. I asked that Equus send me an Email if and when it becomes available. I assume that this is an OBDI code reader, yes? (I own an OBDII reader for my other cars/trucks) I also called Oreilley's and had them order a complete IAC for my 1989 5.8L fuel injected Windsor. It will be in Tuesday, and I will go from there. Hope they ordered the correct one. As far as "how does the van run otherwise" a short answer is terribly! When I first bought the van about a year ago, it had been abandoned in a warehouse for 10+ years. It had sat for so long that both rear brake shoes had rusted to the brake shoes. I had to use my 1 ton RAM tow truck with its 13,000 lb winch to literally drag the van onto the trailer. Getting it home I replaced all the filters, pumps, and fluids. Once I got the rear brakes replaced I was able to start it and drive it for about 3 miles before it died on the road. After waiting about 10 minutes, it started and then drove another 1/2 mile before it died again. This time cranking on it got it to start and it successfully drove home (the remaining 3 miles) This process repeated itself over and over again until I read about the problem with the ignition control module which gets overheated, being attached to the base of the distributor. So I replaced the module thinking that I had solved the problem. WRONG!!! Back on the road it died again and would start only when it felt like it. Since that time I have replaced the MAPP sensor, plugs, plug wires, coil, distributor (tried to retime it correctly), fuel pump, radiator, transmission cooler, water pump, EGR valve, and performed a smog pump delete on the van. The last time I tried to start it, it would not start without the help of a little starting fluid (No criticism here please, yes I know it is not good for the motor.) Then once started it would not stay running without my foot on the accelerator. I threw up my hands in disgust and walked away from it. That was some 3 months ago. Recently I came across a mobile mechanic on Facebook who said he knew something about Windsor.motors so I paid him to drop by and you know the rest. Way back when, shortly after fixing the rear brakes, and before it died on the road, it seemed to run well, that is before it died. However it did seem to run hot (needle near the top of the normal range) and as I plan to tow a trailer behind it, I opted for the radiator replacement. Now after throwing money at it for 6 months, it hardly starts, and when it does start it acts like it is driving through a lake of molasses -it will hardly move! Maybe my new mobile mechanic will point out some stupidity on my part, or find the real cause of my problems. I can only hope! If any of you "experts" are not too far away from NE Arkansas, I would be happy to pay for your time to visit my headache - that is if my new mechanic doesn't solve my problems. Regards to all

 

since you don't have a code reader at the moment, let me ask you some questions about the fuel system..
Do you front and rear fuel tank?
You said that you replaced the fuel pump. If you have 2 tanks then there are 3 pumps. If you have only one tank then you have 2 pumps. And there is only one filter.

Did you drop the fuel tank or tank's and clean them out?
After sitting for over 10 years here is what I found in the fuel tank of my 85 E150 with a carb. the fuel sending unit had a hole rusted through it and was picking up air along with fuel. Eventually the pump could pull enough gas to fill the carb bowl and the van would run for a while and then quit because it was sucking too much air under a load.

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My 88 E150 with a 5.0 is fuel injected and it too had sat for many years before I bought it.. It had to have new fuel tank, pump/sending unit, filter, and flush out the lines to get the old dried crud out of them.
The fuel injectors can also be gummed up after sitting so long. They can be cleaned at home and rebuild fairly easy. There is a screen that goes in the top of the injector and helps keep larger particles from going down inside the injector. That screen is par of the rebuild kit. There are plenty of videos on youtube with different methods to flush out or clean the injectors...

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Have you or your mechanic checked the fuel pressure?
Any restriction in the system can cause the engine to run poorly. You can show a good fuel pressure sitting or perhaps even idling but once you start off and the engine needs more fuel, if there is a restriction in the fuel system then the engine will not be able to get enough fuel...

Those older InverTec, Falcons were really nice RVs and if Teh RV and your engine and transmission are in good shape then don't get discouraged and throw your hands up in the air! It is most likely fuel or sensor related... The pic of motorcraft parts are just some of the sensors and parts have been collection over they past few years. Last year I started replacing all of the old used 33 year old sensors with the new ones I had been collecting just as preventative maintenance. As Cornanski recommended, I have kept the old parts because all but one of them was good and I saved them for a spare..

One other tip,,, Try not to drive the van very far once you get it running until you check all of the bearings and grease all of the fittings. Sitting for 10 years the bearings will dry out... Both of my vans that had sat needed new U-joints. They were not loose like you typically find, they were tight and dry!

The rear axle grease will drain out of the bearings after sitting for years and it can take some time to get grease back to them by just driving... I had to replace the axle bearings both of my vans. I believe it was due to them sitting so long and then being driven with no initial lubrication... So check those...

There are a lot of great people here at FTE that will help you out so don't give up! Just this past summer I started converting my comversion van to a camper van and would have loved to have a van like yours to start with!

 

Thanks Annaleigh. You have given me a lot to think about and a lot to do!! I did not drop the dual fuel tanks. I did replace the rail mounted lift pump, fuel filter (2X) and flushed both tanks. I also checked the fuel pressure after I installed the lift pump and as I recall it was 35 psi to the motor. When I got the rear brakes fixed and initially drove it, it seemed to drive fine until it simply quit after 3 miles on the road. This swayed me not to drop the fuel tanks because I assumed that they were providing fuel OK. Now with your comments, I am reconsidering this. I am also considering pulling and cleaning the injectors, but with limited access to the engine in a van, I am not looking forward to this job. As the front tank does not register on the fuel gauge, I will likely drop this tank first, just to repair the sender?? This will allow me to assess condition of the tanks. I have seen a video where it is possible to cut a hole in the van floor to access the fuel pumps without dropping the tanks. I am considering this as it would allow me to go back to the tanks easily if I ever had any problems in the future. The switch that cycles from one tank to another does seem to work. Nevertheless, based on your suggestions I guess there is a lot more work to be done. By the way, I too love the Falcon camper van and am looking forward to using it on some cross country jaunts. I have decided however that it is to claustrophobic and cramped for me to sleep in the over cabin pull out bed. I am therefore going to convert this area to additional storage, an entertainment center and controls for a yet-to-be installed solar panel system. The only other question in my mind is whether I will be happy with the 351W both from a mpg and power capability, as I intend to occasionally pull a loaded car trailer cross country. If I am dissatisfied with the current Windsor I am considering 3 options. 1. Upgrade the Windsor with several of the aftermarket add-ons; 2. Convert the van to a diesel. I do own both Cummins and Powerstroke trucks which I love and think a 7.3 or 5.9 in the van would be sweet; 3. Convert the van to a modern gas engine such as an Ecoboost. No. 1 would give be more power but not likely greatly improve the gas mileage. It does have the advantage of costing the least of the three options. No. 3, the Ecoboost would also be really sweet but the conversion would be complicated, computers and all, and cost the most of the alternatives. So now if I decide on a motor swap I am leaning to a diesel. ( I have also looked into some of the modern 4 cylinder diesels, but they would also be expensive ) Anyway if you ever get down near NE Arkansas, I would be happy to show you my Falcon, and let you drive it if I ever get things worked out.....
Regards to all