OK, this one's perplexing. A couple weeks ago I was picking up a friend from the airport on a very hot day... on the way home I started to notice a sever lack of power, and then at one of the stop lights it cut out and just would not start again. After eventually getting it off the road and letting it sit for about an hour it started up again... power was still severly lacking and I barely made it home without it stalling again. This seemed like classic vapor lock but I'm almost certain that that's not what I am really experiencing... just similar symptoms.

So, now it seems as though this happens all the time. After some amount of driving (on hot days the amount of time I have is much shorter than cool days) the same thing happens all over again. What on earth is causing this problem? I've heard from a couple of folks that it could be my fuel pump, or the ICM. I've heard that the ICM has beem moved from it's distributor location but my Chilton says that didn't happen until 1994. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

OK folks... here's an update. I'm starting to get the feeling that this may be an exhaust problem... I had the whole stall/no start thing happen again today. Luckily I was able to get it into a parking lot before it wouldn't start again and I was close enough to my house to walk home. I went back about 3 hours later to pick up the van. It started, and had very awful power in low speeds. It also would have a bunch of mini backfires (that's the best way I can describe it) and this time I got a very bad rotten egg smell (that's got to be the cat right?). Now, my question is at 147000 miles am I looking at just a bad cat, or is there something else I should check that would have caused the cat to go bad like O2 sensor or something like that? Any thoughts?

 

That sounds like a very lean running engine, it will give those symptoms.
1. I would change the Fuel Filter
2. Check your fuel pressure with a gauge at the fuel manifold with the DLC (Test Connector) pin #6 grounded and the key on.

If you find no problems in 2 above then I would change the ECT sensor (the one with two wires on it).

If 2 above is a low reading and you hear the fuel pump run then the Fuel Pump might be bad.

 

Fuel filter was changed a few months back (along with plugs/wires/cap/rotor). I don't have a gauge to check the fuel pressure, but may know someone who can help. In terms of hearing the pump, it's very very loud.

 

Sounds to me like the fuel pump is going and you are loosing fuel pressure. This can be heat related and can be worse as the pump heats ups. Check the fuel pressure hot and I bet you will find its low.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Don't know these stories are relevant to your problem, but here goes.

My 89 would run great for about 12 miles then start sputtering and just die. I'd pull over for 30 minutes to an hour and it would start and run like nothing had ever happened. In tank fuel pump over heats and vapor locks. Changed the in tank pump and problem corrected.

Other similar problem. No power, ran but sputtered, sometimes died. Limped home. Trouble shooting revealed a noise inside the catalytic converter when I shook it. Changed the cat and solved the problem.

If you have 2 gas tanks I have another experience to relay.

 

> or is there something else I should check that would have caused the cat to go bad

A clogged cat can do that and a failing EGR valve.

 

I have chased the same problem on my '94 since it was in warranty and still haven't resolved it. Your description of vapor lock is exactly right. That is exactly what it acts like.

I have tested the fuel pressure when it was in a no start condition and it was fine. It is still fine today. I have never tested the pump volume though. It isn't running lean and the exhaust system is in good order. It has never set a trouble code while having this problem.

It will usually only do this in hot weather either after an extended period at speed on the freeway and then getting into heavy traffic or when making several short trips in traffic. Definately heat related. It is so intermittent that it is hard to trace the cause or to be sure if you have fixed it. It happens anywhere from one to four times a year. It will self correct when it has had time to cool down.

In response to this problem, as well as other issues and general maintenance, I have replaced the ignition module, the coil, the fuel pressure regulator, the MAP sensor, plugs, wires cap and rotor, IAC and those are just the things that come to mind right now.

My next move will be the fuel pump, even though the pressure has always checked within spec.

The only known mechanical issue that I haven't taken the time to fix on this van is the rubber filler neck coupler for the fuel tank needs to be replaced which is a common problem on these vans. In reading other people's post on that issue, I have been surprised how early in the vehicles life this occurs in some cases. I doubt that it is related, but it will get replaced when I do the pump.

Gene

 

PS

I believe they changed the ignition modules location on the vans with the '92 re-style. Look behind your battery in the fender well for an aluminum finned heat sink with a black plastic piece in the center of it and one multi pinned electrical connector on one end of the black part. That is it if it has been relocated on your '93. That is it's location on my '94.

It requires a special wrench to remove the module from the heat sink. It is a thin walled socket and is available as a special tool by KD and others. NAPA carries them.

Gene

 

I had a similar problem in my 1992 E150. It would run fine for thousands of miles and then without warning would lose power and not be able to go over 35 mph on the freeway.

I finally installed a remote fuel pressure gauge. The next time the problem occured I could see the worse it ran the lower the pressure was. Even thought our fuel pump only had 15-25000 miles on it I finally realized it had to be bad. When the vehicle was shut off and restarted fuel pressure was normal which could explain why yours always tests ok.

 

Mine has to cool fully before it will resume running in a normal manor. I have limped home a few times when it was doing this but it has the same diminished power that you reported with yours. It doesn't respond well to the throttle at that point. I have checked the fuel pressure under those conditions as well and it checks within spec. In other words, it is still running poorly with "good" fuel pressure.

BTW, I didn't mention before that I have replaced the fuel filter at about 1/2 the normal service cycle since I have owned the van and always used name brand gas (usually Shell Plus grade). I still suspect the fuel pump.

How long has it been since you replaced the fuel pump the second time? Where did the first and second replacement pumps come from (brand)? Have you encountered the sort of conditions that had made it fail in the past since installing the new pump?

Gene

 

i have the same problem now with my e250 but now it wont start again even after it has coold ive replaced all the fuses ive checkd the ground to the frame from the tank also have replaced fuel pump relay tommorow im going to replace the fuel pump i also have good fuel preasure while it is running but all of a sudden it just quits ill post my results tommorow i just got it towd in to my shop today

 

The pump was replaced 3 or 4 years ago when the van had about 80-90,000 miles on it. A new Ford pump was installed. It failed at 118,000 miles. This time we replaced it with an Airtex pump as we were on the road and didnt have time to wait for a Ford pump.

Its a good idea to put on a new filller hose before reinstalling the tank.

If your fuel pressure is within specs then I would suggest replacement of the TFI (ignition) module on the fender.

 

I replaced the ignition module just 6 or 8 months ago. On that subject, anyone suspecting problems with their TFI should remove the TFI module from it's heat sink and replace the heat sink grease between it and the heat sink. It tends to dry out and dramatically reduces the heat transfer to the heat sink. I suspect that this leads to the premature failure of the TFIs that have been relocated off of the distributor to the fender well. The relocation an the addition of the huge heat sink was done to address the heat related failures that Ford was experiencing with the distributor mounted units. It only makes sense to optimize the cooling effect of the heat sink by maintaining the heat sink grease properly.

Gene

 

After installing the new pump we drove the van across country from Texas to Michigan. We drove all over the state of Michigan.

When we returned from Michigan to Texas the temperatures were in the triple digits.

While traveling through Texas we consistantly saw temperatures between 105 and 107.

I believe during that trip we encountered the conditions more sever than the conditions where it failed in the past.

Did you check the fuel pressure with a remote gauge while the vehicle was running poorly?

When ours failed we were barely able to limp off the interstate. Fuel pressure was less than 10 psi. A few minutes later we restarted the van and fuel pressure was back up to specs 30-35 psi.