I thought that is what you did.
I see both of yours are OBD II and his is a OBD I.

 

actually the van is obd1
weird
early 96 with h.d. susp.

 

WOW. subford, http://fordfuelinjection.com/ is the BOMB!

and mhg, no problem, we are all human. Yes, have spark.

subford, if it is a bad PCM
a) is this something I can fix, like from a junk yard ;-)
b) would this kind of failure cause the engine to just die, then restart, die and take longer to restart, then finally die and stay dead?

rick

 

Yes to both a & b.
Just make sure it has the same program code.
Try to get one out of a truck just like yours.
I gave $30.00 for my spare for my 95 at a salvage yard, then put it in and tested it.
If it is not it, it does not hurt to have a spare.

 

Excellent. That site is the Bomb and so are you. Already rang your bell. I'll let you all know the results.

Good night for now. Need sleep to go sell more Fords ;-)

Rick

 

o.k. guys, I'm back.

I took the connector off the computer and found a bit of green-yellow stull on the connectors. I cleaned both the connector and the computer contacts.

I have everything connected back correctly. Prior error codes were with the fuel pump connected and in gas (don't ask) but the tank was being repaired. Now everything is back on and I have 111 , system o.k. for error codes but it is still sitting where it was in the yard. The grass is getting high, except for the area under the gas tank ;-)

Still not starting. I had yet another friend come over. He brought an inline test light. It's the best way I can discribe it. He said I had spark from the coil, but when he put it in between the dist. cap and plug line #1 it sparked one time and then nothing. I get an occational sound of hope. Like it's just about to start. He said, "rotor, go buy a rotor"... and laughed and walked away. Nice guy when you catch him in the right mood. I then, by chance, spoke with my girlfriends uncle (a mechanic for 40 years), we walked though a bunch of things... nothing stood out to him. It was dark here and the battery is now dieing from trying to start it 8 million times. He said, he doubts very seriously if it is the rotor.

He said, take the air filter off, and put some gas in a spray bottle. Spray a little mist into the air intakes and try to start it. If it has more life than now, turns over or anything close, it's fuel not getting to the engine. If it doesn't do anything differnet, it's spark related.

I am very tired and very broke. I can buy a rotor for a few bucks, what could it hurt.

Other than that can you think of anything? Is Uncle Dewain right? Any other thoughts? System O.K. on error codes.... what gives?

Rick

 

I think you either have a bad pick-up coil (PIP sensor) in the distributor or a bad ICM. Anyway make sure you have spark, take an old spark plug (or take one out) and hold it with the base touching a good ground and see if it has a good blue spark. Use insulated pliers to hold it by the way.

I take it somewhere along the line you did test the fuel pressure as described above in post #5.

 

Latest developments:
got the PIP
took everything on top of dist. apart,
left wires in place,
marked vertical alienment of all parts of lower disp. unit.
pulled it out,
marked lower shaft.....

had a friend try to help me get the lower unit apart to get the old PIP out and the new one in.

The shaft of the distributor is scweeling and sticking.

He said, "Man, you need a new distributor. It's supposed to spin free. The barring in there is shot."

Yes, no.... do I set the freaking truck on fire yet? I feel llike I'm gonna lose my mind.

Do I dare get one from a junk yard?

Got the ICM also, but the one they sold me is for the "mounted to the distributor" kind. My distributor has no holes for screwing this into it. Parts guy said I could take it back if I didn't touch t he unit to the truck. ;-)

Help Bill !

Rick

 

The ICM on your truck mounts on the fender near the hood hinge on the driver’s side, take that one back.

I can not tell you if a Distributor from a salvage yard is good on not. If it turns smooth and has no side to side play the distributor is probably OK but who knows about the PIP sensor.

To change the PIP sensor you have to take the gear off the distributor and make sure you put it back on the same way it came off. You can not buy a gear and they are matched to the Distributor. So be very careful with the gear.

If you take yours apart and clean the shaft and it has no side to side play and it frees up you can use yours.

 

so now is the time for me to hand one of the mechanics at work (I sell these damn things) a few bucks to pull the gears and put the PIP in and press the gears back on?

They was $100/hour labor or I'd have dumped this in thier lap a month ago. As stated earlier I paid $800 for the truck, I am now into it for $500 more, but I have no gear pullers, and no press. Thoughts?

 

I know you are supposed to use a press and I have a press but I have never used it to change one out.

I tap out the roll pin with a pin punch and then put the distributor upside down with the gear resting on my vice and drive the shaft out of the gear with a brass punch. Protect the gear from getting chipped by putting something (hard wood?) between the gear and the vice and do not tighten the vice.
After you clean it up the gear will go back on pretty easy and then drive the roll pin back in.

 

Bill (or anyone else who wants to play)
replaced the PIP, have the wrong ICM and will be exchanging it with the correct one Sat. morning. Cause it still ain't runnin'

Put the Dist. in and turned the key.... a couple of backfires (that's new) but then nothing. I thought possibly I rotated the dist. shaft, so I rotated is a cog at a time. Back fire stopped, but engine still not turning over.

does the backfire give us any information?
I did mark the shaft, but if I got it wrong, how can I get it synced up again?
Rick

 

I take it you want to know how to put a distributor in.

You might want to read this Thread.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...ht=distributor

 

Back fire means you are getting both fuel and spark that is good. now you need to get the spark at the right time. double check your wires to make sure your firing order is right then set your timing.

 

I hate admitting I have no idea.... but it's like this, I have no timing light, and I know the shaft was pressed back where it was. I marked the outside of the dist. housing and know it's rotation. Since the rotor only fits one way (can't rotate it from the shaft) and I know the rotation of the case, I was thinking that there are only so may 'cogs' on the gear at the end of the shaft. It I put it in and bolt it all down and it doesn't start, I can open it up, un bolt the case, and lift the shaft slowly, rotating it like I'm removing it, but just as I get to the top of the gears, I rotate it one cog and put it back in. tighten it down and crank it up. Not firing, lather rince repeat, until I find the correct alignment. Did that make sense?

one more time:
when lifting the dist. out of the block, I have to lift and rotate the shaft. I the point where it would be free, I lift it just high enough to slip over to the next "click" or cog or what ever it's called.always going counter clockwise as that oit the easiest way since I am already turning that direction. rotate it back down clockwise and bolt the case in, snap on the cap and turn it over?

Can't be more than 20 possitions.... Am I crazy?