OK, so here is the situation..

(and keep in mind I cant afford to take it in right now before the obvious "get it scanned" answers)

I have a 91 ford f250 (302)..anyway I am supposed to be in detroit right now at a new job but cant make it cause my truck wont run..

This is what happened..About a week ago, my battery died completely, so I had my roommate jump it while I was getting ready for work..Anyway, he ended up hooking cables up backwards..

When I got outside he told me what he did but he got it started so I thought, "ahh well", so I drove to buy a new battery..As soon as I hooked the new battery up, the selenoid (on firewall) smoked out and also burnt out a fusable link to the alternator..So I replaced both..

Then I got it started again, but now unless the iac is unplugged, It wont run at all..So I replaced the iac..Still same problem. If I plug in the iac, the fuel relay clicks like crazy and the engine dies out..Unplug it (relay works correctly then) and it idles but wont drive, bogs out when you give it gas in drive.

So Im looking for possible problems and realize my battery wont keep a charge even after idling for 20 minutes, yet my alt is working.So then my starter goes out..Took that in today to be tested, its fried so Im replacing that..

What I need to know is could that fried starter be causing the problems im having with the iac deal?

(I already assume its what was draining my battery...)

If not, what could cause the relay to click like crazy and it die out when I plug the iac in?

Thanks for any answers!!!

Im desperate.

 

I'd say the regulator inside your alternator is shorted..due to the battery being connected backwords.

 

+1

Ran into the same problem years ago when I jumped my Accord.

I learned fast after that screw up lol.

 

OK, Update..

Replaced starter..No longer getting battery drain..Must be somehow it was draining it..

Anyway now Im back to the problem of this thing idling when the iac is unplugged but stalling quickly and the fuel relay clicking wildly when it is plugged back in.

What could cause that?

Relay and IAC are both brand new, out of the box.

 

Ok, after some research it says a vacuum leak can mimick a bad iac..However it didnt say that plugging in the iac would make it stall if it had a vacuum leak..Would it?

 

the iac works by causing/controling a vacuum leak.

 

not to sound like a complete dumbazz, but what does that mean?

 

If the IAC were closed, and the throttle plate was closed(idle), the engine would be starved of air. The IAC opens to let air in the intake(vacuum leak) so it will continue to run. It controls your idle.

 

understood, what though would make a brand new iac stall the truck out when it is plugged in? it runs fine with it unplugged (though you cant drive it without it bogging right out except at idle speed)! when you plug it in, it stalls the truck and the fuel relay goes click click click click click click click

 

maybe it is a cheap iac.

or the hookup of the jumper cables, incorrectly, may have something to do with it.

 

Thought of that, took the first new iac back thinking it was defective and got another..

"may have something to do with it."

Maybe, most likely, the point is, how do I fix it?

 

I hate to say it but it sounds like you may have a partially toasted computer. Can you pull any codes from it? If you try this and get no communication at all or a hugh list of codes then this would indicate a computer fault.

 

could be the computer.

no telling what kind of damage the wrong connection did.

look and smell for burned wires or sensors.