Long time since I visited (shame on me), great help before, hope I offered some too & now I've got a problem that's got me "stumped". No fuel & unless the new fuel pump relay I got this afternoon is defective, that's not it.

1990 E250 extended-body cargo van, 302 (5.0L) V-8, auto trans., dual fuel tanks. Replaced fuel pump & EEC relay, voltage regulator, alternator, etc. last Fall & got the problems @ the time fixed. Really hadn't had many since I bought the van in 1998.

But the charging system started messing up again recently & I've dealt with all the "usual suspects" - use contact cleaner, remove, wire-brush battery cables / terminals, etc. And while on some days my test meter would show 12.8 Volts @ the battery engine off & 14.2 engine running, on other days I could see the alternator was not charging. Voltage gradually dropping, with an Amp draw of around 4.8, which should be consistent with electric fuel pumps etc. running, but all accessories like radio off.

OK, probably bad voltage regulator - replaced it - twice - no change. And this afternoon, while the engine would spin over great (I have a good battery charger & a good test-meter), it would not start. OK, that's fuel pump relay - been there before - got a new one - no change.

Here's my question: Earlier today I tried to start the engine with the plug to the voltage regulator off, so I could see if jumping from the Field plug to the Positive side of the battery would "full field" the alternator & make it kick the voltage to the battery up. Did I "fry" the EEC IV computer by doing that?

The test is supposed to be run with the engine already running, then you pull the plug from the regulator, but because of where the regulator is I can't do it that way & had to do it with the plug already pulled off.

Thanks for any help & if I caused more problems by doing what I did, don't hesitate to tell me !!