Hello all,

My name is Kat and I am trying to figure out a problem I am having with my 1995 Ford E350 van. Here is the issue:
Yesterday morning, heading to work, the van just dies. Would try to crank but would not start again. It sounded as if the van was out of gas (Currently at half a tank). After trying to crank the van for about a minute everything goes black. No dash light, headlight shuts off, nothing - dead battery. The battery is a brand new battery only 4 months old so my first thought is that the alternator was not charging the battery. Tried to jump off the battery and it would crank but then stalls out like it is out of gas about 10 seconds later. I was only 2 miles from home so I called a wrecker and had it brought home. I took off the alternator and took it in to have it checked, as well as the battery to have it charged up. I was told the alternator was weak (she could have said that just so I could buy another one), so I got a new one and popped it on. The van cranks right up every time but will still stall out every time. Just wanted to know if anyone has experienced this so i will know in which direction to start - and not waste a ton of money throwing parts at it.

More Info:
1. No the check engine light is not on. (Came on when the car died on me but hasn't been back on)
2. No the codes have not been pulled, I have an OBDII reader, this vehicle is an OBD1 and the car can't drive so I can't get it to a shop to have them pull the codes.
3. Yes the car has gas - half a tank
4. When it cranks, it will run for a few seconds before it dies like it has run out of gas, and stepping on the accelerator does not help it.
5. As soon as it cuts off, it will crank right back up immediately every time.
6. When I first turn the key, I can hear the fuel pump turn on - so not sure if it is bad or not.
7. Before this car ran fine with no issues

If anyone has any idea what may be the issue, your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kat

 

This is one of those problems that needs to be isolated as to fuel or ignition.
If it dies slowly that could indicate a "running out of gas" problem. Usually an electrical problem will behave just like shutting off the ignition.
The kicker is if the fuel pump dies out because of an electrical problem it could still produce the out of gas result.
One way to help pin down what is happening would be to monitor the fuel pressure with a fuel pressure gauge attached to the fuel rail. If the pressure drops off and the engine stalls an electrical check for fuel relay and power to the fuel pump and it's ground would either confirm or eliminate the fuel pump system as the possible problem. Once that has been determined a simple check with a test lite (possible on older vehicles) could confirm if the ign system is with a possible problem.
Does your vehicle have any anti theft system on it?

 

Thanks for you reply,
No does not have an anti theft system on it.

Kat

 

A lot of people are under the impression if anything is wrong a code is given and replace that part and you are done. That is not the way it works.
The code will only tell you what system is having a problem . Sometimes it could be a sensor and sometimes it could be a poor connection and sometimes an unrelated part is not functioning as it is supposed to and it may be affecting a particular system.
Some defective parts will cause a code to be put out and cause the check engine light to illuminate , some will not. Scan tools are necessary on newer vehicles to not only obtain codes, but to display certain conditions at the time the code was set.
Your particular vehicle has limited ability to always present exact info to make repairs and additional testing needs to be done to confirm a suspected problem. There have been various problems with fuel pumps pertaining to your vehicle. The better way to confirm this is to test and prove/confirm a part is not working correctly before throwing money and parts at a problem "hoping to fix it". It is generally cheaper to test and confirm a part is defective than going through the trouble and expense to replace a good part and stll have the problem.
You can from some auto supply stores rent a fuel pressure gauge to do the test. If you decide to do this try to read up and just get some idea what and how this should be done. It is not difficult.

It is possible there is some problem associated with the replacing of the alternator. You mighttry unplugging the plug at the alternator and see if that maks any difference. If it does the alt has a problem. if not , recheck your work.

 

I do have a Fuel pressure gauge but I will only be able to accomplish a static test. The car stalls out after a few seconds so I won't be able to accomplish a running test.

As for checking my work, I did that twice! Even went over the entire engine again to make sure that I didn't accidentally knock something loosing while fiddling around in the too tight engine bay area.

I am going to go at it again tomorrow as I didn't really get a chance to do much today as it rained just about the entire day.

Thanks again,
Kat