I found the ground wire, white/brown tracer, that had no evidence of any kind electric, nor ground. Out of desperation, I shoved a needle into the white/brown wire and grounded it to the negative side of the battery with a long wire. When I turned on the key, the pump ran for just a bit then stopped---so I cranked it over and the engine started. Will it damage the system if I drive after securely grounding out the white/brown wire????? 300 miles and 60 bucks. It was a good day for a ride.

 

When the van quit running, did it die and not restart, or just fail to start one day?

With the older systems,, the Inertia Switch supplied power distribution for the fuel pump, and PCM was is control of the ground for the fuel pump motor run. Timed grounding to pressurize the system, and continuous once running. On an impact, Inerta removed the power, and PCM removes or disables the ground function for the pump.

With the Restraints Control Module and Fuel Driver setup,, the Driver Module monitors the "ENS" (event notification signal- shown on the schematic) and sends a low voltage signal on the ENS line to the RCM
The Fuel Driver Module monitors the duty Cycle and frequency of the signal it receives from the Restraints Module..

If the duty Cycle/frequency between the two modules is determined invalid within a calibrated time, the Fuel Driver reports the issue to the PCM on the fuel pump monitor circuit (FPM on the schematic). So, could be a circuit or harness open/shorted, lost communication, or RCM.

With either setup. the ground function determines the pump run. The concern of safety in an impact event with a 'fixed' ground comes in to play. In the event of a crash/ fire and a fuel line ruptured etc, the pump would run continuous adding to the risk. That said,, a fixed ground for testing the pump, or emergency shouldn't create a problem, may depend on what, where, and risk .

Pin point/out testing is a start, but you may need to take it in to have the RCM checked. The RCM is a programmable module specific to your build so a swap isn't an option.

 

The van was parked for about a week. When I started it, the engine ran for about 30 seconds then shut down----crank but no start. Could not find a good ground on the frame this morning----even the ground bolts & wires failed to produce a good ground. Currently its grounded to the body. Been thinking I should take it somewhere and let the wrenches put their scanner on the machine and see what that states.

 

The scanner at Advanced auto was less than informative. They don't have a clue about how to program the van. The mechanic at the local shop said the van would not run unless it was programed. Guess I will head to the Ford stealership and see what they say. Thank you Hayapower. You saved me a bundle of time and money. If I didn't need the van for work, I would still be parked in the driveway.