I got a 1991 E150 conversion van that runs like a spinnin top....As long as I drive around town, no problems...every time I take a trip it stops on me...The symptoms are that of the fuel pump or fuel filter....I have replaced the pump 3 times including the pump on the chassis...I changed the filter...Clean the tank, replaced the idle control sensor, had the fuel system pressure tested, 4 different mechanics did a diagnostic all say its the fuel pump...At any rate I keep changin parts but still have the same problem...Any one out there know what um talkin about? I need answers from people who have experienced this problem....thanks in advance...

 

No offense to the 4 mechanics, but there is a famous saying , "after changing the starter 3 times,guess what, It ain't the starter".
Let's go down a list and see if it is of any help for you.
1. Why can't it be the EEC relay which if it opens after it gets hot, fuel injection and ignition stop.
2. There is a fuel pump relay that when the key is turned on will energize for 2 seconds then when it sees a crank signal from the ign it closes and supplies the fuel pump with voltage to operate. The EEC (computer) rely and the fuel pump relay are the same part # and are interchangable , but if either one is defective the vehicle will either not start or will quit running.
3. If the ign coil stops providing the high voltage when it gets hot = no spark, no run.
4. If the ignition module on the distributor gets a fit when hot = no spark- no run.
5. Pick up coil inside could be opening after getting hot same result as 3 & 4 above.
6. There could be a defect in the computer itself that when it gets really warmed up the poor connection shows itself and the same result as the above. What someone needs to do is ; when the vehicle quits open the hood and check for spark. If it is present, then it would point to the fuel system and what causes it to operate.
A fuel system pressure check is what is needed at the time it quits also to confirm the pumps are working correctly.
So as you can see there are a few possible reasons for the problem. The checks don't take long to do if you have the fuel pressure gauge and/or check for spark.
Don't know your mechanical ability so I don't know what you will try. In either case some parts like the air filter box have to be removed to gain access to the distributor and coil or the fuel pressure test port. Will try to assist . Let us know what you decide to do.

 

First of all it was not the same mechanic who changed the fuel pumps and I was out of town when the van stopped...Second of all, I am not stupid...I know that to keep changing fuel pumps or any other part is not something that that would lead you to believe that is not the problem...However, each time the pumps were changed, i was able to make it home...so go figure???And third, if this was a usual problem, then i would not have had to post this in the first place....I also do not consider the mechanics that worked on the van to be incompetent...The symptoms I am telling you are of the fuel pump or fuel filter going out, or even out of gas...
The last time it stopped which was two days ago i was also out of town but within my 100 miles so I had it towed back...I was already in New Orleans and the van sit for like 5 or 6 hours. after I finished my gig I drove about 6 blocks and it stopped. It started back up readily but i could not move forward. I could only drive like a foot it would die. I tried to let it idle for few minutes and same thing after a few minutes it would die...I sit there for an hour, same thing...After I got home two hours later, I was able to drive it into the driveway and it starts right up and runs great in the driveway....However I will pass all of your suggestions on to my mechanic... I appreciate any help I can get with this...I dont need any smart alec or sarcasm thanks...I need help...

 

Sorry if I offended you.
If I had known you did not care to do the work yourself I would not have wasted your time nor mine listing the possible causes . This is something we folks who try to help cannot always determine .

 

At any rate I do appreciate the suggestions...It is a mystery that we have not been able to crack and we have been at it for more than 6 months...Some of your suggestions we were also thinking of...I keep changing parts and sometimes the same parts and that is what I am trying to eliminate here by communicating with someone who has already been thru this...You did not waste my time at all, I am in the desperate mode and I apologize if your feel you wasted your time...I keep spending hard earned money, and my vehicle is still sitting in my driveway so I apologize if i am not in a joking mood...

 

Apology accepted, Hopefully, now that all the irritation is behind us how about we move on?
Do you plan to do the work yourself or are you going to have someone else do it?
The reason I ask is , I don't know your level of experience and to recommend something you can't or don't want to do is not the best situation.
I have maintained a fleet of more than 60 vehicles like yours and I don't claim to know all the answers, but just maybe I can be of some useful assistance with this problem. Some mechanics do not like to accept advice from others and I am just trying to be somewhat considerate if that could be the case. Your 1st post stated from the way I read it, that you did the work, so I mistakenly went from there. Before I make any more presumptions would you care to answer my question?

 

Have you acutally monitored the fuel pressure to make sure it really IS the problem when it happens? Since this seems to be heat related, then have you check for spark when the problem happens? Does the CEL come on when the KOEO when it stalls and you try to crank it?
I will say this, Hanky doesn't usually miss the simple problems, and his list is fairly representative of 'things to check' when the problem is occuring. And as a Ford tech, I don't like taking your hard earned money on a guess. It would be nice to know what area to confine the testing to.
I do have one more idea. If this has ever had any work done to the exhaust system, then is it possible thtat the pipes are too close to the tank? Just a thought.

 

Hi Mark !
Thanks for joining in on this . I still don't know if the suggestions we make will be done by rastamon or a third party. You brought up a good point and I'm sure we will get some more suggested checks to do and I am glad to have all the bases covered.
This problem could be a simple fix or possibly more than one problem especially since several people have worked on it. What do you think?

 

No, I am not doing the work...There have been 3 mechanics working on the vehicle...The first guy moved to Ohio...The second guy was when I was stranded in Mississippi...the current mechanic is an instructor at the voc tech who worked for ford for about 10 years...He did a fuel pressure check, and also changed the fuel pressure regulator, which solved the idle problems and fumes from a rich mixture and also gas mileage...He just started working on the van two weeks ago...I gave him all of your suggestions. The big challenge with this van is that it wont stay broke...So he is looking at all of your suggestions. his strategy is to check the codes to see if anything will come up, and he will let it run to see if it will stop and also he will drive it around for a while...He says that he need it to brake on him or see proof of whatever is causing the problem...He wants to avoid guessing or getting into changing parts without actual proof the part is bad...

 

Thank you for the reply. Your vehicle should be in good hands.