if you have fire and gas can the ecu still be bad?

1993 FORD E-SERIES VAN
245,000 MILES
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DLEE7022
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This van has a 4.9l 6 cylinder in it, it will turn over until it kills the battery. I pulled all the plugs checked gap, spark, and they had the right gap had spark and there was a lot of fuel on the plugs. I sprayed them down with starting fluid to clean them up. Doesn't start. Just a few days before this all happened I had installed another alternator bc the other one was going bad. Not sure if maybe that might have been the wrong alternator with too many output amps and possibly sent a serge to the ecu. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, I'm about ready to throw a match in the tank.

P.S. I have gotten it to start a couple of times since it started the problem and idles fine but runs crappy when driving. It will run until you turn it off and when you try to crank it again its hard to start if it even will.
Thanks again
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:00 PM
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FIXITMR
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so it has spark? have you tried holding pedal to floor when it wont start?
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:29 PM
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DLEE7022
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Yeah it has spark, have held the pedal to the floor doesn't make a difference. It even took the air box loose and sprayed that starting fluid in the throttle body still acted no differently.
Jan 22, 2012 at 11:38 PM
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FIXITMR
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try compression test or stop fuel supply and let it dry out then ad some spray start while cranking?
Jan 23, 2012 at 4:51 AM
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DLEE7022
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Checked compression all cylinders around 125psi. Pulled fuse to the fuel pump cranked it over for about min and a half sprayed more starting fluid in the throttle body, no change.
Jan 23, 2012 at 7:26 PM
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DLEE7022
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Ok just got back from the pos I finally got it to start had to hold pedal to the floor and its running but still running very crappy
Jan 23, 2012 at 8:34 PM
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FIXITMR
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more amps from alt wont hurt but more volts could. should not be higher than 15v preferrably 14v.
Jan 24, 2012 at 12:42 AM
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DLEE7022
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So where do I check my voltage from with my voltage meter
Jan 24, 2012 at 12:57 AM
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FIXITMR
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at battery while running.
Jan 24, 2012 at 4:34 AM
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DLEE7022
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I can't do that when I shut it off yesterday it wouldn't crank back up. would not getting enough amps out of the alternator cause it to do what its doing?
Jan 24, 2012 at 2:43 PM
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FIXITMR
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battery has to be 12v to run system. usually reads at least 12.5 when not running.
Jan 24, 2012 at 4:09 PM
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DLEE7022
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The battery has 12.4VDC across it
Jan 24, 2012 at 4:13 PM
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FIXITMR
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i had a 91 tempo (ford) with 300k that was doin the same thing your van is. way too rich to start, flood right out. i put a momentary switch on the fuel pump and used it to stop pump while cranking till it started then let pump run. never did take time to figure it out. it probably had low compression like your van. dont know if that was part of problem.
Jan 24, 2012 at 4:15 PM
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DLEE7022
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So you think I should just do that?
Jan 24, 2012 at 4:23 PM
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FIXITMR
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voltage sounds right. butyou wont know till started. my tempo ran fine after starting. yours does not. i rigged it as temp fix so i could drive and ended up leaving that way.
Jan 24, 2012 at 5:18 PM
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DLEE7022
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Do you think that it could just always be getting too much fuel and cause it to flood out even when running? It idles fine and if you drive it it'll drive as long as you don't push the pedal more than half way
Jan 24, 2012 at 5:39 PM
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FIXITMR
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if it was running to rich it would turn plugs sooty black. you have spark is it strong and blue? will it jump a bigger gap then plug gap?
Jan 25, 2012 at 5:22 AM
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DLEE7022
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spark is orange in most of them a little blue in a couple of them
Jan 25, 2012 at 3:56 PM
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FIXITMR
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check coil for 12v while cranking.
Jan 26, 2012 at 12:04 PM
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DLEE7022
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Ok will check that later today.
Jan 26, 2012 at 12:26 PM
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RIVERMIKERAT
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dlee, how was that voltage at the coil?
Have you checked fuel pressure yet?
Jan 27, 2012 at 10:58 PM
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DLEE7022
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Havent gotten a chance to check either one yet hoping to check it tomorrow
Jan 27, 2012 at 11:58 PM
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RIVERMIKERAT
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Ok. Let us know what you find out.
Jan 28, 2012 at 12:20 AM
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DLEE7022
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Will do thanks
Jan 28, 2012 at 12:55 AM
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RIVERMIKERAT
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No problem.
Jan 28, 2012 at 3:21 AM
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