1986 Ford E-Series Van 86 Econoline Just won't start

Thanks, guys. I bought a fuel pressure guage and I'm going to test it tomorrow. You say to connect it on the schrader valve on the fuel rail. I'm not sure exactly where that is. I've got the doghouse pulled out in the cab of the van and I can see where the fuel line goes into the engine. Will I find the valve there?

Alright, thanks for your help. I got the pressure guage hooked up to the Schrader valve. It was at the end of the fuel rail toward the front of the engine. I turned the key to the 'on' position but did not crank the engine. I just listened for my pump to activate. When it did, my guage read 20PSI, but my manual suggests it should be between 30-45PSI. Cranking the engine won't make a difference here, right? Since the system is pressurized with the turning of the key.

There's also a T-fitting to the guage's hose, should I want to disconnect the fuel line right where it reaches the rail and read the pressure there. Would that be more accurate, or does it matter? It's probably for engines without a Schrader valve. Anyways, my reading is 20PSI which is at least 10 under what it should be.

Yes, I watched the videos, and thank you for posting them. What I'm looking at is a substantially lower fuel pressure than what is necessary. Is the next step to examine my inline pump and filter?

One quick thing here: I didn't yet check my EGR, as I bought the pressure guage and wanted to get this out of the way. And lastly, I was eying my injectors, I noticed some wear to the red wire on the #8 injector, and the #7, and a bit of the #6. What I saw was a few millimeters of exposed wiring; in at least one case there was enough damage to the wire housing that I could see them clearly only half-covered about 1/8" before they reached their injector.

As to the question if the injectors were 'pulsing', I'm a bit unclear about that.

Thank you guys so much for your help, I hope to hear from you soon!

First off, thank you so much for your insights toward my issues here. On my particular model there are two fuel pumps and two filters. The first place fuel is filtered is in the tank, when it passes through the low-pressure, in-tank pump. The next place it's filtered is on a framerail mounted reservoir-canister type filter. Fuel then travels to the in-line high-pressure pump, then up to the fuel rail and injectors.

I got under the van and took out my reservoir-type canister filter. There is supposed to be an o-ring there but there was only the canister and a soggy, brown filter. My next step is to pick up a new filter and install it, then check again for pressure. I'll let you know! Thanks!

Well hey. It has been a week and my mother came to visit so not much time to work on the van! But I am back and I have installed a new filter.

So I mentioned in my last post that upon removal of the canister filter there was no O-ring. I just wasn't seeing it initially. It was in there, although if it was exactly where it ought to be I cannot say. The filter itself was very brown and worn out looking.

I got the new one and the guy at the parts store actually sent me home with a second filter as well, citing that their computers stated I would need it. I think this 2nd one he gave me must be from a later model of the same year because I honestly don't know where it could go and the manual makes no mention of it, unless it's sitting with the in-tank pump by the inlet. Doesn't seem likely to me.

The new O-ring that came with my new reservoir/canister filter seemed too small to fit in 'the groove' -as my manual stated it should be placed into. I thought perhaps if I gently stretched it out it would fit but no, it snapped. I went to the parts store and on their recommendation used the original one which they deemed would still work fine.

Part of me isn't sure I put this O-ring in correctly. I thought of perhaps placing it on the highest thread on the receiving end of the filter canister to have it seal there. Instead I opted to place it in what I could best discern was 'the groove'. A small track at the bottom of the canister's threads. I turned the engine over with the pressure guage attached and to my surprise the reading was ZERO. Where before I had replaced the filter it was 20. I might add that I could not hear the fuel pump priming.

I disconnected the canister filter and doublechecked my work. To my suprise the new filter was completely dry. No fuel had reached it. I made sure to guarantee the O-ring would stay in place upon reinsertion. I got out from under and turned my key. This time I could hear the pump priming and I got a reading of 15. I'm not sure if I ought to disconnect and reconnect the pressure guage inbetween each reading; I just left it on the schrader valve.

Now I'm wondering if perhaps my fuel pump is just starting to go. As the pressure readings are not consistent. I couldn't figure why, in the first go with the new filter, I was unable to hear my pump priming. Do you think it's just being finicky because it's toward the end of its life? Or maybe perhaps I'm not getting this filter attached correctly.

Alright! As soon as I can I'll get that pump and put it in! Then I'll let ya know 8). Thank you!

Wellp.I got my new fuel pump in, and I still have zero fuel pressure on my readings. I'm thinking something is wrong with this fuel circuit. I'm leaning toward replacing the fuel relay. Perhaps even just looking around for the general condition of all the wires involved. =(

I just wanted to add here that the wire ends going to the pump on my van do not fit the terminals on the new pump. There was a brief series of instructions on how to modify the wires using some spare parts included in the pump package. It said to cut the wires back about two inches, strip the insulation back 1/4", and to crimp on ring terminals and new wires using butt splices.

I didn't have any butt splices, so I took the two conductive brackets that came with the set, and screwed them down on the positive and negative terminals. Then I just lined up the wires to their correct terminal/bracket positions and left it at that. I can clearly hear the pump priming, but I'm wondering: is there something wrong with how I set up the pump? Is the fact that my pressure dropped to absolute nothing after this install indicative of some other fuel circuitry or did I just install it incorrectly? Since I can hear it priming, doesn't that mean the current is reaching it and doing its job just fine?

Well.I'm pretty sure the polarity is right. What I did was cut the wires back about an inch, strip them a bit, and just wrap them around the corresponding terminals on the pump. Red for positive, black for negative. I tightened them down with a bolt, making sure they stayed in place and covered them with a rubber encasement. Still zero fuel pressure. What the heck is going on?

Well it was basically one-piece design. And yes, I was able to hear it priming perhaps once or maybe twice. Then nothing since yesterday. Think I ought to return it? There's no chance the pump is fine and there's something else wrong with my fuel circuit?

Ya, I might check the fuelpressure right before the pump. The thing is, the filter that goes on is a canister filter. It just screws on, one way with a filter sitting inside a little reservoir canister piece. I don't think there's any way I put that on wrong. Unless the filter was upside-down. But it had a hole in the top of it, and where it met the mount there was a hole, so I don't see any other way for the filter to have been placed inside the canister.