2.3L ('83-'97) Electrical Problem I can't figure out.

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

Sorry to be just now getting back to you, I was down all weekend with a monster headache, better today, tolerable, I've got to take my boy to the Vet. here in a few but as soon as I get back I'm gonna test each wire and take notes this time, then I'll get back to you. I haven't tried putting pictures on here yet but I'll give it a shot. I sure appreciate your time and help.

OK, this is what I've got...I tested each pin/circuit, my connector is identical to yours as are the wire colors. #4 is hot all the time, #2, key on shows 11.68 volts, jumped #3 and #4 and the fuel pump runs (inertia switch is OK), Then put test light on #1 and hooked it to the positive terminal, the test light was very dim, I then cranked the engine and the test light went out and stayed out until I let off the switch, then the light came back on dim again. I took the wiring harness off the computer and did a continuity test on each wire from the fuel pump connector to the ECM harness, I unbound the wires so I could see which pin each of those wires went too, each wire test good with a beep from my multi-tester. I then tested the relay itself and after each pin was wired I put power to the relay, got a click from the relay and a good signal from my tester so the relay is good. I then tested #3, I used a straightened safety pin to probe the orange/blue wire, hooked my red test lead to it, grounded it to the battery, then I cranked the engine and saw .13 on the tester. That's where I stopped for the day.

 

[RonD]

Forget pins 3 and 4, they are working if fuel pump comes on when you jumper them

1 and 2 are the smaller pins/slots, these are for the Coil inside the relay
Pull Relay out
Key on
volt meter grounded to battery negative, or test light
1 OR 2 should test as 12volts, battery volts, so test battery first with key on, then test slot 1 and 2

ONE of them should be EXACTLY battery volts, and only one, don't care about the other one yet, just need to know which one has full battery voltage with key on

Once you know that, the OTHER one, is the wire that runs to the computer, not wire"s", just the one wire, its the Ground for the relay's Coil, this is the control wire

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

Forget pins 3 and 4, they are working if fuel pump comes on when you jumper them

1 and 2 are the smaller pins/slots, these are for the Coil inside the relay
Pull Relay out
Key on
volt meter grounded to battery negative, or test light
1 OR 2 should test as 12volts, battery volts, so test battery first with key on, then test slot 1 and 2

ONE of them should be EXACTLY battery volts, and only one, don't care about the other one yet, just need to know which one has full battery voltage with key on

Once you know that, the OTHER one, is the wire that runs to the computer, not wire"s", just the one wire, its the Ground for the relay's Coil, this is the control wire

Key on, #1 shows 11.82v, #2 shows 11.51v, battery voltage 12.46v. The "wires" orange/blue I was talking about was one from the computer to the relay and one out of the relay to the inertia switch.

 

[RonD]

That's WITHOUT the relay being plugged in correct?

If so then that's a problem, if battery voltage WITH key ON is 12.4v then one of those slots needs to be 12.4v

In this picture: https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?attachments/3a6fe9ed-b82b-4513-bbbd-48651f0198ff-jpeg.68192/

It should be the RED wire, that has the 12.4v, it comes from the EEC Relay

The tan/green wire is the wire that runs to the computer, in above picture, thats the ground



The double wire(orange/blue, should be the OUT to inertia switch, so 3 or 4, and don't care about those, but just FYI, one of those double wires DOES run back to the Computer, it "tells" the computer the fuel pump relay is sending 12v to the pump, so just a monitor wire nothing to do with fuel pump relay working or not, or it the engine works or not, just a monitor

Here's the issue with testing voltage, and why it needs to be EXACT
A Volt meter draws no AMPs, a relay, light bulb or a 12volt device of any kind, will draw at least a 1/2 amp, minimum
When you are testing a wire with no device connected, it should be EXACTLY battery voltage, if not then there IS a bad connection somewhere between that end of the wire and the Battery

The reason to test battery voltage with Key ON is because it may be 12.6volts key off, but 12.4v key ON because other systems are now powered on, so are using AMPs which drops the voltage

12.4v down to 11.8v is a BIG voltage drop for a 0 AMP load on that wire, which means there is a bad connection

Check the EEC relay, brown base, it has the above RED wire OUT, it powers the Computer(EEC), the fuel injectors, most if not all solenoids, sometimes the spark system, and the fuel pump relay(red wire)

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

Yes, the testing was done with the relay OUT. I will check out the EEC relay just a little later, as soon as it warms up a little in the garage.

 

[RonD]

You know the relay OUT works because fuel pump comes on when you jumper 3 and 4
Focus should be on 1 and 2(85 and 86)

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

You know the relay OUT works because fuel pump comes on when you jumper 3 and 4
Focus should be on 1 and 2(85 and 86)

If I'm correct the first thing I need to do is to check the EEC relay and wires, make sure if everything there is good.

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

If I'm correct the first thing I need to do is to check the EEC relay and wires, make sure if everything there is good.

In the meantime, while the garage is warming up, I've got to mow the yard and then replace the lower door hinge on my "99 Ranger, then I'll do the testing and get back to you.

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

You know the relay OUT works because fuel pump comes on when you jumper 3 and 4
Focus should be on 1 and 2(85 and 86)

OK, I finally had a chance to check out the EEC relay and wires, the relay itself is working fine. With my tester on volts DC I tested wire #2 and it showed 12.18 volts w/key on. I then tested #4 with key on and got 12.44 volts, key off 12.44 volts. I then tested #3 and got .23 volts with the key off and 11.29 volts with key ON. It started dropping steadily until it got down to 11.23 volts and that's where it stopped and stayed. I did this test 2 more times and got the very same results. I then tested #1, circuit ground, with my test light, grounded to battery pos. and got a good bright light, so the ground is good. I then hooked up the relay and tested it and it clicks very well. I performed each of these tests two more times and came up with the same results. I seem to be running out of things to check. Where to now?

 

[RonD]

Why are you still checking the fuel pump relay if it works?

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

Why are you still checking the fuel pump relay if it works?

I wasn't checking the fuel pump relay, I was checking the EEC relay. The brown relay not the green one.

 

[RonD]

OK, and its working so...................

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

OK, and its working so...................

So, everything is checking out good but still no power to fuel pump unless I use a jumper wire, what in the world is going on? How can everything check out but still not work?

OK, and its working so...................

 

[RonD]

Then fuel pump relay is not OK

Wires 1 and 2

Remove relay
Put jumper between 3 and 4

Start engine and let it idle
Use volt meter hooked to battery positive to test 1 and 2, one should be a Ground, so will show 14 volts(alternator volts)
If not then computer is not grounding the FP relay

 

[ABSOLOOT LOONASEA]

Then fuel pump relay is not OK

Wires 1 and 2

Remove relay
Put jumper between 3 and 4

Start engine and let it idle
Use volt meter hooked to battery positive to test 1 and 2, one should be a Ground, so will show 14 volts(alternator volts)
If not then computer is not grounding the FP relay

I just tried doing that, fuel pump runs but now I have no spark. Tried using starting fluid but no good, didn't even try to fire. I have had this problem ever since I installed the reman. computer and put mine back in.