4.0 swap now having ECM trouble

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Hi guys, I need some help. I swapped a 93 ranger engine and automatic transmission into an 88 ranger. I swapped the entire harness and dash. The truck ran great for the first 20 miles but then it started dying randomly as it got to operating temp. It would start up and run once it cooled off. But eventually stopped running completely. I thought it was a fuel delivery issue at first but then I determined it was the ecm. I had a spare ecm from a 95 explorer that I put in and it runs perfectly but it won’t shift into OD now.

I’ve bought 3 ecms now, 2 from from 93 rangers with A/T, 1 from a 93 explorer A/T and the truck won’t start with any of them. Why would it start with a 95 explorer ecm but not with the correct ecm?

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

I’ve determined it’s getting spark, it starts if I spray brake cleaner in the intake and will stay running at an idle but it’s missing on multiple cylinders. Then it dies when I press the accelerator.

Before I installed the engine, I attempted to pull the cam position sensor to see if I could install a distributor to see if I could run the 4.0 block on the 2.9 ecm and wiring. I wasn’t able to pull the sensor due to the intake manifold blocking it and decided a distributor wouldn’t clear the intake manifold. I reinstalled the sensor but after looking up the installation process for a cam position sensor, I don’t think I put it back in the correct orientation.

I attempted to unplug the cam sensor today with the intake on because I was going to try repositioning the sensor but it felt like the sensor broke with minimal pressure. I probably damaged it installing the engine. So I’ll be pulling the intake, replacing the cam sensor, retiming it and reevaluating.