2.3L ('83-'97) 96 2.3 manual idles but surges with gas

[JustinC]

I have a 1996 2.3 L with a manual transmission. When I bought it, it ran OK but used a lot of gas. He told me that it was throwing a code for the MAF sensor. Come to find out he had someone swap the transmission and I believe that they have done some kind of crazy patch job on this truck. When I got the truck, it had the MAF sensor disconnected and it was being driven that way. So, I found that the truck had a broken TPS and I replaced it with a working one. When I did this, the truck would not hardly run at all. I had the put the broken part back on it to drive home. Now, I’ve put the working TPS back on it and triple checked it that it is working properly. I have gone through some of the wiring and found that the main power wires into the PCM don’t seem to be getting power. I had a friend come over today and he changed one of the relays for the PCM and was checking power at it and it was working, but I’m not sure if the wires to the PCM are getting power because I didn’t double check them. We checked all the wires to the MAF and it is wired correctly. One note, is that the previous owner had all sorts of parts replaced on it and I assume they were trying to throw parts at it to fix the problem. It has a new EGR, IAC, plugs, wires, and several other components. At the end of the day, if you hook everything up the way it should be, the truck just runs but does not run correctly. They have also put a push button starter on the ignition switch because the actual “start” with the key does not start the truck. I also noticed that the clutch pedal position sensor wire under the dash was cut. I know this is a lot, but maybe someone could make sense of all of it for me because I am at a total loss.

 

[franklin2]

Unless you can read diagrams, retrieve codes, and are good with a meter, this truck will probably never be running right. It's one thing to have a complex vehicle and have a normal failure. But when people get in there and mess with things, it gets way worse.

Only two ways I see it running right again;

1. Find a rocket scientist who doesn't mind working for free or cheap or

2. Find another truck just like it, and pull all the wiring out of it and plug it into yours. Make sure to find one that is optioned just like your truck.

 

[RobWigglezz]

My step one would be plugging into it with a decent scan tool with live data. You will be able to see what every sensor is reporting or what sensors are not working. If you have a lap top, FORScan is free and only requires you to buy an obd2 to USB cable.

With the push start button, does there need to be a key in the ignition and turned to on for it to run?