Won't Start - checked these things - ECM suspected?

After my very huge mistake today that most likely rendered my auto useless from what you are all saying, I went to the local junk yard. They are coming on Monday to tow it out of here.

I tried to listen and communicate to the best of my ability, but it is pretty obvious by your comments, that I failedd miserably. I just wanted to thank all of you who took the time and patience to try to help me fix it. I appreciate it.

Take Care, Sharon

Oh come on, don't send a '90 Grand Marquis to the junkyard, even if you fried the EEC computer. Hell, a new used one aint a big deal to install...

After all of this, don't give up now.

It was actually quite refreshing to follow your thread compared to the nonsense usually posted by people (''My car won't start. Tell me why!")

Thomas, I run a voluntary organization and develop and maintain websites (free) for rare and pediatric cancers:

Between my Mom's illness, the resultant drive out west, and this car situation over the last month, I have not been responding to requests for help, support, and research that I have been receiving from parents and other patients off of my websites. This is not right!! I can not afford to pay a mechanic over $100 an hour to do all the same things that you have been walking me through (and you KNOW a Ford mechanic will do that). I am permanently disabled myself, because of my own disease process. My income really is low, I was not lying in the beginning of my posts. I appreciate your concerns and thoughts on what I should or shouldn't do, but what I REALLY need to is redirect my daily efforts back into helping the kids, parents, and patients.

Each person on here has their own personal story and circumstances that create how they approach things. I do have a lot of experience with autos. I worked for years with my husband on them before he passed away. But, I know nothing about electrical problems on a car. I have learned a lot of things because my personal life circumstances have forced me to learn them. I was hoping I could do that with this, but I was wrong. I seem to have just made matters much much worse. I am not feeling sorry for myself, I am feeling sorry for the parents and kids who need help.

Thanks and take care, Sharon

I am in Southern AZ, near Tucson. Take Care, Sharon

Maybe you should post what area of the country your in. Somebody might be close and give you a hand. I agree, that car should not be in the boneyard if the rest of its in reasonable shape.

BOB

I agree with the rest.... If you need a car it is much more cost effective to fix this one than try to find a replacement. After all, being that you just drove it 3K miles it cant be that bad!

The poor gal has been going on and on with trying to get it to start. She finally had enough when she tried to test a fuel injector circuit by using an analog multimeter instead of a noid light. A message was posted that she may have fried the EEC computer by doing what she did.

I hope maybe someone in the Tucson area can donate time to help her in person after all of this. If anyone needs to succeed at getting a car running, it should be Sharon.

I think that is a great thing to do, keep up the good work.

The average dealership door charge is about $70 not $100. Even at that, you well know your time is very valuable. The more time you spend on a problem like yours the less time you have for the websites and duties that comes with your organization. At that point time is money. I am a trained "Ford" mechanic and would do what I was walking you through. We do not diagnose by crystal ball. The other thing is that you are not charged by the hour per say in a dealership. Diagnoses is usually kept to a 1.0 hour charge. Many times the 1.0 charge is waived when you agree on a repair charge. I doubt the repair bill for finding and fixing the problem would be over two hundred dollars. Now you say you have been tiring to find and fix your problem for a month? Even though you are in a not for profit organization, you can not ignore good and proper economics. The car should just be considered a cost of doing business.

And getting the car fixed and quickly will do that. It is a lot less expensive to repair what you have then to junk it for pennies on the dollar if you can get that and then buy a different car. That is just pure economics.

It's easer than you think, and you can learn it. It seems to me that buy the way you attacked the problem you do want to learn it.

You do not know that for a fact.

When you make statements like that, it is a clear sign of feeling sorry for ones self. Basic human nature. First year psychology classes teach that. Personally I think you are very close to finding what is wrong with the car. Why stop now? I would look at it like a personal challenge and find the problem and fix it.

================================== No, I dont think that analog voltmeter fried the computer.....Highly unlikely Sharon. You can test them all day long with a regular test light that pulls way more amperage than a voltmeter......The reason to use a noid light is because it is easy to plug in and it has an LED type light that flashes quicker than a regular bulb. If the car has single injectors for each cylinder a regular light will pick up the flashes, I never tryed a voltmeter but it might pick them up to.

Using an analog voltmeter isn't what caused the possible problem, the fact that she jumpered the two sides of the injector plug together is what "could" have caused problems. I'm not sure if the ECM would survive a direct short to power like that or not but it would be easy enough to test it. Bob

I appreciate the effort and the consideration guys. I am sure that Thomas is an excellent mechanic, but I honestly had difficulty understanding large segments of info at a time. I learn much better in bits, I think. I would read Thomas's posts and went into total brain overload. And the multiple names for the same part was making it hard to decipher exactly what I was looking at. Look at AutoZone's website and PartsAmerica's website, and the NG's. You will find a dozen different names for the same part. YEOWWWW And my own lack of knowledge multiplied the confusion 100 fold.

On BeeVee's recent advice, I used starter fluid to see if the car would fire up to make sure the injectors did not get fried. It did start up. Thank you BeeVee, for your calm and rational thinking when I was on total burnout.

I am spending a little time considering a suggestion that someone on this group proposed a while back. To take a distributor (with ignition module included), from junkyard to see if the car would run. If anyone has a good reason to believe that it is most likely NOT in the distributor area, please let me know. It will save me 'thinking time'.

But first, I am going to do what Thomas advised. Step back, rest, and think about this. I truly cannot afford to pay a Ford technician to tow it in and do a diagnostics on it, though. Thomas, I don't know where you live, but the hourly rate is much higher here in southern AZ. I know it is cheaper in NY, where I just came from. I do, however, appreciate your suggestion. I was blessed in NY to have an excellent, independent mechanic, who did all the tough stuff for me after my husband died. I wish he were in AZ!!!!

I talked to a mechanic here and was told to put a hose down the filler tank line and listen to see if I could hear the sound of running water. If I could, then it was most likely a broken nipple inside the fuel tank on the pump. I told BeeVee this and he told me that this may only be the sound of the normal flushing of the sock. So, will I take it to a local non-Ford mechanic at a lesser hourly rate here and get, well you know what?.........

In any event, my not working on the car today helped me to help a few people find cancer info for their kids. That is priceless! Thanks for being kind, and understanding, and concerned. I appreciate the sentiments.

Take Care, Sharon

" I am a trained "Ford" mechanic and

======================= I have a suggestion. Start a new post, start over, and let Thomas walk you through diagnosing the car. All the rest of us just stay out of it to avoid confusion.....I think it all can be done with a multimeter but a cheap test light would be better/easier. AGREED? Sharon? Thomas? Everyone? AGREED???????

A little more understanding. For future reference, I stumbled on this tonight. I think it is good for a basic info for people like me (kinda like, fuel injection and ignition for dummies). I am just BEGINNING to understand some things that were suggested by all of you and why:

Take Care, Sharon

Bob already finished the story - It was the method she used for the test. She caused a short while testing.

what?.........

The only problem with the distributor idea is: Then you have to know how to put the distributor in correctly. This could open a *very large* can of worms. The ignition module (the thing on the distributor) would be a much easier solution. But I also think it should be diagnosed correctly before spending any money on parts it doesnt need.

If it started and ran using starting fluid the problem is definatly NOT with the distributor!! Don't waste time puliing that, it also proves that you did not fry the injector drivers in your computer. It sounds to me like you still have the ongoing problem of a fuel pump that fails to run. It may seem overwhelming to you at the time but it really IS a simple circuit. Go back and reread what Neil and Thomas have told you to test, ignore all the static in the background and you will get it running again. If you have questions just ask away. And don't jumper any more wires together unless you are told to do so. (Remember, ignore the static in the background) Bob

what?.........

I'd consider your local mechanic and Bee Vee both as static if I were you. You don't have a broken nipple and there is no flushing of the sock. Bob

Being that the fuel is being sprayed into the intake only proves the ignition system is making spark and that the engine is in sound enough condition to run. Which leaves still the question is the ECM getting a crank signal? Is the fuel pump actually pumping?