1996 Astro Van. cranks, good spark, good fuel, may idle, but falls on
its face when throttle is touched (like it is starved for fuel). Once
you get it to actually start & idle, it idles fine & will crawl around
the parking lot in gear without problems. But hit the gas, and it
will stall.

If you crank it over & over, it will not start. You need to bump the
key over & over to get it to start, or else it will flood. Will not
start in "clear flood mode"

Replaced:
Fuel pump
Fuel Filter
Fuel regulator
Fuel Injectors
Tested fuel pressure, very good
Throttle position sensor
Coil
Electronic spark control
Wires
Cap & Rotor
Plugs
Quadruple checked firing order.
ECM
Cam sensor
Checked for vacuum leaks around the intake.

I am at a loss of what to do next. Anything that could affect the
running of this truck in open loop has been replaced (as far as I
know)

On the scanner:... No OBD2 codes or faults. Everything is within
parameters. No exhaust restrictions, no intake restrictions.

It sounds like I'm missing some other fuel control piece that may be
the answer. Something is not telling the fuel to release above an
idle.

As of now, the dealer is baffled.

On May 27, 3:55*pm, BLB <Brian1... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
Sounds to me like water in the gas.

Ill tell you a story. Sometimes I get to go out of town to work.
(Diver/harvest freshwater mussels) Went to South Texas once, was
making some good money, me and several other guys. Hanging out at the
watering hole, some guys brag about what kind of money they make, it
makes the hometown boys a bit miffed. Long story short, someone either
pissed in or poured a beer or two in my gas tank. When I went to
leave, my truck acted exactly as you describe yours to be. It would
idle fine, but would not take acceleration at all.Lucky for me my old
3/4 ton 454 had dual tanks, I switched over to the other tank and the
truck ran fine. I found an old country dirt road (werent to hard in
Texas) and drained off a gallon or so from the bad tank and it was ok.

Id try siphoning off/draining at least a gallon from the bottom of my
tank were I you, and see what happens.

What is the fuel pressure at the rail when this occurs. Was all this work
done to correct this?
"BLB" <Brian1911 (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote




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What is the EGR doing as well.

Shep wrote:

--
Steve W.

Hi:

Have you looked at the pickup in the distributor, since it's a 96, it should
have a cam position sensor in the distributor, and a crank position sensor
in the timing cover.

Try doing a scan, and a crank position relearn, look at the cap, the HEI 3
Enhanced is a pain in the ass for caps and rotors, and usually wipes out the
Cam position sensor.

At the very least, do a code scan, and look at the crank position timing +
or - 2 % is the max, but now that I might get back to work next month, I do
what I always did. O% is my tolerance.

I hope this helps,

RK
"BLB" <Brian1911 (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote

Thanks for the replies... but I'm afraid that I had already tried all
of those..
I failed to mention that the EGR was looked over. Fuel pressure is at
65 consistent. Fresh fuel is in the tank. Cam sensor was already
replaced. All other tolerances are perfectly fine on the scanner. No
codes. Typically with cam & crank sensors, it's an all or nothing
deal. Since it will eventually start & idle, and smoothly at that, I
doubt there's a cam or crank sensor issue.

Now, there's a sensor just 2 inches behind the TPS on the left side of
the intake. This has not been touched yet. I am not familiar with
this one.

On May 27, 4:55 pm, BLB <Brian1... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

On May 29, 4:31*am, BLB <Brian1... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
I still feel like you have water. Just for kicks, disconnect the line
at the TB, stick a clean jug/bottle on it and key on for a few seconds
and look at what you get. Even if the tank was completely drained and
refilled, there is a lot of line there to retain bad gas till it gets
pumped through. Even if Im wrong, its a cheap/easy test. Just be
carefull to let the pressure off easy.

Have you checked the exhaust backpressure?

RK
"Shelldigger" <lilc01f (AT) peoplepc (DOT) com> wrote

On May 29, 4:31 am, BLB <Brian1... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
I still feel like you have water. Just for kicks, disconnect the line
at the TB, stick a clean jug/bottle on it and key on for a few seconds
and look at what you get. Even if the tank was completely drained and
refilled, there is a lot of line there to retain bad gas till it gets
pumped through. Even if Im wrong, its a cheap/easy test. Just be
carefull to let the pressure off easy.

Yes I replaced the cam sensor, and yes I checked the exhaust (both
were listed in the initial message)
As far as water in the fuel... I've let the truck idle in the
driveway for 3 hours. The gas tank was almost empty when the problem
started. Now I have a 1/2 tank of fresh fuel. It's safe to say that
the fuel quality isn't an issue.

Again, I appreciate the help... but I need to hit on something that
hasn't been changed/altered/replaced. What is the sensor that is
right behind the TPS on the left side of the throttle plate housing?

On May 27, 4:55 pm, BLB <Brian1... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

BLB wrote:

Ok you state that if you crank it it won't start and instead it floods.
But if you bump it it will start and may idle OK?

How do you know it floods? Pulled the plugs and they were wet? ( I hope)

When you do get it to run and step on the throttle how does it die? Does
it flood out or does it just QUIT.

When you say you changed the injectors is this a TBI truck or a MPI?
Missed that if it's there.

When it quits do you see fuel still coming out of the injectors (if it's
TBI)as it shuts down or do they taper off and stop spraying?
If you spray some fuel into the intake as you open the throttle what
does it do?
What does the coolant temperature sensor show with a cold engine?

For testing purposes disconnect and plug any external vacuum
connections, like the one for the EVAP system, the brake booster and
whatever else. Any change?

What condition are the engine and chassis ground straps in?

--
Steve W.