1994 explorer electrical issues...

[jake122288]

i have a 94 xlt... recently when i went to start it (after a period of sitting for about 8 months due to the trans being out), my explorer started and idled very rough and then my serpentine belt was thrown off and it die due to electrical drain (i didnt catch the belt right coming off right away). Now it wont start and i couldnt hear my fuel pump kicking on... so i went ahead and dropped the tank and hooked jumper wires up and the pump runs fine. so i changed my fuel filter and still the same issue. Now with the tank on the ground (pump intact and hooked up) i can turn the ignition key to on and if i recal correctly my pump should kick on. which it doesnt. any ideas to look for the resolution of this problem besides rewiring it? and also when i go to start it, the starter turns and the motor turns slowly, but i get a clicking noise from the distribution box and the solonoid (by the dist. box). and occasionally as i try to crank it the ground terminal of the battery throws sparks. its just one thing after another leaving me on a wild goose chase for many different solutions...any input is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance

 

[jake122288]

and just another thought...i did put a 3" bl on it...would this be a possible culprit for the power issues because i didnt add any grounding straps? my kit did not come with any but its an idea that popped inot my head..thanks again

 

[jake122288]

bump?

 

[Tony H]

First off, Totally charge the battery. Then clean your battery terminals. Start there.
The body to frame mounting had rubber spacers to begin with so adding taller ones should ne be an issue. It couldn't hurt to throw one from Engine to Frame anyway

 

[engera]

The fuel pump relay can cause the fuel pump to not kick on. I had the fuel pump relay intermittantly go out on my '94 and it had the same symtoms. I swapped it with one of the other relays that are the same and the problem went away.

 

[jake122288]

i did for a temp fix wire the pump direct but i still have no start..i also realized it was now spewing gas out of the metal line direct out of the fuel pump...is there a way to fix just this as in change the lines for pump or do i have to buy a whole new pump now... so i checked the spark and im not getting any spark now either. does anyone have a diagram or picture of the camshaft positioning sensor? so i can more eaily find it. and now the spark and fuel issues...could both of these be due to a failed ignition control module? now this is a long shot but what about being the eec? could that cause all of my issues(fuel pump not having power and not getting spark)? and is there a way to test the eec? along with the icm and the coil pack?? is there a method to testing them. if so that would be greatly appreciated knowledge!

 

[jake122288]

ok...so i tore the dist box open and was testing the wires via a test bulb (its all i ahve...and im going to describe this the best i possibly can... the wires im describing and the positioning is with the dist box in its normal position....there is a red wire on top (cab side) which also branches to the red wire on top of the fuel pump relay (labeled 30 on the relay) ignition on or off this shows a ground....there is a white with black strip wire on the passenger side ( relay number 86) and its live with ingition on and nothing with ignition off (neither power or ground)the black and white striped wire on the drivers side is a ground with ignition on and off (relay number 85) and a yellow wire on the bottom side (closest to grill) (relay number 87) which gets no signal with ignition on or off(possibly because it keeps blowing the eec fuse).... the yellow wire i know runs from the eec fuse...which has power at the fuse (without fuse in). i noticed the fuse was blown so i swapped it out and then when i hooked power back up and turned the ignition on the fuel pump relay would click repeatedly really loudly... does this mean the red wire is grounding out and thats what is causing my problem? is this the power wire from the eec? does anyone know where this wire come from? if it is from the eec could this mean my eec is bad which is causing the "short out" or is it more possible to be a bad spot in the wire? any help and info is greatly appreciated

 

[jake122288]

so i figured out its that red wire which is "shorting out" and causing my eec fuse to blow... but beings that the red wire, according to my chilton wiring diagram, branches to alot of things... (a/c, iac, maf, injectors, coil pack, and like 4 slots into the pcm/eec) how am i to go about this now... or does that just show signs of the eec/pcm being bad? also according to my diagram it leads back to the tc solonoid and the 3-4 shift solonoid on the trans... i didnt change these because i just dropped the used trans into this explorer... but could that be the reason its shorting out? maybe that is what caused the parts truck i bought (and got the trans out of) to have the same symptoms...will crank and crank but now start and no spark or fuel... just a thought...sorry for over posting i just wanna keep this updated to hopefully with the help from everyone else get this problem fixed!

 

[jake122288]

well i guess my mission is coming to a hault tomorrow...i gotta get the ex out of the garage (it sucks not having my own) so i got one last day to try and figure out this issue and if not thanks a bunch for the help and suggestions

 

[jake122288]

well i went ahead on my wild goose chase looking for this issue...thinking to check the last electrical plug i messed with before the issues...and sure enough it was it! the nuetral saftey switch wiring...i unplugged it and it solved the issue...and i plugged it back in and it was still fixed...so idk if it was crooked or something or if my switch is getting bad but i now have fuel and spark...now we'll see if she runs once i get a fuel pump in the truck =D thanks for all the help guys!

 

[jake122288]

ok...beings it was my neutral saftey switch...should i replace that switch or does it seem it was more caused by corrosion on the terminals or such like that...if a neutral saftey switch is bad will it short out like that?

 

[willindsay]

ok...beings it was my neutral saftey switch...should i replace that switch or does it seem it was more caused by corrosion on the terminals or such like that...if a neutral saftey switch is bad will it short out like that?

I would say replace it. Mine started going south and it caused my reverse lights to always be on and it would not start in P sometimes. If you do it yourself the switch is only like $35. I had a shop do mine cause I couldn't reach it, but with a 3'' body lift you should have enough room to get it.

 

[jake122288]

well i have another rom my old trans that wasnt giving me any issue i think i may just throw it in there next time im under the truck...i didnt realize that switch going bad could cause so many other issues. thanks!