Points and Condenser Guy needs help! (long)

[DJ94]

Hello to all;

I really appreciate this part of the forum. I have not seen such helpful info anywhere else.

As I have said before, I am a points and condenser guy; somewhat (more than somewhat, actually) baffled by this new to me EEC-IV technology.

The vehicle I am working on is a 1994 California spec Ford Explorer with the 4.0 liter V6 (TWC catalyst, SFI-MAF fuel system, DPFE egr, EI ign, and IAC idle air, and of course the EEC-IV electronic engine control system.)

I have endeavored to help myself as much as possible. I have a factory wiring diagram (many 11x17 pages), a factory printed EVTM (the information is almost useless to me), a Factory Shop Manual on CD. I read the factory recommends a Super Star II code reader, so I got one of those. I read the factory uses breakout boxes so I got an OTC 80 pin which is supposed to be good for Ford EEC-IV. I have all that stuff and am still baffled.

Check Engine light comes on about a minute or so after the engine starts running and stays on steadily about 99% of the time after that. It occaisionally goes out for a mile or two; but there is no rhyme or reason I can find for it going out.

I followed the directions in the FSM for code reading using the Super Star II.

(Turn tester on, push TEST button, get brief 888 then 000 with sto lo and 1st cd messages on the screen. Then turn ign switch on. The sti lo letters show and the number 10. Then sti lo, sto lo (blinking) and cd rcvd and 214.)

I think that means that with my KOEO test there were no trouble codes put out. Then I think the 10 means testing went into a different mode. In the CM code is 214 (trouble in the CID system I think).

Is that about correct?

Then I went to the next step. I turned the Super Star II off, turned the key off. Then turned the Super Star II back on, pushed the test button again and started the engine and hit the brake pedal once. (It always starts right up, no problems.) Nothing appeared on the screen for a while though the motor rpm changed, ran at about 1250 rpm for a bit, then changed to a little slower, then back to idle. The dyn resp letters came on and I hit the throttle not quite to WOT just for an instant and the dyn resp letters went out. Then 111 appeared on the screen.

That would indicate there are no problems found during the KOER test.

Is that about correct?

If my testing is accurate I have a 214 problem. I have seen some references in the factory shop manual on CD about using the breakout box to do some testing to pin down whether my problem is the camshaft position sensor, the ignition module, or the crankshaft position sensor.

I also have a cheapie code reader I bought at Kragen's; and it gives about the same results as the Super Star II.

I have the breakout box, as mentioned. Is my connection for that underneath the panel by the passenger foot well?

When I get to that my multimeter is an old Radio Shack meter which has (and I don't know quite what this means) 25,000 ohms in the voltage setting I will most likely be using. It has 50,000 ohms at the less sensitive voltage setting. It is powered for resistance readings by a 9 v battery and a 1.5 AA battery. I have been informed that is a bad meter to use; is that correct?

Car runs fine except for a sometimes slight hesitation accelerating from a dead stop.

With info above and that symptom any informed opinions about where the problem lies?

If it is the camshaft position sensor can anyone take pity on me and maybe shoot me a photo or something of what it looks like and where it is? I have looked around the back of the engine with the EVTM propped up under the hood, mirror and flashlight in my hands, and still can't identify it. (Those drawings .... well you probably all know how much help they are!)

I realize this is a long post but nothing compared to the depths of my ignorance about EEC-IV systems!

Regards to all

DJ94

 

[MrShorty]

1) I'm impressed at what you've accomplished with a little bit of self-taught book learning.
2) Your SSII tester reported a KOER 111, but didn't report a KOEO 111?
3) The breakout box fits in between the PCM and the PCM's 60 pin connector. If you haven't, yet, you might want to review Glacier991's "primer on breakout boxes and accessories" in this forum. I personally have never used one, because they are too pricey for my taste.
4) I'm not sure that your multimeter would be classified as a high impedance digital multimeter. DMMs I've used show 1 Mohm on the voltage settings. Considering how much you've spent on the SSII and the breakout box and such, a decent DMM shouldn't be too much. I've bought acceptable DMMs at Harbor Freight for less than $10. Go ahead and keep your old analog meter, there are some things they can still do better than a digital meter.
4) The first thing I like to do when I'm only getting a CM code is to clear that CM code, take it through a drive cycle, then pull codes again to make sure the same code comes back consistently. That gives some indication if the fault is consistent or intermittent. You state, in this case, that the CEL comes on and stays on quite consistently, so I expect the fault code to repeat itself consistently, but it's nice to verify.
5) CMP is normally located at the back of the engine where the distributor would be, if the engine had one. Remember that codes point to faults in circuits, of which the sensor is only one part. If you have access to pinpoint tests, that will lead you step by step through the diagnosis. If not, start with your wiring diagram and check the wiring between the CMP, PCM, and ICM.

 

[DJ94]

More from the points and condensor guy

Thanks for the kind words, not-so-tall-one.

Lessee....

No, my SSII tester did not give me a 111 after the KOEO test, come to think of it. It happens pretty fast with the SSII tester; I get a 10 and then the 214.

I am going to test again maybe tomorrow afternoon or possibly Friday because I have gotten other codes as well as 214 before. I have tested this vehicle a few times with my cheapie tester and gotten some 186s and, I think some 189s, if I remember correctly.

The Factory Service Manual CD does not seem to give me any clear instructions about how to clear the KOEO codes; my little cheapie code reader instruction book does though. Seems to me I somehow did clear the codes and that is why I just got the 214 in memory.

Thanks for reminding me that the 214 relates to circuits, not just individual components! I fade fast when confronted with all the incomprehensible wiring harnesses under the hood; and those drawings in the EVTM don't do a whole lot. I am hoping that when I get a digital meter and my breakout box going I will be able to pinpoint the problem. I hope, anyway.

I am going to buy a decent meter because I will probably keep it for 30 years or so! I have had my analog meter since 1978.

I do understand the cam position sensor is where the distributor would be if there was on on this motor; but that doesn't help much. I don't know if I would recognize one if it was sitting on the desk in front of one; plus I can't even see much back there. A mystery component! I believe it exists but can't verify that.

Do you have experience with the SSII code reader?

Regards;

DJ94

 

[MrShorty]

I have no experience with the SSII ( or any other code reader/scanner). I've always used the cheapo jumper wire + analog voltmeter method of pulling codes (See my notes on pulling EEC-IV codes along with the information in your manuals).

I can't help a whole lot with the specifics about a CMP, I'm not sure I'd recognize one myself. My '92 doesn't have a CMP, and my 2.9 has a distributor.