Chevy & GMC Vans

Been a while ya'll. Good to be back except a for bit of frustation at this point!!
Just read a thread about van not starting. My 89 4.3 will not start. Has spark and fuel. Replaced dist with junk yard item as ceramic ring in original dist was very wobbly/loose inside dist cap. Engine is timed to compression stroke on #1 cyl. I do get spark at dist cap leads but engine will still not start. Van died originally while daughter was driving so exact symptoms at time of death unknown. She did say she heard a clicking noise followed by smoke from somewhere in engine area. Don't see any burnt wires. Puzzled at this point, about to sell for parts but if fix is possible truck has more life left, can't afford paid help at this time. Saw info about ecm but not sure how to locate and check. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Haven't worked on a van that old in a while. My first thought, is it getting enough fuel? I know my current vans, while getting fuel, won't start if the fuel pressure isn't high enough. When I bought Grumpy it would only start with starter fluid, due to a weak pump.

How do i check the fuel pump pressure? Also any idea on ECM issues?

My vans have a schrader valve on the fuel line to connect a fuel pressure gauge to that can be accessed by removing the engine cover.

How's the compression?

you'll need a fitting to install between the fuel line and throttle body on the '89 - no schraeder valve. I would suggest getting a pressure gage designed for low pressure systems, which you '89 is. A gage designed to measure upwards of 100 psi will give inaccurate readings in the 12 to 14 psi range, which is where your throttle body injection should be.
I suggest taking a look at your injector spray pattern. Pull the air filter housing and the collar off the top of the TBI and crank the engine. The spray pattern from should be a fine mist cone shape. If you see dripping gas, a poppet is stuck open and the engine will flood. If you see nothing, the poppet is, obviously, stuck closed.

Thanks guys for the responses. I need a little guidance in finding the right fitting and valve for fuel pressure test. Will be call my napa store for info. Any help with part descriptions would be appreciated. If the pressure is low, would that point to a defective fuel pump?
Thanks again.
Keith

If you haven't changed the fuel filter recently, do so before you test. That way it is already ruled out. If the pressure isn't good after that, then the pump is most likely the problem.

finding a low pressure gage these days may be a bit of a challenge. Most fuel systems run in the 50 to 60 psi range now.
I've got a gage permanently installed that I bought online, from cfmtech I think it was. The pressure gage I bought for my newer vehicles came with an assortment of fittings as well as a schraeder valve fitting.
take off the air cleaner housing, pop off the vent hose from the driver's side rocker cover and remove the collar on the top of the throttle body. Lift the collar from the side close to you first and move it towards the front of the van as it will tend to hang up on the wires to the injectors, and lift it off.

Get a flashlight and shine it on the injectors. Turn the key to the On position while watching the injectors to see if you are getting any spray at all. The injectors should spray before you turn the key enough to crank the engine. if you get nada, you've got your answer and the pressure gage is a moot point. (time for either a new fuel pump, or fuel pump relay). If it does anything other than a fine mist spray, the injectors are suspect, or the wiring to them. ECMs do crap out, but it's a rare thing. If you want to check the connections at the ECM, it's behind the kick panel in front of the passenger side door.

another thought: even though you are getting spark, it may not be hot enough. Until I adjusted my timing to the correct spec, my 89 used to eat ignition coils. I'd get spark, but in reality the coil was toast and I'd get a no start situation.
anyway, check the injector spray pattern and post up the results, and we'll go from there..fair nuff?

Thanks for the help folks. I checked the spray pattern with a friend who worked on these trucks a lot. Pattern was good. spark was good at the dist and plugs. Looking for a chance to check the timing again when it stops raining ( sometime this month I guess : ( ). I'll get back when I do those things. Haven't been able to do much in last couple days (raining in Seattle). Friend's thought was maybe the timing chain had jumped and gear teeth may be broken. Will be testing the crank pully to see if any excess slop.
Once again thanks.
Keith

i am also having a fuel problem.....
i can hear the fuel pump working.....No mist in the TBI.

thinking of getting this

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Gasket-1561-Pr ... B000BWCFLO

that would definitely be the correct range for the pressure gage. The fuel pumps in the older vans are a diaphragm type (maybe so in the newer ones as well, don't know). The diaphragm can fail and the pump will still run and make noise and not pump any fuel. One other potential problem could be that the pressure regulator in the tbi has faled. It has a a small diaphragm and a spring, both of which could fail. Odds are that the fuel pump has failed.

i can hear the gas being pumped, but no mist at the TBI and then i can hear the gas be put back into the tank! New fuel filter was just installed and still same prob.

If your computer is not seeing any oil pressure it will not turn the fuel on. Check your oil pressure sender unit. It is on the back of the engine just below the distributor.

jbird wrote:i can hear the gas being pumped, but no mist at the TBI and then i can hear the gas be put back into the tank! New fuel filter was just installed and still same prob.

I had this problem once, it was the ignition module. Part of it's job is to tell the ECM when to fire the injectors. You can have spark and no fuel signal when they fail.

Thanks to James, V8famvan for the fix.