1988 B250 van died today. The dying symptoms where that of fuel starvation. When AAA arrived with gas, that didn't help. They tested the battery and it was good. The diagnostic revealed no output from alternator, they towed me home, I replaced the alternator. Still no start.
Almost got it started with ether. Checked for spark from coil lead to block and got no spark. But I'm not convinced that was conclusive because the block is oil covered and dirty and didn't think the spark could make the jump through the dirt and oil.

What's next? I replaced the mini injectors but don't know how to test if they are good.
Help!

How do I check for fuel starvation and how do I check for spark? I know compression test would follow those.

I should add that I did have a water intrusion event during heavy rain Saturday at which point I found a loose battery terminal connection which was also soaked with water. After tightening, things seemed to work fine. Sunday I had a couple of momentary sputters. Monday the same until a complete shutdown and, now, a no-start.

 

Your very first step is to get spark. All of the fuel or ether in the world isn't going to help if you don't have spark. IMO, the ignition coil is probably bad.

Regarding the alternator...just how did the AAA guy test it if the engine wouldn't start?

 

Tested the alt while i was cranking on the starter.

I'm tending to think the problem has something to do with the water intrusion.
No spark, no fuel and no measurable output on the alt. I'm thinking some kind of engine controller. I don't even know if this vehicle has some kind of controller. Does anyone know?

 

Yes there is an engine computer and no you cannot test the alternator while cranking the engine. Between the starter load on the electrical system and the low RPMs during cranking, the alternator will not put out any power. The alternator you took off is likely still good.

The bottom line here is that you need to fix the spark, get all other ideas out of your head and focus on getting spark.

 

Thanks, and I agree and should have known better. I was hoping it was going to be a quick and easy fix. Since it wasn't the alternator I didn't want to go on a wild goose chase replacing this, that, and the other, to no avail. So, I had it towed to a mechanic this morning who hasn't even looked at it yet. If I'd have known they wouldn't have looked at it yet I would have at least changed the coil and went from there. Now I'm stuck!

 

Just got a call from mechanic. They are calling it a major short somewhere in the ignition wiring harness. They are going to put a fused jumper in for now to get it running.
So, when I get it back, how would I go about chasing down the short? Do I rip it all out and start fresh?

 

First do a complete visual inspection. You might find a bad spot in the wiring harness just by looking with a strong light.

 

Got it back from the mechanic. Made it about 4 miles without problems then it started to sputter and eventually stalled. I got it started again easily but it keeps stalling when I put it into drive. Runs fine in park, neutral and reverse. I managed to nurse it back home.
Now what? Can I post video from youtube here?...would that help diagnose it?

 

I had the old alternator bench tested and you were right, it is still good.

I had them test the new one while the engine was running and the result is that there is no output. Also, the fused ignition jumper wire blew 3 fuses today ( I ran out of replacement fuses so I left the van where it died, about 4 miles from home) after running the van for about an hour.

1. No alt output as tested from a battery tester thingie at Pepboys.
2. Blown fuses from ingition jumper wire.
3. Check engine light on sometimes, not always.
4. Replaced the battery today as well. With the alt output not getting back to the battery, the battery died.

I have spark, fuel and compression. Engine temp is normal. Oil pressure is normal. It ran great today for about an hour and then blew the fuses.

Does my vehicle have any other fuse panels besides the one in the glove box?
Does my vehicle have some kind of computer, and where is it?
Would you call this an active short circiut that I need to chase down? If so, beside a visual inspection, how would I test otherwise? I have a multimeter and a test light.

Where can I find free electrical wiring diagrams of my 1988 Dodge Ram B250 5.2 L engine?

I took it to 2 separate mechanics and they basically did nothing to the vehicle. They both sat on it for a couple of days each.

 

Conclusion:
Behind the brake power booster were several corroded wires. One of them I was able to identify. I pulled on the suspect wire and it crumbled in my hand.
After attempting to remove booster, without success, I gave up and took it to a 3rd mechanic. He found other failed wires behind the booster, that were shorting against the booster, and repaired them. That fixed it.

Thanks for all the help here. I have other issues I'll be posting in their appropriate thread locations.