[mrvanwinkles]

Ok I have a question to ask and some advice to seek. It may take an expert to solve this one.

2000 Ford Taurus SE Sedan. OHV Overhead Valve engine. (Not Overhead Cam)
Cam in block with pushrods.
aka: the 3.0 L V6 Vulcan engine. (Not the Duratech engine)


Due to original engine failure after 285,000 km ( Cam bearings wore out badly due to head gasket leak, coolant leak into engine in valley area. this led to camshaft going badly out of alignment and chewing up the Cam sync gear, leading to oil pump drive failure, and no oil pressure therefore. Engine was then dead in the water / on the road) , i finally got around to installing a good used engine of the exact same type, engine ...from same year and model, exact same engine.

It took time, was not easy, but i did it myself in home garage, over the past 2 years or so.

Working on this car is NOT easy. Packed in pretty tight. Complex & difficult .

I digress.

It is all back together, and looking good, with a good used engine.

First attempts to turn it over and try to start it, after 2 years sitting in garage.
It did turn over and attempted to fire ... but then went into, I think, "PATS" mode, and no key will CRANK it now.

I have a NO CRANK situation, with all three previous chip keys.

I have confirmed all the starter system is good, because if I bypass the PCM lockout, by providing GROUND to the
starter relay ... it cranks all fine.

But I assume if there is a problem with the Computer / PCM, locking out the vehicle from starting, then it probably will not provide spark or fuel injection signal, and will probably not run the fuel pump.

THEFT red warning flashes every 2 seconds, and still does constantly when the key is left in the RUN position for 10, 20, or even 30 min. It does not clear out and go solid or go away.

I am guessing the car has locked itself in Alarm mode / PATS lockout, or maybe a problem with the PCM, or maybe in the 2 yrs that the battery has been out of the car ... it may have lost the programming of ALL the 3 keys.

I am not totally sure.

Funny thing ... I tried to hook up my Forscan OBD 2 reader to the OBD 2 port, to look for codes, but can't seem to connect to computer. that is really funny.

It's a long difficult project, replacing that engine at home ... and I wanna try and see if I can fire up this engine.

It's all looking good ... just gotta figure this out.

I have service manual on CD, have researched this. Have looked online as well, and tried to leave key in Run position for 10 min or so, as suggested in one online help video ... but does not clear the THEFT flashing PATS warning.

One suggestion is that the car has lost / forgotten all the keys, and the keys have to be re-programmed into the PCM.

I was wondering if I have locked the perimeter alarm system, cause I had the HOOD OFF before, and the car actually looks for forced doors, trunk lid , and hood .... ya. But now I have put the HOOD back on and closed it, and re tried, but nope ... the NO CRANK and flashing THEFT red led on the dash persists.

Manuals and Service Manual on CD, suggest "Take car to Dealer and have them look at it."

Any simple way to CLEAR a PATS lockout ? Passive any theft system Lockout. (THEFT light flashing every 2 seconds always .... even after key left in RUN position on ignition for long time ... )

Any simple way to CLEAR a Perimeter Alarm lockout on this car ?

( I think I have tried the usual ways I have discovered ... but no luck )

What advice or info could any expert give me on this "NO CRANK / NO Start" situation.

[ Manuals also suggest Bad PCM or bad connections .... but I don't think so. Everything else seems to be
working fine. Remote locks and unlocks car, and most else behaves normally, seeming to indicate to me
that the PCM is working and responding correctly. ]

This may be a complex one to solve ...

Thanks in advance for any advice or help.

I would like to bring this old baby back to life ... after a long personal project ... and much personal work and effort.

All the rest of the car is good / in good shape. I like it and wanna put it on the road again before winter here in Canada.

Thanks.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Reply to Architect:

Thank you.

Yes: Replaced engine, and used original wiring harness and original PCM that was in the car originally, and was all working before at that time. Engine replaced due to an internal mechanical engine failure. All working good up till that mechanical failure.

Fuel pump. Yes, hear it run for just an instant, but not always. I would say funny behaviour right now. ( unclear though, makes a moan or groan, then stops. I am familiar with the sound it made when car was working all find before the engine change... and could be suspect. A fuel pressure check might be in order. )

Yes. OBD connector - cannot seem to connect to connect to the computer to view any possible codes. Strange. Have connected before engine change ... worked before. looked at codes before and cleared and fixed stuff based on codes. This itself suggests a problem with the PCM ... because manuals say: " PATS will never lock out the OBD port. " ( ie you should always be able to connect to the PCM ... unless something is wrong with it / or the OBD port or wiring )

Ground Strap of PCM ... yes I should check that - thanks.

PATS lockout - thanks. I see your point. By that term I mean, it is behaving like it is not recognizing any of the 3 keys that were previously working. This could be a bad PCM. ( The PCM should NEVER normally lose memory of the Keys, even if the battery is disconnected for 2 years ... i am thinking ... but one never knows for sure with computers and electronics. any think is possible i would also assume. But read later down, i will explain what one "experienced" / practical person told me about fords and their anti-theft systems. Real practical advice from someone who's dealt with ford trucks etc. seen this sort of thing happen)

Fuse 23 - yes I checked two fuses related to this. I think fuse 23 and 9 or 5. I will go over that. thanks.

Thanks for letting me know the unlocking of the doors, with the remote, is not related to the PCM.


Reply to Automender12345 :

Wrecker told me engine was from same year of car. Came out of a 2000 Ford Taurus. Is virtually exact to the original.

And yes, best of my knowledge, all connectors are re connected correctly. (Except for a few A/C Air conditioner system connectors, because I removed all the AC system from the car including the compressor, and installed the shorter serpentine belt. Car worked fine before with those AC connectors off, no engine lights and no codes related to that. )

Wiring Harness is from original car. Just flopped back over and reconnected to everything again on the used engine, all sensors and connectors and fuel injectors etc, and to the PCM again.



Next Post will explain some furthur research and questions I asked some other persons.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Furthur research since my original / first post:

I went into the 2000 Taurus service manual on CD, and read some more and printed schematics and pin outs and location drawings for a few connectors related to the Starter System relay wiring. The part of the circuit that provides ground to the starter relay in the Fuse Box beside the battery in the engine compartment. It shows a pink wire, leading from pin 86 (from memory) of the starter relay, through another connector on the driver's side fender of the car, then over to the PCM connector, pin 44 i think from memory. It says to check the resistance of this path, and if greater than five (5) ohms ... "fix the circuit".

So ya ... I gotta check that part of the circuit and see if there is any problem there.


I spoke with one mechanic who advises: "Those Fords have a system that if the keys are not recognized and you gotta re program the PCM ... only a Dealer Can do that. You are off to the Dealership."

I spoke with another person, who works for a different Mechanic, who has past experience with Ford Trucks who advises:

" Ya, we used to see that sort of thing a lot with our Ford pickup trucks. And we would do the following:
1. Make sure the Battery is good, and charged and reading at least 12 volts
2. Disconnect the Battery terminals and touch the two battery clamps together to make sure the system in the car is
discharged down to zero volts.
3. Put the ignition key in the ignition, and turn it to the run position. (Before reconnecting the Battery.)
4. Reconnect the Battery, leaving the key in, and in the RUN position, and let it sit like that for awhile, see if on repowering, it recognizes the key. "

" that would work for us, many times on those FORD (pickup) Trucks"

This makes some sense to try to me.
My battery was originally low when I re-installed it. Maybe 10 Volts.
I put the battery charger on it, after, overnight, then re-tried next day. Voltage up then.

This is similar to another procedure I read online. Minus the touch terminals together to discharge system to zero volts.

This makes sense electrically and with computers / PCM's . Trying to do a re-set.

thanks all... gotta go. will report back whatever happens. Advice much appreciated. Working on it ....

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Reply to Architech post #7 :

Red THEFT light on the dash continues to flash every 2 seconds all the time and never stops (No it does not go out).
And yes, I agree that it is possible that it could be a defective PCM / Computer.

And thank you for the other schematics & advice / troubleshooting tips in Post #6. I will print off & include in my troubleshooting / testing. thanks. very detailed & good info. much appreciated.


Reply to Automender12345 Post #8 :

Yes, a flakey OBD plug or wiring is one of the possibilities why I can't connect Forscan to see codes etc.
Yes, in the past, I connected to the car's computer with this laptop & setup, could see & read codes etc.
Car's engine did not have to be running ... but key had to be in the ON or Run position...

The functional parts of the car's starter system all seem to be working. Relays, main wiring, starter motor.
The car will turn over / crank normally ... if I just bypass the part where the PCM denies Ground to the starter relay.
i.e. I give ground to pin 86 of starter relay, with a jumper wire. Starter relay K22. C1017 Pin 86 in top schematic image Architech posted in post #6

 

[mrvanwinkles]

I did not have much time to do any real troubleshooting since last posts. Busy with work & other stuff & caught cold / sick / not online often.

I did some quick tests to check grounds to PCM & car body & engine. They seem good. very low resistance.

Other things in life / various numerous issues keeping me quite busy. But I will get to this as well .

Thanks for all advice & help ... much appreciated.

P.S. oh ya... yes, as suggested, it is a standard thing to do, that if you are having these sorts of issues, to try and
"RE SEAT Connectors" ie. Pull PCM connector, inspect it, try to re-connect it. sometimes a pin is not making connection. same with other key connectors in the system path(s). ? TRS connector ? Others ?

try to: RE SEAT CONNECTORs !

 

[mrvanwinkles]

OK, so you are suggesting the PCM is not fully powered up for some reason, but fooling me by remaining in Sleep mode.

So, if PCM is not fully powered up, obviously it cannot check keys, or do anything else it needs to do to attempt to start the car. Thanks for informing me of this possibility as well. Will check / keep that in mind.



[ Progress: have printed & analysed the schematics and pin outs / drawings for connectors for the TRS - Transmission Range Sensor - circuit to the PCM. planning a few simple electrical tests with meter to see if that system is working ok. Yes, Ford has certainly included a couple of "parallel" systems to ensure you are in Park or Neutral ... before anything will attempt to start this car. But this also leads to more complexity and possible failure points / trouble points ... both the starter circuit, and the PCM are locked out if not in P or N, and of course any of these two circuits, connectors, wires, and TRS switch components could fail anywhere along their path. A mechanic's nightmare.]

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Reply to ice445 :

Thanks. Well as of last night, I did a few tests. I can say YES, I believe the PCM relay is activating when the Key is ON.

Yes, you are correct, it is possible the PCM died on me. But I have to exhaust / do a few other tests to see if it is not something else first. You are correct: if I have no communication / can not connect through the OBD port, that is not a good sign for the PCM.

The lugs and ground strap were taken off the Ground bolt near the PCM connector, and polished up and cleaned for good connection. The resistance to ground measured with a digital volt meter, and very low, like 0.1 ohm, so that is indicating a good ground there.


Update to all:

So I removed and inspected PCM relay. Was pretty clean, but I polished up contact tangs & sprayed with contact cleaner & wiped clean & re-inserted with a wire tap out from contact 5 which should be the output to supply power to the PCM according to schematic I printed off from service manual.
Connected DC voltmeter to tap wire. Key off - zero volts. Key ON - 12 volts. So that looks good at that point.
PCM relay is working and supplying 12 power to PCM wire. All else that actuates the relay seems working and therefore should be good.
[ From car's glove box manual, pgs 138 139 140 - that is fuse/relay location 31 "PCM Power Relay", a little black square with 5 tangs that plug in, over on the far right side of the Fuse box beside the Battery ]
[ From Schematic this is K163 PCM power relay, pin 5 ]

Next test was to remove the main fuse supplying power to the PCM and check it out.
Looked good. Not burned out. Zero resistance across it's tangs. Tangs polished up and contact cleaned.
[ large green translucent plastic plug in fuse, 30 A ]
[ from Car's Manual: Fuse location 2, 30 A, PCM Fuse, over on the left side of fuse box]
[ from schematic: F102 30 A at the top of the page ]

So then I pull the fuse, and insert a DC Amp Meter, set in the high range, 10A full scale, in the fuse's place.
Key OFF - zero Amps measured.
Key ON - 2.05 Amps measured.

So by this test, I see that the PCM power circuit is at least drawing 2.05 Amps through it.
I don't know if this is in the "good range" / within spec. But at least I can see the PCM is drawing
a signifigant amount of current, with KEY ON and seems like that circuit is intact, likely good, and drawing
power for the PCM.

Would 2.05 Amps seem like enough power, for a PCM at rest ? Does that seem "within spec" ?

More tests to come ... as I have time.

The next tests will likely be for the TRS - Transmission Range Sensor - circuits / wiring / connectors in between.
Will likely involve some resistance measurements between some pins on the PCM connector.

Then a pin on the PCM connector to the Starter Relay. the cct that provides the ground to the starter relay.
To see if that circuit is good / seems good.

Looking at it last night, I don't think I ever removed or touched the connector on the TRS Transmission Range Sensor,
during any of my work to put the used engine in. Or never ever in the life of the car. So that's never been "disturbed".
Transmission remained in the car, for the used engine install .

I'd like to see later if I can scan and post images of schematics & drawings I pulled out of the 2000 Taurus Service Manual on CD. Good reference material. Previous posts showed images of some of them.

The ideas others are giving me here are helping shape my troubleshooting.

Thanks.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Poor Grounds.

Deteriorated / corroded just enough to cause a PCM issue. Not providing full voltage or current return sufficient to run the PCM correctly.

I unbolted the various ground lugs / studs and re-did / cleaned them all up and soldered the Grounds, and now
the PCM is working / behaving correctly. All 3 keys are recognized now, Car will CRANK normally now, and THEFT light goes off indicating PATS - Passive Anti Theft System - is off and passing key the checks.

Each ground LUG was unbolted, lug polished with wire wheel, both sides, and paint on body steel where lug clamps to scraped down to bare metal (by a hand file). A small file was used on each LUG, after the crimp, where the wire ends, to get down to the bare metal of the lug (past the zinc coating), and the end of the wire spot soldered, with larger soldering iron, to the lug for SURE connection. (these ground lugs are only crimped for a mechanical connection only, not soldered. So with time, corrosion gets between the crimp and the wire and degrades the connection.)

I added A separate wire, dedicated ground to PCM, about 6ft long, 12GA,from the Negative battery terminal (black wire) to body ground lug near the battery direct to the PCM ground stud near the PCM connector on the Firewall.

I figured: Why should something as important as the car's PCM ...depend on a ground through the car's body metal, or through the engine block / braided ground strap ? The PCM should have it's own dedicated ground wire direct as possible from Battery Negative black cable. So I added one. Ran a 6 ft piece of wire w/soldered lugs around the edge of engine compartment and along back firewall and straight to PCM ground nut near PCM connector on firewall.
( added: from battery body ground nut near battery, direct to PCM ground stud on firewall near PCM connector)

Braided Ground Strap from PCM stud to engine: Looks RATTY. I soldered it too / wire ends to lugs & re-installed.
I should just get a new one and replace it. Braided flat cable is starting to degrade near where it is crimped to the lug.

PCM cable has a double black small wire to PCM ground stud on firewall - soldered wire end to lug & re-connected / bolted down again.

There is also a 2nd ground stud to body, near the Battery, disconnected / cleaned up, soldered wire end to lug, cleaned body metal (removed paint) where attaches, and bolted those 2 wire lugs down again.

PCM should have it's own dedicated ground wire to battery negative post or cable. As direct as possible, in addition to
ground from body or from engine strap. I added that. There's one for FORD to think about.

Why should something as important as a PCM, which basically runs the whole vehicle, depend on a ground through the body? or through the engine Block?


PCM seems good. Car Cranks now, normally, all 3 keys, but still not starting. Trying ... but no full start yet.

I figure fuel left from 2 years ago in tank / quarter tank in it - is a bit old and stale.
I purged a few litres through the system through the schrader (bike valve) on the fuel rail, into a container,
when the pump runs on startup ... but still no luck.

May have to empty the tank somehow and put fresh fuel in it. 2 year old fuel / stabilizer added / but probably does not help.

After a few crank attempts, the smell of partially combusted fuel coming out tail pipe, and engine stutters / tries to fire, but not very well.

I connected Forscan / OBD II reader sucessfully now, and have codes but only "GEM low voltage" code.
and PCM low voltage code - likely from before.

Engine is used too - and sat on warehouse shelf all that time as well - from around 2000 ... so who knows...
injectors may not all be working.

Troubleshooting continues ... but at least now I know it is recognizing keys and Cranking normally. Probably providing the signals for spark & fuel injection. Fuel Pump is priming on startup more normally now.

It will take a little time ... but I WILL get this engine running.

GETTING CLOSER.

P.S. RE-Measured again PCM current draw thru 30 A PCM fuse w/ DC Amp meter with grounds fixed.
Key ON - measure now: 2.67 Amps draw initially, then down to 1.67 Amps steady state after that, engine not running. ( a little different than the 2.05 Amps i measured before, with the poor grounds and PCM not responding / no crank / no keys recognized )


So Conclusion: Funny PCM behaviour / and NO CRANK / No Keys recognized - can indeed be POOR GROUND connections ... even if you measure a low low resistance on grounds, with a digital voltmeter. It must be that the poor grounds give a very poor current carrying capacity ... and the PCM won't work properly.

You have to have VERY GOOD / Solid GROUNDS. Don't assume they're good, even if tested w/meter.

Pull them apart and look at them and just RE-Do them and Solder them (wire to lug) / and clean them up, and clean the body metal where they are supposed to press down on. Remove the paint on the body metal down to bare metal.
Maybe add contact grease / dielectric compound where the lugs screw down.

Consider adding a separate direct ground wire to the PCM ground lug.

Replace that crappy flat braided strap if old and corroded / crappy.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Reply to Chartmaker: Ya ... no kidding. Thanks.


I plan to tie in that 2nd Body ground nut near the battery to my added 6 ft Ground Cable.

So basically: connect / tie all the body ground bolts all together with an ADDED copper wire soldered to new LUGS, of large enough size, that travels around the edge of the engine compartment and along the back firewall at the top / back.

A new braided strap to the passenger side of engine.

Maybe another / second / redundant heavy guage cable / ground - to the Driver's side of engine as well
(There's a free threaded hole on the side of the engine head on the Driver's side)
(So this would be in addition to the "stock" large ground cable that goes to the Transmission bolt bottom front of Engine)

[ Now I will search how to possibly empty old fuel from tank, using car's own pump ... make pump run and open up fuel hose somehow into a Gas Can. ]

thanks everyone. I will post progress. Interesting issues ....

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Printed Schematics, location drawings, and connector pin outs, from service manual, related to Fuel Pump system. Studying to determine how to empty the remaining quarter tank of 2 yr old fuel, by running pump and pump the fuel out of the car, into a gas can.

Haynes manual suggests the PCM provides ground to Fuel Pump Relay in fuse box beside battery to run the pump.
Says: PCM runs pump, when PCM sees electrical pulses from the Cam Synch. ie. when the engine is running / turning.
Will try that.

But study of schematics also shows a Fuel Pump / System Module near the back of the car, through which power and ground are provided to the fuel pump, and also with control signals / wires going back to the PCM.

Also shown is an Inertial Shut off switch with manual Reset button. ( shuts off fuel pump if it senses a collision / impact ).

Looking also for convenient spot / or Connector, if necessary, near the pump, to hot wire power to the pump directly.
Looking under car, I have found a connector on the front right corner of the tank, accessible underneath, and looks like the wires are the correct colours, per the schematics, to disconnect, gain access, and hot wire / provide power directly to run the pump.

A hose in the engine bay, from the fuel supply, fuel rail connection, would go then, to a gas can. Run pump remotely. Empty tank. ... In theory .

Investigating.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Empty Old Fuel out of Gas Tank. (Here is how I did it)

2000 Ford Taurus SE

Most connectors, wires, modules near the back of the car, related to the fuel pump, are under seats or behind panels or in the trunk - and a little difficult to get to. Require removal of panels etc.

So looking under the car, ahead of the right rear wheel, (passenger side) I saw a connector clipped with two plastic pins, up at the Right Front corner of the Gas tank.

I cleaned up the wires to see the colours, and colours looked correct, according to what info I had from the schematics I printed from the service manual.

It's tight up there, but I just popped the two plastic studs and that let me pull the connector down a little.

Still too tight, not enough length to disconnect the connector there and pull it down to work / gain access at the connector pins.

So I just left the connector connected, and pulled back the outer black plastic sheath to expose some more wire length before the connector, where I could work on it.

I took two steel straight pins from the sewing kit, and pushed them through the center of the two wires I needed to gain access to.

Then connected two test leads with small alligator clips to the straight pins, to gain an electrical connection.

Insulated over the Power straight pin and alligator clip with a piece of plastic bag, to ensure it does not short out under there, while I work on it / connect power to it later.

The schematics for the car fuel system: 303-14-00-010, Electronic Engine Controls, Gasoline Engines
( for the 2000 Ford Taurus ), told me that the following wire colours were the correct ones:

1. Pump power ( +12 V DC ) : White with Red Tracer

2. Pump Ground : ( Negative, -ve, Ground ) Black with Pink Tracer

So I connect my 12V DC battery charger to the correct leads on the outside and hear the pump run.

Great.

(the car had to be jacked up a bit, at that rear corner, & Safety stand put there, of course, to have enough room to get under there and work on it. )

The Fuel Supply to the fuel rail in the engine compartment was disconnected, plastic flange with two 7mm hex bolt heads, the blue o-ring removed and a 5/16 clear plastic hose plugged in, down to a 20 litre gas can on the floor nearby.

clear hose so I can see the fuel run, or stop running when empty.

Hook up the power, and watch the fuel empty, 20 litres approx in 15 minutes.

Tank empty.

this method separates the power from the fuel by a safe distance, so you don't light yourself up / start a fire.

The electricity is near the back wheel. the fuel comes out near the front of the car.

then when done, put in 20 litres fresh good fuel, ran it a bit more to prime through the fuel line.

then primed through the fuel rail via the schrader valve too.

fresh fuel up to the fuel rail, for then next starting attempt.

no guarantees, careful what you do. have a fire extinguisher handy. be careful.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

ice445:

Unfortunately car engine still did not start. I did several cranking attempts then decided to stop and investigate some more before I wear out or burn out my starter. I am trying to be very careful & not damage other stuff on the car, in my cranking / starting attempts.

So maybe / seemed like only one cylinder was trying to fire. Just a little bit of exhaust smell out the tail pipe, and nothing else. Cranking it, did not seem to make any attempt to actually fire and start. No change in "attitude" when cranking.

So I pulled the three front (easy to get out) spark plugs at the front side of engine.

Only one smelled a little of gasoline, the other two smelled of nothing and were dry.

All were a little dirty - so I changed all plugs back to the ones from the original engine which were in better shape and cleaner, and I knew were probably good, as they all ran fine in the old engine up to 2 years ago.

By the smell of the plugs after crank attempts (no smell in 2 out of 3), and not much exhaust / or much any smell, out tailpipe at all, and no real change when cranking, I guessed (but not sure) that the fuel injectors in the used engine i got might not be delivering fuel. Guessing fuel injectors possibly stuck ? Gummed & stuck with old fuel ? That engine sat on the shelf at the wrecker for what ? 15 years maybe ?

So I installed my fuel rail and injectors complete from my original engine - again that had been running fine up to 2 years ago ...

But now / unfortunately - my PCM has gone back to not recognizing the keys after that work ... so unable yet to try and crank after the plugs and injectors change.

So I suspect my PCM or electrical to the PCM has some other "issue". Investigating.

Once / if I get the PCM working again .... then I'll try to crank again.

But I might have to get back to basics. check for fuel / check for spark.

Check for actual signals to the fuel injectors from the PCM.

this may take a little time ... I am also occupied with many other life things ... Work and basic things of Life.

Repairs on another car.... A fine 2007 Ford Crown Vic, 4.6 l V8 ... running good and in good shape ... but needed a new gas tank ! to be expected at this age and in our winter salt conditions. Rusty tank started to leak ! done at mechanics shop. expensive ... but I do not want to attempt that myself. cheers asll thanks !

 

[mrvanwinkles]

P.S. My battery voltage seems low, even with charging. that may be causing havoc with PCM. May need a new battery. But I can bring the voltage up to something reasonable and add boost pack for starting attempts. I am gonna investigate battery too. May need to add some water or electrolyte and may help. ( it's a maintenance free ... but has the tri-caps. I need to look and see).

Certainly learning a few things on this car ... ( hobby / personal challenge to try and get it running ... )

You learn my doing / trying to do ...

Thanks All.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

Battery voltage is definitely low even after charging. 10.25 volts with no current draw.

I am pretty sure I will need a new battery to drive this car on the road.

However, GOOD NEWS is :

The engine is now running, pretty well, smooth at idle, after I found the electrical issues:

Electrical issues were:

1. The poor Grounds originally.

2. After removal & re-installation of upper intake manifold to install injectors of old original engine...
There are many tubes and wires and connectors and grounds to reconnect.
One ground wire from PCM connector cable was forgotten and hiding behind under there, behind some old floppy
dangling tape.

Probably for sure, that is why, on this second occasion, PCM not recognizing keys again and remaining
in PATS, anti-theft mode with the THEFT light flashing every three seconds, and not allowing cranking or starting.

3. The wires near the connector to the DPFE sensor ( ? Differential Pressure Feedback EGR sensor ? ), on the back side of the upper intake, were burned bare for an inch on one of them, and shorting with the one beside.

DPFE sensor is part of the control system for EGR - Exhaust Gas Recirculation system.

I figure this was drawing extra current on the low battery, leaving not enough voltage on the bad battery to run the PCM correctly.

In addition, probably messing up EGR flow which will / could possibly cause the engine to stall.

It's strange how I found this, because the wires are covered / hidden within some sort of heat protecting tube sock.
All the wires back there / engine harness and PCM wires/ cable are covered in this heat protecting sock / tube.
It must get hot back there / above rear exhaust manifold.

I found it by wiggling PCM connector and cable, with key in the ON position / keys not yet responding.
Searching for intermittent connection, and listening for any sound as I did it, like fuel pump running.

Sure enough, when I wiggled cables back there, noise was heard as the pump engaged for that one second.

Ah Ha !

But that was moving the DPFE connector and wires at the same time.

I thought I had an intermittent in the PCM connector or cable.

But now, with keys recognized, I attempted & started engine !

Engine running / idling, I went back and wiggled around that area again.

Engine would cough & hiccup & try to die, when idling now, when wiggling DPFE wires, not PCM cable or connector.
I peeled back to investigate, and found the bare wires / burned bare by heat over the years likely.

I did a quick tape up, to re-insulate the bare wires on DPFE connector.
I should replace that connector with a few inches of wire / proper insulation later, and re-solder and insulate well.

4. One tube ( vac tube? ) I had forgot to reconnect at back of upper intake, near where air cleaner flex tube connects.
This may have also had an effect.


So far the installed engine ran well. Idled well. Smooth. All cylinders firing seems.

I ran it till warm in the garage, reved it to 2000 rpm a few times, all seemed good.

Put the car in Drive and Reverse with brake held, seemed ok.

Ran the car heater.

Ran it till Temp guage went to middle / normal temp, and it held ... so thermostat must be ok.

Will need a new battery. Starting was with a booster pack attached, and battery voltage is low, and it does
not have enough power on it's own to start car.

Real test of engine will be when driving on the road, at speed, under load.

I'm off to add insurance and register car and get plates, to do test runs hopefully on the road next.

Wish me luck.

I think it's OK. and will run / drive well ... will see. I'll post back.

Interesting experience.

 

[mrvanwinkles]

New Battery installed. Much better.

Got re-registered and new plates and insurance.

Two runs on the road nearby in the neighbourhood - ok.

One run on the highway a few km, up to 110 km/h approx 65 mph - seemed fine.

Rechecked not leaking and topped up fluids.

Not driving as a regular car yet - until I get more confidence / more test runs complete and without issues.

But seems OK so far.

Yes - connectors and wires etc. dropping down onto hot EGR pipe - will melt.

There was one rectangular heat shield, that I could not figure out where it went back,
then by research and by looking at impressions on it, figured out it went on top of part of
the transmission, below that EGR tube and exhaust manifold.

I read that it is there to protect a transmission sensor and that part of transmission from heat.
? - transmission speed sensor ? VSS ? Vehicle speed sensor ? From memory.

Yes - I am wondering if somehow to provide some better heat protection in that area for wires and connectors
and sensors etc. from hot items there.