[Shotimes] A little advise

[George Fourchy]

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 21:11:26 -0700 (PDT), John Stout wrote:

>George, the light is dimmer, and if I cycle the key a few times it seems to get a little fuel and will try and fire, and no I don't hear any hum when I turn the key, so what exactly is the CCRM ? and where is it ?? 

Cool!!  Another hopefully easy fix.

The CCRM is the "Constant Control Relay Module", also known as the "Integrated Relay
Control Module", and is apparently a common fixture of EFI Ford cars.  All Tauri
have them, but different engines have different versions, and they are not
interchangeable.  It runs the cooling fan, a/c compressor, and various other things
that we all need to either run or be comfortable, and most importantly, it supplies
the basic power to run the fuel pump.  It is located underneath the plastic panel
you see first thing after you open the hood, which is bolted to the radiator
support.  If the CE light is dimmer than the others, that means the power source to
the CCRM and the PCM (Powertrain Control Module, or engine computer), located in the
far back of the glove compartment, is also not powered.   Hopefully, here you do not
need to access the CCRM directily...you just need to get power to it.  

There is a small wire that comes off the positive battery terminal that goes a
different direction than the big cable.  It goes down through a connector, then to
the CCRM and then the PCM, supplying 12 volts.  If that wire is not connected or
broken, the computer only gets 5 volts through the sensor harnesses (I'm guessing),
and so the CE light is dimmer.  So, you have no power getting to these two
components, OR, you have a bad ground coming back from them.  The ground is a
similar sized wire that goes to a clip that screws to the fender behind the battery
a ways, not too far from the power steering reservoir.

If the car has had its original battery terminals cut off the battery cables, and
replacement terminals added, make sure that the small black wire coming off the
positive cable is making good contact to the big cable.  Make sure the connector
down below the battery, or wherever it might be, about 8 inches down that black
wire, is connected.  Make sure the ground wire you find behind the battery is
fastened securely to the fender.  These three things _should_ get you power to the
CE light and to the two components.  If there isn't a problem here, you have more to
troubleshoot, but the basic thing is there is no power to those two devices, and you
won't get fuel pressure and a fully functioning engine computer without them.

You will get spark without power to these things....the computer doesn't generate
the spark, it just times it properly.

Let us know what you find.

George