# 1990 ford e350



## blackturbo (Feb 21, 2010)

Hi all, I have a 1990 e350 with a mccoy miller box.

well i accidentally ran it out of gas! i put some gas in it, and tried to crank it over on a single battery. it drained the battery, so I switched to battery 2,, cranked it and cranked it and killed the battery (but i started to smell some electrical smell) . charged both the batteries up, got her running.

now, the selection for battery 2 wont work or do anything on this selection if you put the selector at both , you get both battery lights on the main console. the selection for batt 1 works.. what to check first? thanks..
mark


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## FLEMTP (Feb 22, 2010)

blackturbo said:


> Hi all, I have a 1990 e350 with a mccoy miller box.
> 
> well i accidentally ran it out of gas! i put some gas in it, and tried to crank it over on a single battery. it drained the battery, so I switched to battery 2,, cranked it and cranked it and killed the battery (but i started to smell some electrical smell) . charged both the batteries up, got her running.
> 
> ...



Couple of questions.. is this a gasoline or diesel engine... which size motor?

Second of all.. sounds like you could have damaged the starter if you cranked the motor until the battery ran dead... or you overloaded some of the electrical components.. they can get pretty hot when you're constantly trying to crank over an engine with no fuel / fuel pressure in it like that. Your best bet is to take it to a mechanic familiar with ambulance specs.. the electrical demand and electrical loads are wayyyy different than any passenger vehicle.


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## blackturbo (Feb 26, 2010)

*thanks*

thanks for the reply .. its a 7.3 diesel ford, non turbo. 
hope that helps


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## mattulance (Feb 26, 2010)

*try the switch*

while a starter is a defenate possibility, I would check the battery switch if it is one of those rotary ones they like to melt when you do stuff like that, it is a cheap fix and usually not to hard. 

for future reference if you ever run a IDI out of fuel again there is a relativly easy way to bleed the air out of the system.

Get a normal tire air chuck, with no guage or anything just the chuck, try to find one with a clip to keep it on, and attach the other end to a portable suction pump, there is a schrader valve on the toop of the fuel/water separator on those engines, under the hood, driver side , just behind the radiator, you will see it , put suction to that valve until you get a steady stream of fuel out of the tube , then take off the chuck and it should start right up.


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## blackturbo (Mar 1, 2010)

*switch*

yes my thoughts too.. its the switch,,and it is a rotary one. ill guess any marine type dual battery switch would work. thanks for the help!! 
mark


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## Akulahawk (Mar 1, 2010)

Been there with an '88 F250. Mine had a dual battery setup and I had to crank for 30 seconds, and give it the full 3 min off, with some charging in-between. It took a few cranks, but it eventually fired up and ran a little rough until the air got purged. If you're just changing the fuel filter, it's easier/quicker but still a PITA. 

If you have the fuel line bleeder kit described above, it's MUCH easier on you, the batteries, and your vehicle. What you REALLY don't want to do is run a DI Diesel out of fuel... Bleeding them is about as fun, and basically mandatory, as they don't purge themselves very well, as the IDI's will. 

I've had the pleasure of that...

Oh, and it sounds like you melted part of the rotary switch or the battery cable... It should be carefully inspected and replaced, PRN.


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