[wbrockstar]

I checked the timing and it was set at 0, so I adjusted it to 10 BTDC with the spout off. It seemed like it was running better but it would not start back up. I had the OBD scan tool hooked up and I was getting a non-communication error again. Maybe I messed up the board, because it did smell a little like burned electronics??? I pulled the ecu again and I took pics starting with the ECU ground cable, it looks frayed but still intact.

Something is wrong if the code test wont start.You can connect the harness & screw the ground wire to the floor,but leave the top cover off & just set the ecu on the floor.
Make sure youre using the sti connecter & not the hood light connecter for the test.Many have made that mistake before.
Try to trigger the test by connecting a jumper wire between the sti terminal & signal return terminal,turn the koeo.If the test doesnt start,use the alternate connection method.
Jumper wire between the sti terminal & the neg battery post plus a test light between the sto terminal & the pos battery terminal,turn the koeo.If the test still doesnt run,use a multimeter to test the sti,sto,signal return & fuel pump trigger wires from the diagnostic port to the ecu (ecu disconnected) Each wire should show 5.0 ohms or less.If not,the wire is open/shorted.If every wire tests good,the problem is at the ecu.
STI=pin 48
STO=pin 17
SigRtn=pin 46
FP Trigger=pin 22

The ecu case ground wire being frayed wont hurt anything.It will be a tedious process,but you could test every wire thats part of the ecu harness,to make sure none are open or more importantly shorted to power/ground.
IOW-power wire shorted to a ground wire or a ground wire shorted to a power wire.This condition could short components/traces on the board.Some of those pictures do show suspect areas.Picture #5 kinda looks like a shorted trace.You can touch a meter lead to each end of that suspect trace,with the meter set to ohms,to measure it for continuity.It should measure a really low ohms value.If it reads . 1 or OL,the trace is open.
Veryuseful.com will have the wiring diagrams you need.

 

[dustin2100]

I was talking to SIA electronic repair and I sent him the pictures and explained the problems and this is what he said. I didnt own up to tampering with the board lol, I am kind of embarrassed about it now since I couldnt fix it.


Well we can certainly take a look at it still. Like the previous message stated as long as the processor hasn't failed they are usually repairable. Unfortunately from what you are saying I would be leaning toward the processor probably is failing, especially since it looks like a repair had been attempted on the board already.

 

[dustin2100]

This is what I found about processor failure. Voltage surge maybe caused by my alternator??? I do notice that the lights "surge" and I found a plug in on the Alt that is kind of melty looking...

 

[dustin2100]

Something is wrong if the code test wont start.You can connect the harness & screw the ground wire to the floor,but leave the top cover off & just set the ecu on the floor.
Make sure youre using the sti connecter & not the hood light connecter for the test.Many have made that mistake before.
Try to trigger the test by connecting a jumper wire between the sti terminal & signal return terminal,turn the koeo.If the test doesnt start,use the alternate connection method.
Jumper wire between the sti terminal & the neg battery post plus a test light between the sto terminal & the pos battery terminal,turn the koeo.If the test still doesnt run,use a multimeter to test the sti,sto,signal return & fuel pump trigger wires from the diagnostic port to the ecu (ecu disconnected) Each wire should show 5.0 ohms or less.If not,the wire is open/shorted.If every wire tests good,the problem is at the ecu.
STI=pin 48
STO=pin 17
SigRtn=pin 46
FP Trigger=pin 22

The ecu case ground wire being frayed wont hurt anything.It will be a tedious process,but you could test every wire thats part of the ecu harness,to make sure none are open or more importantly shorted to power/ground.
IOW-power wire shorted to a ground wire or a ground wire shorted to a power wire.This condition could short components/traces on the board.Some of those pictures do show suspect areas.Picture #5 kinda looks like a shorted trace.You can touch a meter lead to each end of that suspect trace,with the meter set to ohms,to measure it for continuity.It should measure a really low ohms value.If it reads . 1 or OL,the trace is open.
Veryuseful.com will have the wiring diagrams you need.

I am paying attention to what you are saying, but if I had an open/short then I would also have blown fuses, right? All of my fuses are good

 

[wbrockstar]

I am paying attention to what you are saying, but if I had an open/short then I would also have blown fuses, right? All of my fuses are good

The ecu is fused through a fusible link,but the sensors & actuators arent fused.The red (VPWR) wire that comes from pin 37 feeds all of the actuators 12 volts & the orange/white (VREF) wire that comes from pin 26 feeds the 3 wire sensors 5 volts.These two wires & the components they feed power to dont have a fuse or fusible link.I remember how you had talked about several sensors not showing the correct VREF voltage.I thought it could have been wire related,but it might just be the ecu itself causing those scewed readings.
The wiring diagrams below show how the circuits are run.
I think youre probably gonna be better off just going with your original plan of buying a reman ecu or see if one of the repair companies can go through it and repair everything.You gave it your best shot at least.There might just be more things wrong with your ecu that we cant see without hooking it up to a specialized testing machine like those companies use.

Both of your alternator harnesses have a fusible link inline with them.You would think a wiring short should have caused one of them to burn open,but I actually installed an Autozone brand alternator years ago and there was a tag attached that warned about Fords oem harness plug and later that night the 90 GT I owned almost burned to the ground.One of the guys in my band jumped out and yanked the battery cable off fortunately.You definitely need to buy a new pigtail and replace yours if its melted.Just splice the new plug into the harness.
BTW-did you ever check the secondary ground on your car?? A bad ground here will cause the alternator to overload(max out)& it'll cause the dimming light issue youve got too.
(Source-SBF TECH)
All electrical/electronics equipment are sensitive to noise, electrical variations (spikes/dead spots) and will affect either accuracy (gauges, sensor outputs, ECM), control quality (DC frequency voltage for actuators like IAC/Injectors/Solenoids), or the lifespan of the equipment in use (alternator, starter, ECM).

 

[dustin2100]

From what I have been reading, the processor can act normal until you give it a certain command or run a certain program. After the ECU install, everything was fine. I checked the timing and it was set to 0, and I set the timing to 10BTDC and then I turned the key off. While the key was off, I installed the spout and hooked up the OBD scanner and the car would not start after that. So, either plugging in the spout or trying to read the computer aggravated the processor. After talking with SIA Electronics, I believe that processor failure is the reason why Cardone has stopped manufacturing these! SIA claimed that they cannot repair a bad ECM and they were going to charge me to inspect it, so I kept looking. I found ECU Exchange on EBay and they want $400 but it comes with a life warranty "no questions asked". I feel comfortable with that deal, but I need to wait a couple of weeks to recover from Valentines day, my wife's B-day, and a house remodel. I am installing 3/4'' thick solid wood floors and it was pricey...

Anyways, the wife is happy with new appliances and floors and my Bday is next. $400 is not that big of a deal, but if the ECU fixes the car, I would like to address the accessory drive such as power steering pump, alternator, and either bypass the smog or get a delete pulley. I am leaning towards a delete pulley because it can be a pain trying to find belt sizes! Also, I am looking at different alternators. PA has a 90amp and SVE has a 130amp. I am not too scared of modifying the bracket and swapping wires around, but is it really necessary. My dad is a diesel mech and he insist that 130amps is overkill.
@wbrockstar is the secondary ground inside of the engine bay? I had a look and I spotted a few ground cables and it appears that most of them have been replaced, the ones in the engine bay anyways.

I feel bad for the previous owner because I think that he pulled the engine out and reworked it thinking that it would fix his problem. I am assuming this because he had a mark on the distributor and engine block, but it was lined up to 0 on the damper. The car does not want to run @10BTDC, so I think that this was a problem BEFORE he tried to restore this car. From my CarFax report, the car has not add many miles at all since '06 and that is the rebuild stamp on my transmission, so I am assuming that is also when he tried to rebuild the engine with TFS... The dude was a cop, so I guess that I dont feel that bad for him lol!!! His parking sticker is still on the windshield, an OKC-PD badge.

 

[dustin2100]

My ECU shipped out today and I am excited, it should be here on Saturday. Here is the link that I bought it from, they have a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty. It gives me peace of mind knowing that they will repair it if I have an electrical issue causing the ECM to go bad.

Mustang 5.0 Automatic E9ZF-12A650-CA A9P PCM Engine Computer LIFETIME WARRANTY | eBay

 

[wbrockstar]

My ECU shipped out today and I am excited, it should be here on Saturday. Here is the link that I bought it from, they have a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty. It gives me peace of mind knowing that they will repair it if I have an electrical issue causing the ECM to go bad.

Mustang 5.0 Automatic E9ZF-12A650-CA A9P PCM Engine Computer LIFETIME WARRANTY | eBay

Thats the ticket.Cant beat a lifetime warranty.Offers peace of mind & security.Keep us posted man.Back on the road soon.Peace WBRock