Nissan 1988 D21 won't start

[goatherder]

Truck won't start. Have good fuel pressure to throttle body and when ether is sprayed into the air intake, it will run. The error codes on the ECU only show one long/2 longs/3 longs/4 longs/5 longs in a repetitive fashion. The relays all seem to be OK on the right side fender and there is power from the battery to the cables coming from it. Puzzled---any help?? Does thast kind of code mean that the computer is OK or shot?

[spitfirebill]

The long flashes are showing you the modes. Mode 3 is the one that gives you the codes.

[goatherder]

How do you get to mode 3? My ECU has only an on/off tab switch. I tried turning it off and back on after the 3 long blinks but I still get the same repetitive blinks.

[spitfirebill]

I'm not sure. I thought you turned it off and after three flashes and it was start giving you codes. Crazy thing is mine doesn't show the modes, it just starts flashing codes. It seems like there may have been several running changes in these early trucks, because there are several different methods described in manuals.

[spitfirebill]

If it runs on ether, it sounds like you have a fuel feed issue despite good fuel pressure.

My truck sat for several years while I tried half-heartedly looking for a good used engine. I ended up rebuilding mine. I had to have the injectors professionally cleaned as they were stick. Once back together it would only run when I dribbled fuel into the throttle body. I put in a good fuel pump and same thing. I weed up having it towed to a good auto-electric guy who discovered the ECU was not sending a ground signal to the fuel pump. He ran another wire and hooked it up and it ran. The engine only cost around 600 for the machine work and engine kit. But I spent a lot more than that afterward replacing other things like TPS, MAF sensor, the heater on the intake, etc. Truck ran great for several years, but is now not idling worth a crap. I'm going to take it to a shop. Tired of dealing with it.

[goatherder]

Evidently have good spark because it runs on ether and hooked up some external spark plugs to each cylinder and there was spark at all those. There is 40-50 lbs fuel pressure to the throttle body. I hooked up temporarily a 12 volt source to one of the injectors and would run on that---so it is evidently not getting power to the injectors. I have found no fusible links where they are shown on the drawings and appears that a former mechanic bypassed those at the battery connection. Have a good 12 volts on all the wires coming thru the battery positive cable connection.
Have not figured out how to get any codes from the computer---there is only the one on-off switch and switching it off and on anytime doesn't seem to give me any thing to go by. Am thinking it may be the computer not letting signal power to the injectors??

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Am 80 miles to the closest Nissan dealer and not interested in tying a log chain and pulling it that far!

[goatherder]

Found my problem and got it running. For anyone else out there having the same problems, I found some bad cable connectors down behind the passenger side kick panel/The ground connections at that location were all corroded/rusted up too. and replaced completely the cable connector coming from the positive battery post. 330,000 miles and hope for many more!

[spitfirebill]

That's interesting. I may open mine up and see what it looks like. My truck has gotten to where it has a erratic idle when cold. On warm afternoons, its fine. This morning it ran like crap.