High press pump on rail of my 1988 ford E150 van will not run

You have to bleed the system. Not very likely an air lock, since air will come out of the fill bottle sooner or later. You can try removing the rad cap (when its cold) start it up. put heater on high, let it run and check for good coolant flow in the rad. Any trapped air will also come out.

some are believe it or not in the glove compartment.

Possibly just a burnt out fuse, but could be the yransition switch between tanks not connecting properly. Check it all out.

Some of the pickups (Similar) have 2
1 in tank
1 on frame

Theres 2 pumps one in the tank, lift pump, and one in the chassis rail under the driver side. The one in the tank is cheap, the one in the rail is not. The one in the tank only produces low pressure to prime the main pump and if it is broken, may not cause that much of an issue except when starting. the one in the rail is a no-start if it fails. The idea is that the rail pump can supply high pressure for the injectors, so a fuel pressure test at the injector rail will determine which pump is playing up. Hope that helps Tim

Look for fuel pump relay on firewall..Unplug fuel pump connector closest to fuel tank along frame rail, drivers side. With Key on, check for voltage at fuel pump wireing connecter. not fuel sending unit.

Hello tbone.
There were only two transmissions available in the E150 in 1988.
If your van is a 3 speed it is a c6.
But if an overdrive it is an AOD 4 speed.
Hope this helps you out.

Use basic troubleshooting process. If it's getting gas and sparks, maybe it's a vacuum leak.
Do It Yourself Diagnosis and Repair
Do It Yourself Diagnosis and Repair

If pump does not work when power is directly applied, then pump will need to be replaced. Have you tested the power from the fuel pump relay?

check the pulse on the injector wire with a noid lite or a meter. If no flash then you most likely need a computer. Its called a quad driver in the PCM thats fried. You may have a shorted component that caused it to fail.

Since you say it will run if you add fuel manually I don't suspect the crank sensor because you have spark.