jaytperry

alright guys i have a serious issue with my truck. ill start with what happened. i was headed to work and i was reaching 55 mph just as i hit about 50 the engine kinda studdered, then it popped and died. i pulled to the side of the road, and attempted to start the engine. it turns over but does not start. i had it towed back to the house. since then i have tried everything to get it started. i started out thinking since it turned over id start with the fuel. i changed out the fuel filter since i figured that needed done. which was a pia btw. an i also had a friend crank the engine while i depressed the fuel pressure check valve since i dont have one i went by how much gas went out of the valve. and it did differ when the engine cranked. so fuel is getting to the fuel rail at least. i pulled a plug i wanted to see if i had spark. i did, but it was really weak, it was a yellow spark. so i took off the coil, and the ignition control module. i had them tested and found out the module was good, but the coil had started arking out along the side. so i replaced that as well. i now am getting a blue spark, and i changed the spark plugs as well. still no start. i had a mechanic from work come out and have a look. he said that the engine had compression, and he made sure it was in time, he said to remove the cats and see if it starts. well i did, and still no fetchin start. i dont know what to do. if anyone has some insight of what i can do throw it at me, id like to drive my truck soon lol.

BROWNINGFX4

Can you hear your fuel pump prime? That doesn't necessarily mean it's good if you hear it but I'd check and see. I've had a couple pumps go out even though they'd still prime. Sounds like the culprit to me. And did you check codes?

jaytperry

yes i checked the fuel pumps, its definately getting fuel to the rail, the fuel surges out when the check valve is depressed while the engine is being cranked. and when it is not being cranked over it just trickles out

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Borrow or buy a fuel pressure gauge. KOEO you should have 40 - 45 lbs.
If the pump is pumping but only putting out say, 20 lbs the truck won't fire.
Mine cost $60 - I've used it 8 times now, 3 times it nailed the problem, 5 times it eliminated that as the problem so I knew to look elsewhere. It was a good investment.

Crownman

I agree with Chris. You need a fuel pressure gauge.

Also, when the mechanic said it was in time, I'm guessing he turned it to TDC by hand and checked the mark on the balancer ? Di he also check the rotor in the dist.? I've see distributors have something break like the pin for the cam gear.

I had one truck I fixed that had this happen and his account of what happened was like yours. The truck was running fine, then popped, and wouldn't start back up.

What happened was when the pin for the cam gear sheared it threw the distributor way out of time, caused a backfire ( the pop ) and then wouldn't restart because the rotor was never in the proper spot. Pulled the plugs and check for spark. I had spark but because I was only watching 1 plug I couldn't tell that it was happening at the wrong time. After pulling the distributor I saw that the pin had sheared, however there was still enough friction that it was turning the rotor a little bit but much slower than the cam. That is why I still got spark.

So if you check the fuel pressure with a gauge and it's good, make sure the injectors are working, then pull the distributor and give it a good once over.

jaytperry

heres an update, i borrowed a fuel pressure tester. its sitting at 15 psi. so does that mean that i have to drop the tank and replace the fuel pump?

jaytperry

also i did only have one code, its for the egr valve, but its not plugged in
(i dont think it has ever been plugged in since i have owned it) i cannot find the plug that connects to the egr valve

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Yes, sounds like the pump is gone.
If you can get the 6 bolts holding the box on undone, taking the box off is a much easier way to deal with the pump. Be really careful to unhook the hoses carefully with the right tool the FIRST time you try. If you bend the clip inside it becomes a real nightmare to get them undone (another good reason to take the box off first).
Don't buy a cheap pump unless you want to take the chance of doing the job twice. NAPA or similar should be o.k.
Also make sure it's the right pump - 95 & 96 I-6 ran on 35 to 45 psi, 93 and previous I-6 was 50 to 60 psi. (almost all the V8's were 35 to 45)

jaytperry

well i did take off the bed i did everything the last poster said, and guess what it still didnt start. but there is good news, shortly after i cranked it over and no start, the guy that was helping me( a really awesome neighbor) checked the spark, we pulled the cap off, he saw right away what the problem was, the rotor was cracked, i spent so much money, on parts for this damn thing, and it was a simple 5 dollar part. i do think the pump was failing or getting weak. but the fix in my opinion was the rotor. anyway thank you guys for all the input, as always you folks help me out when i need it and i really appreciate all the help guys!