1985 F150 302 EFI got fuel, air, and spark but won't start!
#21
Junior Member
New guy here and thought i`d throw my 2 cents in there. if you have spark at the plugs and timing is good, i would try the quick start trick like the other 2 guys suggested . could it be bad gas ? or low fuel pressure ? for the cost of a can of quick start it would be worth a shot .
Thanks for your input.
#22
My truck has dual tanks and one of my pumps is on its way out. It works for awhile then as you say it cuts out and bucks and jerks and quits..Once it cools down it will run great again. The proper thing to do would be to use a pressure guage to see what you really have,,but quick start would answer it " Quick". ha ha .. Just giving out my experience with a similar problem.
Last edited by FORD TUFF; 03-28-2015 at 10:17 AM.
#23
Senior Member
Really scary, all of us with all this new electronics in cars and trucks these days MUST rely on them to keep running and get us back home or even cross a busy street without be killed.
Just reading all the posts on this tread alone makes me wonder why the hell didn't I keep my old clunker a lot longer. I was able to fix 99% of the problems myself. No computers on board to crap out or alarms to tell me to check my engine. I knew when my engine needed attention!
Can you imagine what is going to happen to cars and trucks when the in-board sensors fail and the brakes puts you to a complete stop because the computer *thinks* you're about to rear end someone? WOW! Hell, how many air bags are blowing off for no reason right now?
And todays cars and trucks are safer? I think NOT!
Just reading all the posts on this tread alone makes me wonder why the hell didn't I keep my old clunker a lot longer. I was able to fix 99% of the problems myself. No computers on board to crap out or alarms to tell me to check my engine. I knew when my engine needed attention!
Can you imagine what is going to happen to cars and trucks when the in-board sensors fail and the brakes puts you to a complete stop because the computer *thinks* you're about to rear end someone? WOW! Hell, how many air bags are blowing off for no reason right now?
And todays cars and trucks are safer? I think NOT!
#24
Junior Member
Fuel pump on its way out, erratic engine behavior? I hope this reply helps somebody!
My truck has dual tanks and one of my pumps is on its way out. It works for awhile then as you say it cuts out and bucks and jerks and quits..Once it cools down it will run great again. The proper thing to do would be to use a pressure guage to see what you really have,,but quick start would answer it " Quick". ha ha .. Just giving out my experience with a similar problem.
Notice the hole in the hose above the pump.
#25
Maybe some of that deteriorated rubber made it`s way to the new pump and filter..You still don`t know what the fuel pressure is at the rail..Don`t know why your so dismissive of this possibility ...You keep focusing on your ignition even though you say you have spark at the plugs. Soo,,,, Your trying to fix something that is working ?? With this new information you have provided, i would be very suspicious of contamination in the fuel system ..
Last edited by FORD TUFF; 03-29-2015 at 11:21 AM.
#26
Junior Member
Maybe some of that deteriorated rubber made it`s way to the new pump and filter..You still don`t know what the fuel pressure is at the rail..Don`t know why your so dismissive of this possibility ...You keep focusing on your ignition even though you say you have spark at the plugs. Soo,,,, Your trying to fix something that is working ?? With this new information you have provided, i would be very suspicious of contamination in the fuel system ..
#27
That`s not a fuel filter.... Its a pulse dampener. I would bet there is rubber bits in the system. I would suspect that the filter housing is where it`s plugged up. That would be the first place i would start . You could pull the lines on the filter to see if you have pressure going in then going out. It should have HIGH pressure at both ! so be carefull..There`s passages and check valves inside that housing that could plug up before the filter. I`m only speculating ,without knowing any pressure reading, but this would be a fairly easy test .. Note; When you open up the filter cover, you`ll need a new O ring, which of course is only available with a new filter .
Last edited by FORD TUFF; 04-02-2015 at 08:07 PM.
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Liv2drive (04-08-2015)
#29
Old Timer
From everything I have been reading, that is the "dark green with yellow stripe" wire for the IDM which throws the Code-18 "IDM circuit failure or SPOUT circuit grounded".
The wire is actually dark-green with a yellow-poka-dot stripe. I could not find a dark-green wire with a solid linear yellow stripe so, hopefully this is it.
It connects to the coil plug as well as the ICM/TFI. Then it runs back to the ECU. The ECU was throwing Code-18 at me until I bypassed this big brown thing; that I thought was an FL.
Unfortunately for me, you're correct. It is a Resistor. I did a resistance test at both 200k and 2000k and got 21.7 and 21 ohms respectively.
But when I jumped across it, the Code-18 went away and only the Code-11 (pass) came up.
I am totally lost here. Could a bad crankshaft sensor and Hall Effect Pick-Up in the distributor cause this thing not to start but have fuel, air, and spark?
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Maybe I should restate the symptoms before it croaked: My buddy said he could get it started but it would not idle. He had to give it a little throttle. However, after about 10 minutes, it would die and not restart for several hours. So, I thought TPS and then ECU. The resistance test on the TPS shows it to be good. Then I thought IAC. Bought a new one; installed it; no start. Then I thought fuel pumps. I disconnected the fuel line on the return side of the rail and got fuel shooting out from both tanks so, even the transfer valve works. Like I said yesterday, I did a TDC check and all was correct. I tested the plugs for spark and got spark in all 8.
For Pete's sake, this damn thing is an '85 Ford, I just rebuilt my '03 VW DIESEL engine and it works great! I feel like a total idiot here.
The wire is actually dark-green with a yellow-poka-dot stripe. I could not find a dark-green wire with a solid linear yellow stripe so, hopefully this is it.
It connects to the coil plug as well as the ICM/TFI. Then it runs back to the ECU. The ECU was throwing Code-18 at me until I bypassed this big brown thing; that I thought was an FL.
Unfortunately for me, you're correct. It is a Resistor. I did a resistance test at both 200k and 2000k and got 21.7 and 21 ohms respectively.
But when I jumped across it, the Code-18 went away and only the Code-11 (pass) came up.
I am totally lost here. Could a bad crankshaft sensor and Hall Effect Pick-Up in the distributor cause this thing not to start but have fuel, air, and spark?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe I should restate the symptoms before it croaked: My buddy said he could get it started but it would not idle. He had to give it a little throttle. However, after about 10 minutes, it would die and not restart for several hours. So, I thought TPS and then ECU. The resistance test on the TPS shows it to be good. Then I thought IAC. Bought a new one; installed it; no start. Then I thought fuel pumps. I disconnected the fuel line on the return side of the rail and got fuel shooting out from both tanks so, even the transfer valve works. Like I said yesterday, I did a TDC check and all was correct. I tested the plugs for spark and got spark in all 8.
For Pete's sake, this damn thing is an '85 Ford, I just rebuilt my '03 VW DIESEL engine and it works great! I feel like a total idiot here.
#30
Old Timer