Hi my name is Missy I inherited a 1987 Ford f150 4.9 l from my stepdad when he passed away he had recently had the engine rebuilt from an overheating issue. He had only had it for a week before he passed away during that week it had died on him numerous times the battery kept draining so he replaced the battery alternator and starter solenoid. Sat for 8 months and then I try to drive it and it would just die on me consistently. With no money to have somebody repair it I decided to take his tools and the two manuals he had and dive in. Only experience I have is checking my own fluids in my vehicle. So bear with me if I don't use the correct terminology and and such. I had remembered him saying something about a short to ground so that's where I started. I found the short in the aftermarket stereo he put in so I fixed that then I moved on I had to replace the starter solenoid again and the ICM I believe was the reason that the truck kept dying on me,. In addition I had to put a new ignition switch in. I got it driving for about 8 months. I live in California so I need to smog it for the transfer of title and I don't know if it will pass smog the last time it failed four times and then it finally passed and I think it was something with the EGR valve. That's last time my step dad had smog done. So here's my problem I took it to go get it smogged and the guy couldn't do that day so I left it there with him and then they couldn't get it started turns out the starter solenoid went out I got there a week later jumped the solenoid started it and and I ended up leaving and then the truck started lurching and then it just died on me I was not able to restart it and I had it towed to my house and I've been trying to figure out what's going on with it. I've been here before it seemed like the same exact situation I was in before with the ICM I had the thermostat out for a little while because I was having overheating issues that's a long story but I put a new thermostat in and solve that but I believe that the ICM had gotten hot a few times so I figured that it it finally went out. I replaced that along with the coil. Would have done so far replace the starter solenoid again the ICM the coil. But I'm still at a crank no start I got it to fire up one time and the engine sounded really strange kind of like maybe like a lawn mower or something like it was missing kind of backfired a couple times I think the timing got out for some reason or other so I decided to try to reset the timing I could not find a spout connector anywhere on this truck. I'm assuming my step dad probably lost the piece or something like that and just wired it together I did it a continuity/resistance test from the pin 36 to number five on ICM the spout out just to see if there was a connection to the computer. The ohms reader just said one I don't really know what that means. To continue with the timing I pulled the number one spark plug found top dead center made sure the rotor was facing on one spark plug rotated the distributor so that everything was orientated properly and that's when it fired up but it sounded all crazy and I haven't been able to get it started since it cranks it sounds like it cranks pretty well a little fast but pretty well but it just doesn't start. I'm just kind of lost I don't even know where to go or what how to start or what to look at. I guess these engines don't have a timing chain that could have jumped right it's just a gear gears it looks like the pulley is warped I don't know how big of an issue that is? I know I'm kind of all over the place. My condition is a crank no start I have spark my my fuel pumps prime, I replaced solenoid ICM coil battery is good. I get codes of 15 14. 21 84. I did the test a second time 15 and 14 didn't show up just 21 and 84. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong there. If there's anybody that can help me with some advice or help here I greatly appreciate it. I suppose I should probably do a fuel pressure check and maybe a compression check? Distributor is bad maybe?

 

Welcome to the forum. Can you provide a TL;DR?

 

Fuel pressure is what?
I would do the code tests a few more times
The 14 and 15 mean your computer / processor / ECM is no good
Or
If it is losing its grounds or keep alive power the same codes will occur
How are you testing the codes?
Check the 2 processor ground wires out by the battery (sometimes 2 sometimes 1 with 2 wires)
That code 24 for the ECT
That could cause the processor to throw too much fuel and foul the spark plugs and cause a no start
I'd have you check the ohms of that ECT sensor, the processor sees voltage, you can test both the volts and the ohms from the ECT (backprobe instead of breakout box)