This is my first post here so let me start out by saying "howdy" to all you good ppl!
I have a 1995 f150 5.0L 2 wd pickup that is giving me woes. I have owned the truck since 2000 and until recently it has performed flawlessly. It suddenly just died one day while cruising down the road, no warning no previous putters or sputters....just died it would still turn over but no start. I got it towed to a local mechanic and , to make a long story short they installed a new distributer, ignition control mod, rotor, cap , plugs. plug wires and was told that it was good to go. Well, I was bummed out about the $650 bill but was happy to have ole faithful back up running smooth. It was about 2 weeks later it happend again, left me stranded in a parking lot...just turning over and no start, right before I was gonna call for another tow, I decided to give it one more go, it started and ran fine all the way home. It was rather late so I left it until the next day, sure enough no start again.........I tried again a few hours later and it starts, and again runs perfectly all the way back to the same mechanic. He keeps it a week and finally gives up saying he can't find anything wrong with it. It ran great the whole time he had it.......I was rather mad at that point and went and got the truck, drove it home where the next day it crapped out again. No here I sit....no truck and no mo money Iam forced to try to trouble shoot the problem myself. Right now it will turn over but no start,I will add that I don't seem to getting spark from the coil to the dist.
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

A freind of mine is telling me that a failing battery could actually produce enough power to turn over the engine but not enough to boot the computer?
The battery is about 5 years old . I just went out and jumped it off of my work truck and it started right up?
Surely the mechanic would have tested the battery?

 

I would suggest checking all your wiring to see if any wiring is burnt or not connected properly. It seems to be an electrical problem and not mechanical. Check the battery and alternator at any autozone. They do this for free, you just have to pull it out and take it to them. Did you happen to change your coil. You might want to try this after checking battery, alternator and wiring. If that is not the problem your ecu maybe failing already. But that maybe worst scenario. You may also want to check your fuses and relays in engine compartmen and in your dash.

 

thanks Twin Turbo for your response.
My alt. checked ok, the bat, was weak, but not shorted.
I changed the bat. and the truck is running like brand new again. Im still a bit suspect as to say its been fixed but i think Im heading in the right direction. I havent changed the coil, but that will be my next move if necessary.
Thanks again for your response!

 

It could be the battery. If you jumped it and it fired right up and you changed the battery and its running good, that would certainly point to the battery being the culprit.
Youd think that the mechanic would have checked the battery, but you never know. Perhaps due to the fact that it would still turn over the mechanic never even suspected the battery as being the cause.

 

dupl

 

I hope that solved your trouble. If it happens again the first step will be to see if your check light comes on for a few seconds with the key at run. This will tell you if it is a EEC relay or computer problem or not. No light, no power to the computer or a no boot.

 

Thank Ya'll for all your help!
I have learned so much here in a short amount of time.
Just so ya'll know, the truck has run flawlessly since the new battery was installed,,,,*knocks on wood*
IM still a bit suspect though as to what exactly is going on. Im going to go ahead and purchase a obdI scanner for future trouble-shooting. I think that will be money well spent, and thanks again to all you good ppl!