Rob, thank you for the suggestion. My father actually did this before he removed it so that it would be aligned for easy remembering when putting it back in. When he cranked the starter, the thing turned a little each time until it reached the desired position.

Travis, is the driver side kick panel directly under the steering dash, or is it to the right side of the steering which is the left side panel of the radio section?

 

the kick panel im talking about is the panel to the left of the drivers feet, where the hood release is located.

 

Cool, thanks. That'll be easy to access. He'll be happy to know he won't have to go under the truck to test this. lol It's starting to look like the gas tank will have to be lowered to replace a faulty fuel pump, but he'll be testing the fuel pressure first tomorrow. Today, he replaced the coil ahead of the distributor to no avail.

The relay he tested the other day is the black one on the right. Although I couldn't find an OEM number from the Autozone website that matches the one printed on this relay, it does seem like the only one that fits the description judging from its shape and 5-pin setup.



So altogether, he cleaned and replaced parts in the distributor (though the small magnet piece still has a crack), coil, and fuel pump relay (assuming that's the right one). The last things he'll check is the inertia switch and fuel pressure. He may have it taken care of at a shop if it turns out that the fuel pump in the tank is broken because he doesn't have the equipment for such a job, especially since the tank is amost full of possibly corrupted gasoline from the octane boost he poured in. I'll post an update on what he finds.





By the way, would anyone happen to know what's located in this area?

 

Well, he tested the fuel pressure today with the key on and got a reading of 5 lbs. This was from the fuel rail at the engine bay. Being that this testing point is ahead of both fuel pumps, we've concluded that 1, at least one of the pumps is working while the other isn't, and 2, that the inertia switch is functional because both pumps are linked with it, hence both would be off and yield a 0 lb. pressure if it were broken.

Now we're down to testing the EEC module and relay and the line between the gas tank fuel pump and inertia switch. Further update will be posted when available.

 

if one pump is running that means it works...and you should have 45psi....

beings you dont there is an issue...

unless your truck has low flow pumps in the tanks and a rail high flow pump? I would say it is bypassing fuel...

my truck has High pressure pumps in the tank...1 pump in each tank and no rail pump...

if you only have 2 pumps (1 in each tank) i'll bet money the octane booster ate the rubber between the pump and the line...in that case you'll need to pull the tank and replace teh rubber line...

if you have 3 pumps and one isnt working then you need to fix the pump that isnt working...

 

Dr Bowtie,

This truck indeed has a high pressure fuel pump and a low pressure fuel pump. I'm not sure which one is the tank pump and which is the one towards the front, under the truck on the driver side. Here's a picture of the technical manual he's using for a guide:


Wanting to test the easy things first and with the previous things eliminated, he's just got the line between the tank pump and inertia switch (pictured above) and the EEC module and relay, which he says has a play with the pumps. I believe the in-line pump (or the one under the driver's seat) is functional because I could hear a faint humming whine when the key was turned on (engine off), except it made a gurgling sound, which I've interpreted as insufficient gas coming in from the rear--the tank pump malfunctioning. He seemed pretty confident when I asked if he knew where to test the fuel pressure, but just in case, is there only one fuel rail where pressure could be tested, or are there multiple rails whereby the resulting pressure is dependent on which of the rail you test from?

Is the fuel rail visible in these pictures or any of the ones above?

 

fuel rail is under the top part of the intake on the passenger side...it connects all the injectors...there is a Shrader valve to check pressure...

In your case the low pressure pump is in the tank...the high pressure pump is the one on the rail....both must work...if one has juice they both do...test the leads with a test light...

 

OK, we have a possible breakthrough. I suggested to my father to recheck the relays after we had checked the EEC module, and after we replaced the fuel pump relay, he managed to start up! However, the idle was unsteady and after a few minutes, the engine stalled out under low throttle driving around the house block. So the last thing we want to eliminate is this relay, which is next to the fuel pump relay:


This is labeled as the EEC relay, but it's not carried at Autozone and when I looked up the EEC relay on a parts site, this picture was shown:


These can't be the same, right? After looking more, I found a part called the Engine Control Module Wiring Relay:


Would you all agree that the second relay is the liklier candidate?

Dr Bowtie, it turned out the fuel pressure was tested from a line at the bottom of the vehicle, just before the firewall. He disconnected the fuel line and put his gauge on and got a reading of 5 psi with the key turned on, engine off. I told him what you said about the proper testing site being under the front of the intake by the fuel injectors on the passenger side, but he couldn't find it. Is it visible in this picture?

 

the rail is going to have what looks like a tire valve, except not rubber, will stick up test there

 

For one of these engines that can start up for a second only to shut back off as if it somehow cannot support idling, does this more likely have to do with the electric control functions or do the ignition components (fouled plugs/bad wires) have just as likely a play?

If the engine only runs with throttle applied (higher RPM) and shuts off without it, can faulty fuel pumps then be definitely ruled out?

Also, would anyone happen to know how to change/reset the firing order timing of the distributor/distributor cap?