I have an '87 F150, 6 cylinder with a manual transmission. I replaced the inline (rail) fuel filter last week along with the distributor cap and button. (Please note this was done to fix a problem of stuttering when it gets warmed up and before I joined the boards and now realize I may have been chasing the rabbit down the wrong hole.)

So, I have been trying to get the codes. I hooked up the wires to the battery, STI and grounded the STI. I have paper and pencil in hand. I turn the key to "run". The fuel pump kicks in. I wait for it to stop. I continue waiting. I wait some more. I wait a little longer. After 5 minutes, frustrated, I come inside and with dirty hands type this post.

Help me Obi Boards Kenobi, you're my only hope!

 

Welcome to the board.

I am not familiar with how to get the OBD-I codes, but I do know there is a thread, somewhere, that explains how to do it. We have some excellent mechanics here and I am sure one of them will be able to point you in the right direction.

 

Are you using a tester? Not sure what wires you're running to the battery.

 

Stealing a post from Sean -
First check for codes, this thread explains how: https://www.f150forum.com/showthread.php?t=10907

 

What I had read said to run a hot to the STI.

Also, the truck will not start. After I had replaced the fuel filter & distributor, I ran it the next to and from work, then on about a 75 mile trak no problems.

Now, nothing. Plenty of battery, and after cranking, I can smell gas in the engine compartment, but it is not firing. I hear no combustion sounds.

 

I hope you didn't fry the computer hooking the battery to the diagnostic port. Hopefully a fuse would have blown instead. The voltmeter positive goes to the battery positive and the voltmeter negative goes to the wire shown in that thread, and the jumper is hooked in.