so it ran and now it wont...please help!
11-27-2007, 12:47 AM
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so it ran and now it wont...please help!
Well, i bought my 1981 f150 and i bought a battery for it today, it took awhile to start, about 10, 10 second tries, and i ran it around for about 5-10 min.
i parked it and went to get gas for my daily driver, came back, and tried to start the f150 again and it wouldnt even sputter, just starter motor...any thoughts as to what it might be or where to start?
please help!
i parked it and went to get gas for my daily driver, came back, and tried to start the f150 again and it wouldnt even sputter, just starter motor...any thoughts as to what it might be or where to start?
please help!
11-27-2007, 09:43 AM
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Do you have gas in the tank? Do you have spark? Take the air cleaner off and with the engine NOT running, pump the throttle linkage a few times. Does gas squirt into the venturi? If not, you have either a plugged fuel filter, bad accelerator pump, fuel pump, or hole/blockage in the fuel line. If you have fuel, then fuel is not the prob.
If you have spark at the distributor end of the coil wire, check if you have spark at the distributor end of the plug wires. If not, you may have a bad rotor. If so, then the ignition is OK. Check for spark at the plugs. Check the ignition timing.
If you don't get any spark at the coil, it may be the ignition switch, or any part of the ignition circuit, including the module. If you have spark at the coil, or distributor, the ignition switch is fine. Now it may become a bit more involved.
You will want to take out a couple of plugs and see how they look. If you take two that are next to each other, you can do a compression check. If the compression is low on both cyl, take a test on another cyl or two, if they are also low, then you may have slipped a timing chain.
I am sure there are other reasons why the truck won't start, but it is early in the morning and I haven't had much coffee yet.
Good luck and let us know what you find.
Dan Harriman 84 f150 lwb
Orange, Texas
If you have spark at the distributor end of the coil wire, check if you have spark at the distributor end of the plug wires. If not, you may have a bad rotor. If so, then the ignition is OK. Check for spark at the plugs. Check the ignition timing.
If you don't get any spark at the coil, it may be the ignition switch, or any part of the ignition circuit, including the module. If you have spark at the coil, or distributor, the ignition switch is fine. Now it may become a bit more involved.
You will want to take out a couple of plugs and see how they look. If you take two that are next to each other, you can do a compression check. If the compression is low on both cyl, take a test on another cyl or two, if they are also low, then you may have slipped a timing chain.
I am sure there are other reasons why the truck won't start, but it is early in the morning and I haven't had much coffee yet.
Good luck and let us know what you find.
Dan Harriman 84 f150 lwb
Orange, Texas
11-28-2007, 11:48 PM
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Saying this with tongue firmly planted in cheek:
Very carefully! LOL
Actually, here is what I was trying to say, pull the coil wire out of the distributor cap and place the end next to a good ground, turn the engine over and see if there is any spark. You surely don't want to hold on to it while you do this. It will knock you for a loop!
Then, if you have spark there, put it back in the distributor cap and pull out a plug wire. lay it near the tower it came out from, turn the engine over and check for spark. If you have spark there, then the rotor is good, as well as everything before it, back to the coil. Of course, this last step can be made first, and if you have spark, then everything back to the coil is fine, as far as getting fire to the plug wire.
To check if the plug wires are good, you can pull them off the plugs, one at a time so they don't get crossed, put a screw driver in the plug end and place it near a good ground. If you get spark, then you are getting electricity to the plugs.
Pull a plug and put the plug back in the wire, place it next to a good ground and see if there is spark at the plug.
Good luck,
Dan Harriman 84 lwb
Orange, Texas
Very carefully! LOL
Actually, here is what I was trying to say, pull the coil wire out of the distributor cap and place the end next to a good ground, turn the engine over and see if there is any spark. You surely don't want to hold on to it while you do this. It will knock you for a loop!
Then, if you have spark there, put it back in the distributor cap and pull out a plug wire. lay it near the tower it came out from, turn the engine over and check for spark. If you have spark there, then the rotor is good, as well as everything before it, back to the coil. Of course, this last step can be made first, and if you have spark, then everything back to the coil is fine, as far as getting fire to the plug wire.
To check if the plug wires are good, you can pull them off the plugs, one at a time so they don't get crossed, put a screw driver in the plug end and place it near a good ground. If you get spark, then you are getting electricity to the plugs.
Pull a plug and put the plug back in the wire, place it next to a good ground and see if there is spark at the plug.
Good luck,
Dan Harriman 84 lwb
Orange, Texas