stanlj

I have a 1995 flareside,,300/6,,,great truck,,until just recently it has a problem waking up,,,after a "rest" of a couple days or more it doesn't like to start,,,after cranking intermittently (for sometimes an hour) it WILL start,,,fuel pressure is @50-60 lbs,,,,battery voltage 12.8 (sitting) 14v (running),,,,then a test drive quarter mile down the road it just quits,,just like somebody turned switch off,,,frantically cranking ,,,it will start up again and then run perfectly for miles,,until I put it back to rest for a couple of days or more,,has relatively new fuel filter,,battery doesn't seem to bleed off,,ambient temps are not extreme,,,had the wife do the cranking once while I laid a spark tester on wire and I saw no indication of spark,,,but an hour or so later went out and it did eventually start,,without me having done anything mechanical,,,,,,,,,,,,,wth

Steve83

If you suspect an ignition system fault, click this & read the WHOLE caption before attempting to diagnose it:


(phone app link)

stanlj

well now theres some info I can wrap my head around,,,thank you for posting,,,,i WILL figure this out,,,ya know I've been a mechanic most of my life,,not not so much in the professional aspect of it all but just maintaining my own stuff,,,and all I can say is that the EPA has surely ruined the car industry,,how many cars get junked because of some stupid little relay or some other electrical part that went undiagnosed?,,again ,,thanks and I will post when I have a solution,,,,,,,,stanlj

Steve83

It's not the EPA that causes lazy mechanics to give up instead of diagnosing simple electrical faults.

stanlj

well steve 83,,i did just exactally what that "bottom" part was talking about and stripped back all that insulation ..aluminum foil wrap,,bare ground wire,,hoping to find some damage to wiring,,but No I did not,,,does anybody know where that grounding wire is actually connected to ground,,i think that ungrounding that lead from ground would be of some benefit in diagnosing this problem,,of course I would not leave it that way,,,,soooo whats the next step??i'm open for suggestions,,,,,,,and thanks for your help so far,,,,,,,,,,,,,,stanlj

Steve83

That diagram shows the ground locations, including the foil shield (which is indicated as the dotted cylinders around the shielded circuits).

But you have to follow that procedure step-by-step the way it says. Start at step 1. If it says go to step 2, do that. If it says to check something and go to step 17 for one result or step 24 for another result, check it, and follow the appropriate step. You're the only one there looking at it - I can't tell you what step is next.

If you're not sure, post CLEAR pics showing what you're measuring, where EACH meter probe is, the meter's setting, its reading, and then explain what step you're on, what you found, and what action you took. Be VERY specific, detailed, & thorough. "That bottom part" isn't any of those - call out the exact step and which procedure you're using so we can follow along. Remember that we can't see what you're doing - you have to tell us as if we're BLIND.

stanlj

well thank-ya again for following,,,and your right,, I didn't do any of the "above" diagnostics,,"step by step",,guess that answers my question as what to do next,,,,hang on ,,were goin deeper in,,,,,,,,,stanlj

stanlj

hey there steve 83,and anybody else following,,,just an update on my 4.9 hard start,,,was going to tackle the diagnostic steps you provided but before hand I thought i'm going to buy a new "Ignition control module",,, rock-auto,, very reasonable price ,,the trucks getting old so what can it hurt??,,,ok installed the "module" and WHAT that didn't fix it ??? I wasn't really surprised,,,OK,, back to Steve 83 's diagnostic charts. But i'm going to clean this motor so's I don't have to get all dirty doing it,,bought a can of gunk and went nuts,,,,the area around the distributor was oily'ish (not 30 years of built up dirt ) but dirty never-the less,,,let soak,,spray off ,,,hit the key and STARTED right up,,even soppin wet,,,that was a week ago and it has yet to NOT start since,,only a few test miles on her so far as I,m really busy with other stuff ,,,it's a strange world we live in,,,,will keep posted on how she does in the long run,,,thanks again Steve 83,,,,,,,,,,,,,,stanlj