My truck has been dying for a while when it got hot and I would have to wait 30-40 minutes and then it would start and run fine again. I was told it was the ignition control module so I replaced it and it kept dying so I hooked it up to a scanner and it said egr valve so I replaced it. It kept dying so I scanned it again and it said fuel pressure regulator so I replaced it. It worked alright for a while and then it started running gutless with pedal to the medal it would just spit and shutter. Yesterday it was driving really gutless which had become the norm and it died on me. I turned the truck over for like 30-35 minutes and it finally completely died. I had my brother come give me a jump and it fired right up. It spit and sputtered but got me home. Today it drove decent while it was cool out this morning but in the heat of the afternoon It ran like garbage. It died once again so I got another jump start and it fired up and continued to run like ****. We noticed that the volt gauge was completely dead and didn't move at all even with all utilities shut off. A friend if a friend said he thinks it's my ignition it potentially the ground from the motor to frame. I need this insanity to please please please end. I love my truck but it's been failing me as of late. Please help me fellow Ford men.....

 

Have you checked fuel psi?

What engine are we troubleshooting?

What ignition module was swapped? There is a grey colored TFI and black one.

You said you noticed that the volt gauge is low or dead.. You need to get a fully charged battery and check what the battery is cold and what it produces when you start the truck. Yes on checking those grounds from battery to frame or starter for the 4.9. Also, check the COIL. I've seen them do fine when cold or ambient temp and then FAIL when warm (MSD, be warned) easy check without wasting fuel is to take a hair dryer from spouse and heat it up real warm and then try to see if truck will start when cold. Same goes for the TFI.

 

Yes we've checked fuel PSI it bounced from like 20 to 50 but that was before we changed the fuel pressure regulator. It's the 4.9 straight six and I'm not sure what a TFI is. We put a voltimeter on the battery this morning and at first it read 12.3 and when it turned over it dropped to 10.3. pretty sure the battery is shot but find it hard to believe that it's causing all the sluggish symptoms. We've been busy and haven't had a chance to check grounds etc. How do we test the coil? I believe the ignition module we swapped was the gray one.

 

I just asked about a problem here on the foums regarding a truck I am thiking of buying and your symptoms sound very similar. The general opinion seemed to point to the distributor being the problem...

 

Starting in '94, Ford started using the black colored ignition module. Be sure you have a black one. If it's, grey now, it's wrong.

 

The frame does not need to be grounded on your truck. The frame only needs to be grounded if you pull a trailer or you do not have a back bumper and then it is used for the license plate light.

A gray ICM is wrong and will give less power and make it harder to start. The Black ICM (TIF) very seldom if ever goes bad so put your old Black one back on. Make sure to use a lot of the white thermal compound between the ICM and the heat shield. Do not use dielectric grease.

What code did you have when you changed out the FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator) as I have not heard of a code for the FPR. The PCM computer has no way of knowing what the fuel pressure is.
If you had a fuel pump code either you have ran a fuel pump test (grounding pin #6 of the self-test connector) or you have an electrical problem with the fuel pump circuit. Most of the time a bad fuel pump and that can stop you from starting for a while.

I do not think you have an Ignition problem.

 

Sounds like the pick up in the dizzy.

 

Battery issues can be flaky and the 10.3 is not uncommon---I'd check the voltage drops in your battery cables first (connect a multi-meter to each end of your + and - cable to look for bad cables --high voltage drop).............voltage drop readings above .2 or so indicate a problem, then use a load tester on the battery to see if it's ok.....

Are you getting any codes (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306) indicating the coil pack is misfiring or malfunctioning? If not, you'll have to locate the cylinder pairs being fed out of each tower in your coil, then do a manual check by disconnecting the fuel injector to the affected cylinder and isolating down to those not firing...........you can also use a handheld laser IR or other handheld thermometer (avail at Home Depot, Lowe's, auto parts stores for approx 50 bucks or less) to locate the "cold" cylinders.............it will be pretty obvious temp wise what area of your engine is either misfiring on not firing......

It's very likely you have a temp-related impedance (resistance to flow) issue in one of your components ......

 

You are giving advice for the wrong era of engine. He does not have coil packs or COP's.
He also does not have the OBD-2 codes.

 

No spark on one or more cylinders?

 

Cheap dist cap. You need an OEM, or Accel

 

Like I previously stated nothing seems to fix this problem. I've dumped hundreds and hundreds of dollars trying to fix it. I'm completely baffled and i'm thinking about just selling it and starting fresh but who want's to buy a truck that runs like this. This used to be a great truck that i would trust in any condition but it's slowly dying on me and i feel helpless to fix it. I'm desperate please help please.

 

Well, quit throwing parts at it for one. Just cause your code reader shows a sensor error don't necessarily mean that particular sensor is bad, it's up to you to figure out why it thinks that.

You replaced the fuel pressure regulator. What is your pressure now at idle and at full throttle?

The TFI/ICM is the ignition module on the driver side fender, near the hood hinge. Search for pics on here. Your truck should have a black module mounted on the finned aluminum heatsink. If you have a gray module, replace it with the black one because the gray one is wrong for your year truck.

The PIP/stator/pickup is a sensor in the distributor that works with the ICM. You didn't say whether you checked or replaced this.

The quickest thing to do, that will point you in the right direction, is check for spark at the coil next time the truck won't start. If you have a good hot spark, then you've got a fuel problem.

And if you have no spark, then you have an ignition problem. Probably a dead pickup in the distributor, but don't replace it til you prove that it's bad.

EDIT: oh yeah, there's people out there (including me) that will buy a truck like yours that runs bad and fix it right up, because it's almost always something simple that needs fixed. So don't give up yet.

 

Alright dixie that was a lot of good info I think my focus is on the pip sensor as i have not replaced it. How do i test it? and if it's bad how do I replace it? All the videos i can find look complicated with timing issues etc. Is it really that complicated?

 

I had an explanation going here, but then I remembered this video that I came across:


Pay attention to the part where these guys are testing the signal coming from the distributor. That's the PIP signal.

Replacing the PIP requires tearing down the distributor. You can either do that, or get a whole new distributor, but stay away from the "rebuilt" ones since a lot of times they still have a bad PIP in them.