The truck has 290,000 miles runs great when it starts but occasionally it will not start. The problem happens when its warm or cold morning noon or night. Front tank gauge reads empty all the time. There have been two times that moving the shifter to neutral have made the engine start and it seems a couple that switching the fuel selector from front to rear have made it start. I just filled it with gas stopped by a store on the way home from the gas station shut it off and it did the same thing again.

I have heard that the anti theft system could be the problem, fuel valves and neutral safety switch. Nothing seems to be consistent except it intermittently will not start.

I have not ruled out spark.

Any ideas? The driver door key will not lock the door it will open it but you have to lock it with the lock button. This is something that leads me to the anti theft. But what I would think is that nothing would happen with anti theft and I would have lights flashing or something like that.

Just really digging into this problem looking for some ideas.

 

Sounds like an open in the neutral safety switch circuit.
Check the screws at the bottom of the column, I bet they are loose.



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I am going to check them now. Thanks.

 

I got them to turn very little but they did move. The whole shifting mechanism is very sloppy in the column. Could this also contribute? I thought if the neutral safety switch was not working it would not crank the motor?

 

This is true. I did not say the switch was bad. I said the neutral safety switch circuit was open someplace.

This circuit starts at the Ignition switch and runs to the neutral safety switch and then on to the starter relay on the fender. The small push on wire at the starter relay on the fender must be hot with a test light when the key is turned to the start position.

If you column is that loose you may not be moving the neutral safety switch to the start position to complete the circuit.

 

So far so good. I also slide the bushing back up under the clamp that holds the shifting mechanism in place on top of the column. It is much tighter now. Seems like you called it right. Thank you very much for the help.

 

The truck worked for a couple days and the same problem is back. Could it be the safety switch? I have tightened everything up there pretty good thought I had it. Went out there today and it cranks but will not start. I only drive the truck a couple of times a week.

 

If it cranks the safety switch will not stop it from starting, only cranking.