Have a 88 f150 that i just got cant get it to start. Check timing and its not off. I reset anyways to 10° and still no start. When i turn it over it backfires through the intake. I got it to start once but ran very rough for a breif moment then died. Have verified that coil is good, injectors are good and getting fuel, spark to all plugs. When previous owner had it it ran very rough when it was running. I need help trying to get this th ing back on the road for work. Could it just be the ICM. But dont wanna start replacing unneeded parts. The distributor was replaced a year ago.

Need help
Thanks

 

get the basics out of the way first ...

check that the spark plug leads are routed properly and that you are using the correct firing order for a 5.0 litre (it changed in 1995). give the cap and rotor a good visual inspection.

are you checking timing with the spout disconnected ?

"getting fuel" isn't enough, you need to have adequate fuel pressure and will need a gauge to check it.

see if there are any codes stored.

 

This is the first ford i have ever owned. I just found out that i am 180 off on timing. My brother in law asked me if i pulled plug 1 out when i brought to tdc i told him no he said it is more than likely that when i brought it to tdc its not on compression stroke. What is the fuel pressure supposed to be at? I want to check that as well because the truck sat for so long?

And whaat is the proper routing pattern for this engine?

I dont want to sound like a dummy but never had to deal with this before. Got the truck for free they just wanted out of the yard..

 

no problem ... being new at something is no crime.

your firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8.

the distributor rotates counter-clockwise.

fuel pressure is 30-45psi, engine not running, key on.

your brother-in-law could be spot-on about being out 180 degrees.

 

When initial tdc was done by me i just brought damper over to 10 btdc ans called it a day

 

Try spraying starting fluid into it. If you have spark, and it's timed, it will run on starting fluid.

 

Huh? So what you said is TDC the damper says is 10° before TDC? So then initial base timing is now 20° BTDC?

How much slop do you have in the timing chain? The 302 in my '87 had nylon timing gears that wore down and left me stranded in a left turn lane when the truck shut off and wouldn't restart.