Hey, guys. Well, I've had my first problem in 5 years out of my truck. And it left me stranded.

Truck had been driving like always, I pulled into a store. Came out 1.5-2 minutes later. Turned key and the engine turned over, but before it was ready to start, I let off the key too soon. No biggie, done it before. I try again, and it just turns over. Won't even attempt to start. Had a friend tow me home after messing with it. Before towing me home, I tried rolling it off a few times. Wouldn't start. When I let off the clutch and even tried 4th gear down one hill, I could hear metallic grinding from under the hood. KINDA sounded like the starter? But, still, if it was the starter, seems like I still would have cranked after rolling off and trying 3rd and 4th (NP435).

Ok, at home I can hear the pump on the frame whirring, not so sure about one in the tank. I am getting fuel. Plugs get wet when trying to start. I also tried squirting gasoline in the throttle body while my brother tried starting it. No different sounds whatsoever.

It'll *wir wir wir wir wir wir wir wir wir RUHHHH RUH RUH wir wir wir wir wir wir wir wir RUHhhhh ruh ruh wir wir wir wir*

lol, right? But the "wirs" are the engine turning over fast, and in no particular time or pattern, sometimes the engine will almost lock up at the *ruhh* part, then slowly make a couple more "ruhs" and then back to 20 fast engine turn overs.

Does that sound like I'm out of time? Simply not getting enough spark? I don't know which way to go from here. I replaced the cap and rotor, simply because it had a pin hole in the rotor and both were worn out. I was hoping that was it.

The spark seems to be off. Watching a plug in the plug wire while turning over, during the "wir wir" part of it when it's turning over real fast, not hitting a lick, no spark, but then I'll get usually 3-4 *ruhs* and see a spark come out. But there is no pattern.

Any advice will help. All I know to do that I can do is replace the module in the distributor and the coil.

 

Sounds like a timing / spark issue.
pull the Dist Cap and see if you have alot of play in the gear(see if it moves by hand) if not hold the cap out of the way and spin the engine over to see if the Dist is turning right, if that looks right pull the plug on #1 and bring it to TDC and check your timing mark

 

It has a tiny bit of play from the rotor. Very small. I don't know if there should be NO play or what. I have a decent amount of experience of working on many different things, yet everything I work on is something new for me to learn every time lol.

I'll get back with ya in a few hours when I can get home to my truck. Thanks.

 

a little play is no big deal it would have feel loose and sloppy to be an issue.

 

So, I've never really messed with timing. Is this something I'm going to have to look at the timing chain and gears? Or is it something I should find around the harmonic balancer? Sorry, little to no experience in this. EDIT: I'm going to assume the harmonic balancer. I'll get back with ya'll on this asap.

 

Yep timing pin points to the marks on the balancer.

 

Just wondering, does your have the TFI dizzy? If it does I think I would try swapping that before you go pulling the balancer. They only cost about $20 or so and easy to change. But first maybe you should pull the codes and see what they tell you.

 

My battery has died and stuff, I don't know if it'd still make a new code or not to pull. I took the distributor cap off and had my brother crank the engine, and the rotor is not turning correctly. It barely moves an inch or two after the engine has turned over what sounds like 10 times then the engine kinda gets a little bog to it and it moves more. Then the engine starts turning faster and the rotor starts moving even less and slower. Rinse and repeat. Think the distributor gear is broke or something deeper? I have the dizzy that has a plug to unplug on it, that's all I know. How do I tell if it's TFI or not?

 

That does sound like it's the distributor gear.

 

This is going to be fun. Will be my first solo job with a timing deal like this. And I assume I have the TFI dizzy now after looking at autozone distributors.

Should I even buy one from Autozone? I think 90% of their **** tears up after a year.

I'll pull it out before I buy it, I've lost or someone with sticky fingers has taken my distributor wrench. A lot of my special tools went missing after some people put a new roof on my garage. I'm just now finding out slowly and this was 5 months ago.

 

I have always had good luck with Autozone parts... good luck on the change out

I would get a manual and follow the step by step instructions not real difficult but first time it never hurts to have visual aids handy.

 

Well, I don't think I found the issue. I took the distributor out just now, and the gear on it is perfectly fine...

Man, just when I thought I'd have it, as this truck is my only vehicle/daily driver. Do you think a gear on the cam possibly got stripped? I don't see any signs of damage on the gear on the distributor, and I have no way of looking down the hole to see. I'm gonna try, though.

Do you think it's my timing chain? The shaft on the distributor has about 1/16" of play up and down. Is that normal?

 

Freaksh0w, check that the roll pin in the distributor drive gear isn't sheared. Yes, it could be a stripped cam gear, 86 still used the old plastic covered cam gear. Take off the driver's side valve cover and see if the rockers are moving is the easiest way to tell.

 

I shined a light down the distributor hole, the gear looked fine as far as I could tell.

Here's what I'm thinking. The teeth on the timing chain gears broke off, just a few. That's why it turns over and catches now and then. Something like that.

But that just as well could give the same symptoms as a half messed up cam gear.

Where is this roll pin in the gear? I think I know what you are talking about, and I didn't visibly see anything that looked wrong. Everything feels pretty tight about it, too.

 

Freak, did you remove a valve cover and watch the rockers as you cranked the engine like Bill offered? That will tell you more and give you something to work with....