Ok... I have been driving my truck for the last few months as my daily driver without any problems what so ever. Today when I was driving home on the highway at about 65mph the engine made a huge bang (almost like when my muffler exploded). Like a large backfire. Sounded like it came from the driver side of the engine... After the bang the engine STOPPED dead... Not a sputter or gentile loss of power... Im at a loss... No leaks. Oil level is good. Electric is ok. But it wont even turn over, but the alternator light comes on and the lights work. All fluid is good.

The engine is a stock 360fe with a 2100 carb. Stock exhaust manifolds going to one Glasspack. The crank and rods were changed out about 5000 miles ago. Has a rebuilt carb and the points were replaced with Pertronix Ignitor 2 and Flamethrower coil.

Any ideas?

 

Whooee.... guessing games!

More info needed and more troubleshooting needed on your end?

Those are some of the symptoms but have you tried to manually turn the rotating assembly? Pull a valve cover? Does it crank? Does the distributor turn?
Does the engine manually turn if the transmission is in neutral?

Report back with your results.

 

Never mind. Just re-read your post.

 

Sorry to hear ,doesn't sound good . but either way need more info to help
pull the plugs and valve covers , then try to turn over by hand

 

BANG and the engine stopped dead! Most likely scenario's, threw a rod, the crank broke, the factory installed nylon (if the POS is still present) timing chain gear stripped its teeth.

Slipped timing chain would cause engine to backfire, but it usually wouldn't shut off. Broken piston would not cause the engine to stop unless it found its way thru the cylinder wall.

 

Lucky: Timing chain has jumped and wadded up somehow, locking the engine.

Unlucky: Dropped valve, broken piston, seized rod, broken rod....

Pull the valve covers as suggested above. IF everything is in place, pull the front cover next.

 

It has a new crank and rods less than 5000 miles. When the engine was gone over at that time, I didn't touch the heads. The timing chain an gears were also replaced.

Would the starter at least click even if it doesn't crank?

 

are all the sparkplugs accounted for?

 

Where did you buy a new crank, since Ford obsoleted it in 1982?

In 1982, there was exactly one new 360 and two new 390 cranks available from Ford. I bought all three.

What you probably bought came from an auto parts store: "Crank Kit" that consisted of a used turned crank, used rods, new rod/main bearings.

And just because they are 'new' to your engine, doesn't mean they cannot fail.

 

Yes, yes it would. What you hear is the starter's' drive gear gear popping out in attempt to turn the flywheel/ring gear in order to crank the engine.

It really doesn't matter if parts are new because $h!# happens. Older vehicles aren't appliances (toaster, oven, clothes washer) unlike today's computer-controlled lemmings where they can go and go for thousands of miles with an oil level that cannot even lube a bicycle chain.

 

The starter doesn't even click. Nothing at all.

 

Check voltage to the starter.

Have you tried to move the engine forward or backward with a wrench?

If you didn't touch the heads, a dropped valve is not impossible. Pull those valve covers after you check for juice at the starter and rotation by hand.

 

Starter may be jambed in there. Hopefully that was your bang. Pull the starter and check it out.

 

But would the starter engage while it was driving. All of the electrics work except for the starter. I tried to jump the started via the started solenoid. Nothing.

Sorry I'm asking a bunch o questions before checking my previous responses. I'm changing jobs and I will be tied up for the next month or so. I just wanted to get all of the possibles so when I do get to work on it I can just get straight to it.

Thanks for all the responses. Please let me know anything you can thing of.

 

DOES THE ENGINE TURN OVER MANUALLY? WITH A BREAKER BAR?