1988 F250 XLT Lariet, 7.5, C6, 4x4, reg cab, long bed.

Sorry for the long read...I'm looking for any and all ideas and input.

I've just installed a new re manufactured 7.5L engine with:
Re manufactured AutoLine distributor.
New cap, rotor, wires, plugs.
New Motorcraft coil.
New "rebuilt" fuel injectors.
I've verified (about 10 times now) distributor is clocked properly
...rotor coming at position #1 when balancer shows 10* BTDC
Checked plug wires to proper cylinder...firing order 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8
Checked cylinder numbering on engine front to back on passenger side 1,2,3,4 and front to back on drivers side 5,6,7,8

Verified coil is making spark. Verified each wire is getting spark.
Verified each cylinder is getting gas by pulled the spark plug and finding it wet with gas.

When I crank it it turns over fast and smooth but it won't fire up. I get nothing, no sputter, no stumbling, nada. After several cranking sessions I've had one whimpy, feeble, singular "woomp" that I think was fuel vapor in the exhaust system going off. Just one of those.

I've tried starting it with the spout in, and out, with no change.

Pulled codes (key on, engine off...the only option at the moment). The first time it showed "45" and "85" and then it settled on "11". Pulled codes additional times and now only get "85" and "11"... "11" means "system okay".

According to my code reader manual Code "45" is "DIS coil pack circuit failure" and is called a Continuous Memory Code.

I only got Code 45 the first time I used the code reader, this code has not reappeared. Fwiw I have disconnected the battery while trouble shooting this.

Subsequent checking of codes gets me "85". "85" is called "(trucks only) canister purge circuit failure". Because this is emissions related I don't see how it could cause a will-not-start condition.

 

OK, I'll be the one to ask the stupid question... Are you absolutely positive that you installed the distributor when Cylinder # 1 was near the top of its COMPRESSION stroke, and not at the top of its exhaust stroke?
In other words, 180 degrees out.

Another sanity check is that wire numbering at top of distributor proceeds counter clockwise from #1

 

No worries on "stupid questions". I'll take anything and everything, got thick skin and I've put the ego on the back burner.

Yes on the compression stroke...I verified this by removing the spark plug and putting my finger in the hole...my son turned the crank with a socket wrench. As he turned the crank and 10* came around the pressure would build and hisssss when I'd slightly lift my finger. Seem legit?

And yes again on the counter-clock-wise distributor.

I've done one other engine install before and had the distributor out of position, even with that though I'd get some ignition. With this there is no sign of any cylinder firing off.

 

Plugs wet with gas usually means no or very weak spark, and once plugs get wet, they usually won't spark even if the ignition is then OK. But you mentioned you Each wire is getting spark... at the plug ends, or just checking at distributor towers with plug wires disconnected?

Another thought is, is it badly flooded and soaked plugs? Like injectors went wild...????

 

I tried to check for spark at the plug end and got lit up. So I settled for checking at the distributor towers.

I'll pull the plugs and let them dry thoroughly, and call it a night. Tomorrow I'll verify wires are actually transmitting the spark all-the-way to the plug. Wish me luck, lol. I'll have to find some really thick rubber gloves or something.

The wires are new Autolite "Professional Series"...I only mention that in case they're notoriously bad or something and I'm the only one on earth that doesn't know this.

 

Pull the fuel pump relay and shoot starting fluid or carb cleaner down its throat. If it lights off you have a fuel issue. If doesn't, it's a spark issue.

 

You got a compression gauge you can shove in a spark plug hole?

Did you spin the oil pump/prime engine before trying to start? Hate grinding on an new engine that won't fire.

Take a rubber band & tie the plug to exhaust manifold or bare engine part.

Can you go into a bit of detail on re manufactured?

 

The engine is a NAPA "Ironclad" re manufactured 460.
I did prime the oil system before installing it - my first effort at this left me with one rocker arm not flowing. I pulled the lifter, pumped it up in a bowl of oil, reinstalled it, and then it flowed properly. Bottom line is it had oil flowing up all the push rods and over all the rocker arms before installing it.

Since I have the plugs out already, at your recommendation I did a compression test (dry): 148 on all cylinders.

 

Did you try the starting fluid/carb cleaner yet?

 

Yes, I pulled the fuel pump relay first. Then put a dose of starting fluid in there and got a big ol' boom! backfire out of the throttle body.

So that means timing, right?

I'm going to go back to square one with finding top-dead-center on cylinder #1 and installing the distributor.

I've been all over this thing for so long now maybe I'm just not seeing something...some sort of diabolical can't see the forest for the trees type scenario (?).

 

When you got the engine, did it already have the timing cover installed? It does sound like a timing issue, almost like the dots on the gears weren't lined up properly. However, I could be wrong. I seem to remember having the same issue on a rebuild bowtie 350 about 20 or so years ago, and it being the timing gears weren't lined up properly from the remanufacturer.

 

If you can do it in such a manner as to feel certain (suction prior to compression) then the only other way is pulling a valve cover & watching the valves on #1.

 

I went back to square one with the distributor.

First I took the adapter off of my compression tester. Then I taped a finger from a rubber glove over the end to make a little balloon. I threaded it into cylinder #1 spark plug hole. Turned the engine over with a socket wrench and watched the "balloon" blow up as the timing marks came around to TDC. Then I checked the distributor rotor...180* out!.

An intense, but short lived blow to the ol' ego.

Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

Don't feel bad. Happens all the time. You'll have guys swear up and down their timing is right only to have it 180 out.

 

That's a novel idea with the balloon. I've used the compression gauge hose part without the gauge, and aimed it down towards the front of the engine, so I could feel the air when I cranked with the breaker bar from below.

I've heard that leaving it that way reduces your chances of getting rear-ended by 99%

Glad ya got it figured out.