1985 Full Size Eddie Bauer Bronco, 5.0 EFI Automatic

Drove the truck like normal one day to a shopping center, no troubles. Have lunch get back into the truck start it, shifted to reverse, truck dies. I try to restart it and it doesn't. Turns over but doesn't start, every once in awhile it starts turning as if there was no spark plugs in the heads.

I tow it home. Throw the computer reader on it and tells me the SPOUT is grounded. Okay, no big deal same thing happened with another of my trucks and it was the distributor TFI module was dead. I go ahead and buy a new distributor because old looked really toasted. Lined of TDC throw the distributor in, no change. I throw the reader on again, O, C 11. Can't get it to say anything else.

I bought straps and grounded the hell out of everything in the motor and chassis. Checked the starter at an auto shop, all good. Changed the fuel filter and checked for pressure, changed the fuel pump relay. For the life of me I cannot find the EEC power relay the wiring diagram speaks of.

I have ran out of ideas, thanks for reading.

 

"Checked for pressure" meaning with a gauge with key ON/OFF (not to START, just to ON) a few times and seeing 39 PSI or so? Or just poking at the Schrader valve and seeing some gas?

Does it have spark?

100% sure that you put the distributor in on the #1 cylinder top of compression stroke, and NOT 180 degrees out on top of the exhaust stroke? (this is such a common mistake, even among people who know better! It just takes one hurry too many...)

With the distributor cap off and set to the side, does the rotor turn when the engine is cranked?

 

Checked for pressure I meant I pressed the nipple on the fuel rail and it spits back at me. I don't have something to measure the specific pressure but I can get a gauge. The last time I put my code reader on my other EFI I recalled all of the fuel injectors solenoids clicking. When I hear the code reader go through all of the solenoids on the truck I swear I only hear one injector clicking. I replaced the fuel relay. On my schematic it shows an EEC power relay that the injectors wiring runs through too. I cannot find this EEC power relay, it is not next to the fuel relay like I can research as if there isn't one or an inline fuse somewhere.

The rotor is not free of the cam, and does turn when the motor is cranked. I set it to TDC meaning on the harmonic balance measurements. The last time I had to pull the distributor I used the balances measurements and it fired right up.

I placed a spark plug on the coil wire and started the motor and it fires just fine.

Before all of this I decided to rule out bad coil by swapping it out of a working truck. The one out of the broken Bronco starts up and drives away my 460.

Thanks for the reply!

 

In a 1994, the PCM Power Relay is a square relay in the underhood power distribution panel, along with some other relays and fuses. At least in 1994, if the PCM Power Relay was no good, then the Fuel Pump Relay would not get power, easy to check that by turning key to ON, not START, and see if you hear the fuel pump(s) run for a couple seconds, then they shut down.
It's not uncommon for the designs to change a bit after the first year or two of a new concept like EFI (lessons learned), so my 1994 can/will be different in some places than yours.

Well... yeah... if you mark the distributor case to engine, and notice exactly where the rotor is pointing before you pull the old distributor, and don't move the engine at all before installing the new distributor, and install the new distributor EXACTLY like the old one was marked and pointed, that will work. That is a lot of ifs.

Most of us turn the crankshaft to TDC on cyl. #1 COMPRESSION stroke, where the rotor will be pointing to #1, and the camshaft is in the right place. That way, we know for SURE that we have distributor, crank, and cam all phased up properly.

Otherwise, it is easy to line up the balancer on a TDC, and think all is OK, but could be one complete revolution of the crankshaft off!
Remember, in the OTTO cycle engine, the camshaft turns at 1/2 the speed of the crankshaft, to phase the valves during the 4 piston strokes per combustion cycle, so only every-other TDC of the crank will be the correct one that lines up with the valve phasing and the distributor rotor. Otherwise, the rotor will be pointing 180 degrees off, on the other side of the rotor's circle from where it should be.