Hey everyone, I'm starting this thread to troubleshoot a problem I've been having with my 1983 F350, 351 windsor.

I bought the truck December of 2022 from Texas, not in running condition, has been sitting in a field for 10 years more or less. It was a USAF truck, then donated to Texas forest service. It had 69,000 miles on it when I bought it, it now has about 72,000 miles on it. I had it hauled to NC to a shop to have it fixed up enough to be a daily driver. The motor was seized, the shop got the motor unseized, rebuilt the carburetor, it looks like they replaced the solenoid as well. Around September 2023, the truck was running pretty reliably, it did need some coaxing and pushing of the gas pedal to stay running but I know that's pretty typical of cold starts of trucks from that era, not my first time dealing with that. I then had the truck sent to an audio shop to have a stereo installed. They wired the stereo in series with the rest of the wiring in the truck, and noticed that sometimes the radio wouldn't turn on when starting the truck. They suggested that there could be something wrong with the fusebox that would cause that problem. What they ended up doing was wiring the stereo parallel to the truck wiring, so now I can turn the radio on independent of the truck. I haven't done anything to address the supposed fusebox issue.

In early January 2024, I had a shop install a new brake master cylinder and brake booster because my master cylinder was leaking fluid and the brake light was on. One day while they were working on those parts, they started the truck to check the light, and the truck wouldn't crank; they thought the battery was dead. They ran a diagnostic on the battery, but it was perfectly fine. It was running at 12v, wasn't drained. They put the battery back in and the truck ran fine.

Mid January, I drive the truck from NC to Maine in 1 day. It performs flawlessly, no issues at all. I do hit some gnarly potholes on the way. I drive the truck around for a few weeks, and I start having this problem where the entire truck just shuts off while driving, always at the beginning of my driving session. I go to crank it, and all I hear is a click when I turn the key. This has happened a few times, and it randomly starts back up. There was one time where it died, I wiggled the solenoid around, and it started fine.

The most recent problem I've had is that the truck starts to turn over, but will not start. The battery is fine, all the lights and radio work fine. The truck just will not start. I have shop #1 look at what could be wrong, and this is the report they send:

"pushed truck inside shop, truck would turn over consistently with no problems. checked battery, tested good. checked for spark at #5 wire, had spark. checked for spark at ignition coil, had strong spark. checked carb for fuel, could smell fuel and pulled all 8 spark plugs, found some plugs with cracked porcelain and some plugs were way under gapped almost touching electrode. also plugs were excessively fouled and smelled like fuel.pulled fuel hose from pump to be sure was pumping enough fuel just to verify and it was. replaced properly gapped new plugs just to be sure but still no start. then performed compression test at wide open throttle with all plugs pulled from motor, OEM spec is 150psi.. all cylinders have very low compression 80 to 75 psi. tried a wet compression test on a few of the cylinders with very low compression and it raised compression only by about 3psi. finally did a vacuum test at the intake port while cranking and engine has ZERO vacuum. did not to leak down test due to the conclusion that the rings are so worn that its pretty obvious with no engine vacuum while cranking shows that rings are worn and compression is too low for the engine to create combustion. also can detect fuel in crankcase after cranking for while. fuel is going past the piston rings into the oil pan. engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced., No MPI Performed, Diagnosis Of Concern Only"

Shop #1 then recommends me to someone more specialized, Shop #2. Shop #2 suggests that it jumped timing, takes a deeper look, finds that the truck didn't jump timing, but found that the distributor was out of phase. He replaced the spark plugs, distributor, and distributor wires, phases the distributor correctly, and the truck starts up fine. Another thing that mechanic does is open the choke all the way on the stock 2bbl carb to help more with cold starts. I drive away from his shop on Friday, March 1st. I notice that it requires more pressing of the gas pedal to start than it did before, even after all this work to help make the engine run better, but the truck cranks fine, and runs fine once it is warm. Yesterday, I let the truck idle for about 20 mins during my lunch break at 1pm; it starts fine, idles fine. I get off work at 5pm, go to start the truck, and I experience the same problem again; the truck starts to turn over, but doesn't start. I try to turn it over three or four more times, but nothing happens. I then leave it alone to prevent any flooding or electrical issues from extensive key turning and pedal pumping. What is going on?

 

I think your answer is right here:

Quote:

fuel is going past the piston rings into the oil pan. engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced

and
When running you should be seeing more than 14v and when static the bat voltage should be more than 12.5v . 12v is actually very low

Not what your asking but people with old trucks with problems go broke quickly if they need to pay shops to keep it alive. Might be better off with a newer more reliable vehicle even if it comes with a payment.

 

the 12v is autocorrect, my apologies. The takeaway is that the battery is testing fine.

We're talking about my dream vehicle here, a crew cab long bed 4x4 srw. Not many of those on the east coast, and not many cheap for that matter. Needless to say, it's going to take a lot more for me to give this up. I'll try out a new motor before I do that.

 

If it cranks and then will not crank, randomly, the most frequent cause of that is faulty or loose battery cables. This is the large battery cables. You already stated that it would not crank one day, you went out and wiggle the large wire on the starter solenoid and it cranked. I would put new large wires on it, positive and negative from the battery to the block and the battery to the solenoid and then the solenoid to the starter.

 

The problem that I believe is with the solenoid/solenoid wiring is that the starter wont even crank at all. All I hear is a click, and nothing else. I do believe that something is just loose or needs replacing in that part of the engine bay, I'd suspect its the wire from the solenoid to the starter because the battery wires are new, and the solenoid appears new. I wiggled the solenoid itself and it cranked and ran, not the wires to the solenoid. The problem currently is that the starter is cranking, but the engine is not turning over, it's just the starter cranking indefinitely, which means there is power going to the starter.

 

It sounds like there are a few different things going on with the truck.
Some times a no crank. You said you moved the cables or wires at the solenoid and it cranked so I would look there first.
Pull all the wires / cables and clean with a wire brush and sand paper.
The solenoid also need to have a good ground where it is bolted to. Remove it and clean where it bolts to and the solenoid.

Now not knowing what solenoid they went with they have been known that the cheap one only work a short time and stop working.
This is where you put up money and buy top of the line solenoid and dont look back.
I would also check to make sure the solenoid is getting a signal, small wire on the S lug, when the key is turned to start.
It is also known the IGN switch on the steering column could be going bad. A no crank and no power to fuse box is a sign it could be bad.
They get a lot of dirt inside them and fail. You can try and remove it and spray it with electrical cleaner & lube and see if that works.
When you put it back in you need to put a pin thru the switch, key off and bolt it down so it gets lined up right.

The IGN switch and a good solenoid are pretty cheap and you can replace then unless you have feet for hands
Re placing them may fix the no start if the IGN switch is not sending power to the box for spark when it should.

But I think you need to do something about the worn out motor.
Maybe pick up a newer 351 from a junk yard and drop it in. It may even have a roller cam so dont have to worry about flat cam lobes.
Dave ----

 

I'm not sure what solenoid was installed but the most expensive solenoid I see is about $50, not a bad hit at all. Replacing all of the wiring makes sense too, I've been thinking about the corrosion and rotting rubber sitting in the Texas heat for decades....

In regards to the ignition switch, I have a totally rebuilt steering column from Steering Columns Galore. I dont know what kind of parts they use in the rebuild. Maybe there still could be a bad switch, but it's not the old switch that came from the factory.

 

Cranking without starting means you need to check for fuel and spark. One of those may be missing.

 

i immediately thought bad ground. that could be the random issue yiur having, you can fix that, but it also sounds like the engine needs rebuild. or buy a crate engine and put one in.

 

Wow a lot going on here reading this thread so I don't agree with some of these old pros and their advice so I can just offer mine what I would suggest if you like get you a book or several books on that engine model and truck and learn as much as you can get you some basic tools and start there ask a lot of questions like you're doing maybe even find a friend that could Overlook some of what you're doing offering friendly advice. Just start small and simple.

 

Ok so all you had to do was plug in the trucks harness to the new column if so then OK on the IGN switch.
I was just thinking a no crank and power at the fuse box for the radio would have been abad switch, not that it still cant be

As for replacing the wiring and vacuum lines.
Most of the time wiring is OK but when you said you moved the wires at the solenoid I was thinking bad / dirty connection at the solenoid and this dose happen.
Yea $50 is not bad but when broke it can be. The other thing when you ask for a solenoid the parts person will always look up the cheap ones and pull it first.
They dont know if you have looked on line and with whom for a price?
You see on line ones for $25 and he pulls out the $50 you are like H*LL No! I seen it for $25 and I want that one only to have it fail in a week or 2 and then another $25 and the down time.

You need to get the motor to crank every time you turn the key before looking into other things at least I would.
It could just be a dirty connection at the solenoif and not grounded good?
If it is cranking good all the time sorry I cant read right
Dave ----

 

Ah, where to begin?

Low compression? Big click but no response from the starter? Starter cranks but engine will not run? Engine shuts off while driving? Wonky wiring to the stereo? Seems like you've got a LOT going on here, probably more than one fault.

Are you having all work done by a shop? Or are you doing some of it yourself? Expenses can add up quickly if paying to have work done. Most of the troubleshooting you can do yourself at no expense, so I'd suggest that first even if paying to have various repairs done.

1) At the top of the list, your starter should get the crankshaft spinning at a good strong clip each and every start attempt. Whether the engine actually starts is another matter. Treat that separately. Test the starter system as described here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html

That test is a hybrid which confirms two important functions: The battery can supply the massive flow of electrons required by the starter, and the cables and all connections (including the starter relay) can deliver those same electrons without undue restriction. I can't stress strongly enough how important this test is for basic troubleshooting, so please don't skip it.

2) Your starter relay may be a piece of junk. More light reading here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...i-mean-it.html

The Cliff Notes version: The starter relay is an important part of the starter system. Lots of replacements brands out there are crap. Details of how to test it are in the two links above. If needed, be sure to spring for a top quality replacement. This is one of those instances where you truly get what you pay for.

3) The ignition switch: Even though your aftermarket steering column is new, I'm sure the design uses an OEM style ignition switch. It's basically 4 separate switches (poles) inside a common housing, all actuated simultaneously. I can't see any aftermarket supplier investing tons of money to produce their own proprietary switch when the OEM design works just fine.

The big question: Is your ignition switch operating properly? Sounds like maybe not. Who knows what brand was installed? Here's an easy method to test the ignition switch, whether installed on a factory or aftermarket steering column:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...on-switch.html

A failed or misadjusted ignition switch could also explain the engine cutting off and the wiring problems the stereo shop encountered. Don't just rush out and replace the switch, but do test it carefully.


4) Low Compression: I was taught never condemn an engine solely due to a cranking compression test. There are so many variables, including engine temperature, battery state of charge, starter speed, etc. You'd want to repeat the test with the engine warm, battery fully charged, and starter system in top condition. If still bad, do a leakdown test to confirm the source of the low compression.

Considering how much other stuff presently is going on, I'd clean up those areas first before digging into the possible low compression. Even if the engine totally failed and needs replacement, those other items will still need attention.

 

....................

 

Truck started fine today. Not sure why!

My engine mechanic thinks the stock carburetor is partially the culprit. Smog era 2 barrel, gunked up with carbon he said, if i recall correctly. Which makes me think about what I should do about replacing that. Get an aftermarket 2 barrel carb? A 4 barrel carb and a new manifold? I've been looking at the Holley and Edelbrock off road carburetors because I do plan on off roading and it'd be nice not to have to worry about my carb not flooding. Hell, it's hilly enough where I live that even driving around sometimes sounds like the carb wants to flood or isn't distributing fuel correctly. It only does that when I'm on steeper inclines driving around town. I could also see how an off road carb isn't appropriate for my application.

I've also been looking at EFI. 2 barrel efi? 4 barrel efi? I've been looking at reviews of the Holley sniper kit, and have been seeing mixed reviews. I have noticed that a lot of discussions on those off road carbs and efi systems are approaching 10-20 years old. Not sure what to think about that.

Other than that, I think it's worth mentioning testing wiring/electrical everywhere. It seems like that is also partially the culprit.

 

Get some starting fluid, the next time you have trouble take the aircleaner off and squirt some down in the carb throat. If it tries to run then that is verification it is a fuel problem. If it still does nothing, it may be spark which could be several things including the wiring. Two major directions to go here, it would be nice to know for sure which direction to take.