I have a 1984 F-150 with a 4.9 L. Inline 6 cylinder, of which I have been the proud owner for 4 months. Throughout this time I have done an almost complete body restoration. And up until about a month ago it was in fine mechanical condition.

The trouble started when I was driving and the engine completely stalled. I pulled over and after some troubleshooting I found out it wasn't getting any gas. Looking at the potential problems I checked the lines and the fuel filter, all good. decided to replace the fuel pump.

This didn't solve the problem. After more troubleshooting I found that the fuel selector valve (dual tanks) was bad. After replacing the truck ran fine. Next the heat and blinkers would randomly not go on at all. some days yes, some days no, and it would be off the while driving turn back on. I replaced the fuses. it didn't fix the problem.

Two weeks later the truck starts to stall then catches itself and then restarts, continuing this on and off. some days alt. someday none. After talking to a friend i was told many older ford trucks have a neg. battery cable problem. Upon looking at mine i realized mine was very bad. I replaced it. no fix. I took it into our school shop and put it on a 1960s engine scope. The results were that when the engine started to stall the screen blanked out. indicating that the engine wasn't getting any spark. after looking at the distributor cap i realized it had obviously just been replaced, it was all in great shape, no marks or humidity. the rotor was also fine. so after trouble shooting some more i had though that i had narrowed it down to being the ignition coil. so i replaced it. No fix still.


I then consulted a mechanic his advice over the phone was it was probably the voltage regulator in the alternator. so i had it tested it was only putting out 13.2 amps at 2000 rpm when it is supposed to be around 61 amps. I replaced it also. it seemed to temporally fix the problem for the night. The next morning it was back to the same stall, diesel, restart. I have found when it stalls all the way if I turn the key quickly it will restart before it fully dies. I'm at a dead end I'm not sure what is wrong. I wonder if it might be in the ignition system because the heater and blinkers still don't work and they seem to be connected (the stalling and heater and blinker). But I'm not really sure.

I'm tired of replacing working parts. I have neither the money or patience to continue this endless chase. Please give advice. Thanks, John

 

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What Ignition system do you have TFI or duraspark?

 

Could be a mouse nest or something shorting out the wires inside the dash. Maybe when it vibrates from the engine running, the wires come together, and it acts as though the ignition shuts off. Might explain why other electronic components in that area aren't working either.

 

follow all of your ground wires, including the one from body to engine. Second, test your fusible links that are all attached to your solenoid. third, but the least likely, is your tfi module is going out( not heater/turns related). My 87 Bronco II would lose all battery power, til I accidentally bumped the passenger fender and the lights came back on. Ended up a fusible link was loose on the solenoid. however visual inspection won't tell you much, you need to prod it with a multi-meter.

 

The electrical problem is the electrical ignition switch (not the key switch) which is under the steering column, it controls ALL the electrical including the blinkers and anything that's electrical....