hello i am seventeen and i own a 1985 F-150 with a 300 i-6 motor. The other day i was driving down the interstate when my engine just quits (i heard a thump if that is significant)i checked to see if it was pumping fuel.. andit wasnt so i think okay its jst the fuel pump not a problem .i replace fuel punpthinking that my truck would run again... when i turn the key the engine cranks but it will not start ..even when i pour fuel into the carb.( i noticed the new fuel pump wasnt pumping ) i check spark there isnt any spark I need all the expertise i can get if u have any ideas please comment .. im completly stumped

My neighbor said something about a timing chain i have no clue what it is or what that means but could the timing chain cause the fuel pump not to work and for the engine not to have any spark?

 

The 300 doent have a timing chain, it has timing gears. And if it isnt getting spark, then you need to start with the spark plugs, and work back through the ignition system.

 

It's extremely doubtful you have both no spark and no fuel.
I trust you know how to check for spark, so if you say there's no spark, then you should have fuel. Attack the spark situation.
Now to die suddenly says it's not plugs, wires, cap...could be rotor, coil, a loose wire.
I think I'd start looking for a dangling wire around the distributor and coil.
This is carbed?

 

Your neighbor might have something there except this motor does not have a timeing chain, the cam is gear driven. The fuel pump runs off the cam, and the cam spins the distributor. My guess is the cam is not spinning. To check, pull the distributor cap off and see if the rotor spins when you turn the motor over. You might need a new cam, and more. The cam gear has a key for alignment that might have sheared off. I am trying to look on the bright cheap side but ..... Good luck. Maybe someone else has better news for you.. Try to enjoy your summer. It might be a tall, long learning curve to fix it yourself, but it will help to keep you out of trouble with the girls.

 

YEP ITS CARB'D.
iS THERE ANY WAY ANY ONE OF YOU GUYS HAS A WIRING DIAGRAM SO THAT I KNOW WHICH WIRES COULD BE LOOSE/TORN OF THE IGNITION SYSTEM
IF THE CAM TURNS OUT TO BE THE PROBLEM HOW MUCH DO YOU ESTIMATE IT WILL COST ME IF I DO THE WORK MY SELF

 

You don't need a wiring diagram to find a loose wire.

 

Did you check to see if the rotor spins when you crank the motor? The rotor is found under the distributor cap. Two screws hold the cap on. The distributor is on the driverside and has 7 spark plug wires that come out of the top. The rotor spins and makes a connection that supplies spark to the spark plugs. No spin, no spark to the spark plugs. If it is the cam, I have a gut feel that it will cost you the summer and most of the money you can scrach up if you try to fix it yourself over the internet. Go to the public libary or a used book store and study up on this motor. The cars and trucks are getting so good now days it's common that the young guys don't have the experience the gray backs had when they were young watching shade tree wrenchers trying to keep thier rigs alive. My friends son did not know what a sparkplug was at the age of 15. Hopefully you will find the coil wire is not connected when you start looking at the rotor, or a bad distributor cap ,or rotor. Keep your eyes peeled and head calm.

 

85= fiber cam gear, known for stripping teeth at the worst time. Replace it with a steel timing gear set, you should be good to go. You might also want to pull the oil pan to get all the pieces of gear out.
Don't crank it over too much, without the cam spinning, the oil pump isn't turning either, so no lube to the bearings.

 

...okay i got the book.. and the cost of parts should be about 100 i am going to i alreadyhave the radiator out and the ac out .. tand theres alot more things to remove ... atleast i dont hvae top pull the engine.... any things that i will run into that ihvae to caution with ... I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR HELP, THANK YOU
....OH YEAH .. IT HAS GEARS NOT A CHAIN.

 

Hey 4x4, Did you check to see if the rotor spins when you crank the motor? I guess you checked or you would not have pulled the radiator. If/when you pull the oil pan off to clean the old gear pieces out, clean the oil pump pick up screen out also. You will see it when/if you pull the oil pan. Please post back with info on the rotor spinning or some other way you found out that you need a new cam/gear, if that is what you are getting ready to do. If you are like me, I hate to do work that is not necessary, and it was my bright idea that sent you chasing after a bad cam. Keep us informed. That way we all benifit. Thanks.

 

just replace the oil pickup screen.

they are hard to clean the way they are made. less than 20 bucks at advance auto

 

Amen - I bought a screen from Autozone two days ago for $14.99.

 

The timing gear is missing half of its teeth and i cannot seem to get the damn thing to line up so that i can remove the throst bolts .. .... i take out the thrust bolts and put the bolts from the puller in thier place right ?i cant even get the smaller gear(crankshaft?) to budge....BUT im almost there .. its taken way ro long and i just want to get this job DONE!!

 

So not chasing the chicks? When I rebuilt my motor this year a press was used to press that cam gear inplace with the cam out of the motor. My Chilton book says to crank the engine until the timing marks on the camshaft and crankshaft gears are aligned. Not sure if will help getting the gears off from where I am sitting, but... The book then says to use a gear puller to remove both of the timing gears. The gears are not straight cut gears. They might be jaming against each other if the shafts are not free to turn. Ya know what I mean? You might have to pull the spark plugs to loose compression. Another thing to do if it's a mauual trans is get a tire off the ground and rock the engine over as you try to pull the gear. Go find a chick to help. I know a couple of tricks for tight fitting items. One is pentration oil. A old timer trick is to apply the oil and tap on the part with a small hammer. It helps vibrate the part so the oil can get into the parts. This takes time. Don't rush it. The other trick is heat. You want to heat that cam gear to make it bigger. Try not to get the cam hot, cause that will grow too if you get it hot. Another thing to try is to tap on the end of the puller screw when you have it in place on the gear. To get more help on this if this does not work for you, repost your problem again. It's been awhile, huh. Hey, I am kind of proud of you for sticking to it. Don't forget to realign the timing markes when you button it up. And another thing, post back so we know how your doing, knuckel head...

 

Hey young buck. I reposted this artical today as "Timing chain? HELP II". You have some good info there for ya. Good luck....and take your time... do it once.