I have a 1991 F-150, inline-6, manual, half ton. The past couple of days my truck will die on me as I am driving down the road. It is as if the ignition switch is shut off. After it dies and I get it stopped, it may take 10-15 seconds to restart it. It will run a minute or two and then usually die again (like switch shut off). After I get it restarted, I usually do not have any more problem the rest of 'that' trip. batterys..good, Alternator..good, . It does not seem to be a fuel issue at all, but an electrical issue. I am thinking fuses or relays, but have no idea of what or how to check them to see if they are giving me problems.

Thanks for any suggestions.


Brother Les
'91 half ton
2001 SD 7.3

 

The power wire corroded off the fuel pump relay on my truck last year.. symptoms were exactly as you describe.

 

Symptoms of a pick-up coil, AKA stator assy, in the distributor.

 

Thank-you for the replies. When I started it up today and let it idle, it sounded as if it had a miss in it and the RPMs would slowly go down and then die as if it were shut off by the key. Most of the time I could keep reving it up and it would run...with what seemed like a miss.

How do you test a Stator Assembly?

I have a Service Manual. and when it says...do not attempt to replace stator without an arbor press..... I tend to think that I may be getting over my head.

When it comes to taking out the distributor and working on it, I think it may be best to go to someone who does this for a living.


Thank-you
Brother Les

 

Pulling/replacing a distributor is not a real big job but yea putting it back in must be done right.

First take out #1 plug, turn the motor with a wrench or have someone jog it a little at a time with the key while you hold your finger over the plug hole. When you feel it blow your finger off the hole the piston is at, or very near top dead center. Fine tune its position in the bore using a long screwdriver down the plug hole. Use a socket on the big bolt in the center of the pulley on the front of the main shaft. Put the tip if the screw driver in the plug hole on top of the piston and turn the motor a back and forth until you locate absolute TDC with the piston in the bore. If you have it right the timing pointer will be pointing at "0"TDC on the graph marked out on the harmonic balance wheel and the rotor will point at number one spark plug wire in the cap.
Follow the #1 plug wire up to the distributor cap and note its location, remove the cap. The rotor will point at that wire if you have it right, mark or note the position of the body of the distributor as well. Use a short straight edge on the flat area for where the TFI module is or would be on the body and make a reference mark on the firewall. How you do it is irrelevant just so when you put it back in you can be real close so it will start, then fine tune with a timing light.

Ok so if everything is lined up, you noted the rotor and body's position and you are confident you have it right you can now pull the retainer bolt and lift out the distributor. It may be stuck, turn it back and forth and pull up on it.
Do your repairs to it and drop it back in referencing your notes as to rotor and then body position, you will notice the need for the rotor to “rotate” to its final location on the way in. You may have to lift it out, move it a tooth and back in again until you get it in the right position but it will go.
The distributor has to line up gear to gear with the cam and line up with the octagon drive shaft for the oil pump.
The motor doesn’t have to be brought to TDC on number one, those that have done it before can pull and replace one with the crank in any position but learn/do it right the first couple times to you get the hang of it.

If you want to give it a go and want or need more help just ask, plenty of people here that can walk you through it.

If it has high mileage consider replacing it with a new one, you will recoupe the extra cost fast in better gas millage.

 

Thank-you for the posts, but....? There is one other issue going on. When the truck dies, there seems to be a lot of electrical noise going on in the insturment panel. The RPM gauge will bounce a little and there is this 'cackling' noise. Also, the fuel pump 'engaugement sound' is gone. I can turn the truck off and and back to 'on' (not start location on key) and sometimes the electrical cackling noise will start up again 'or' the fuel pump noise will 'power up' and I can start/crank the truck. Even with the 'cackling noise going on, if I try to crank it over I can...but will not start.

Is this the Distributor or a fuel pump issue?

Thank-you
Brother Les

 

My post wasn't to say the distributor was good or bad, just to outline the swap if needed.

Your last post, #6 would suggest a electrical problem more then the distributor or fuel pump issue judging by the sounds "cracking or cackling" you hear behind the dash. Coupled with the gauge bounce and general varied response or inconsistency's to power "on" "off" "on" cycles.

I'd take a long hard look at the wiring and connectors up behind the dash, and everywhere else just to make sure that is not the problem.

Things like distributors, gauges, fuel pumps, ignition modules and everything else electric these vehicle's have just don't work well with loose or corroded connections at them, or elsewhere along the way to and fro.

 

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Thanks Danr1, that is what I took it as, an outline. My 21 year old daughter drives this truck all of the time and her discriptions are always a little lacking on what is going on. I don't mind getting dirty and tearing stuff up...to fix it. I just don't have the time to chase ghosts (who does...) I will start pulling and cleaning the wire harness. I would sure hate to take it to a mechanic and have him tell me that a wire was loose under the dash. Thanks everyone

I will let you know what I find

Brother Les

 

I think I speak for all of us when I say we don't want you chasing ghosts but we don't want you replacing parts one at a time trying to find the problem either.

The connections on these trucks tend to be water/weather tight unless damaged or lose for the most part. Look for connectors damaged in some way. You may find it was a weak connection and caused it to get hot and then melt the plug and or metal connector in the plug itself. Making for a hit and miss connection, when no juice flows its "cold" so it makes good contact, once juice flows it heats up and it stops or is intermittent. Them are the kinda things I was suggesting you look for.
Even if you find nothing sometimes the act of unplugging and then plugging the "questionable" looking connectors back together again can do a world of good. Gives it a fresh bite so to speak.

Only take you few minutes to give it a good going over, then you know you have a good base to work with.


And yea I bet we all know how it is if your not the daily driver of a vehicle, my wife will complain of a problem but then every time I drive her car to hear/feel it for myself works fine. But the problem happens for her every time she drive it! Just makes her furious to no end when that happens!

 

Pulled wires everwhere and tested pump relay and nodda. Wednesday I took it to a garage and as of Thursday, they could not track down the source of the electrical problem. I am a little leary to call them today to see 'if' theyfixed it and what the cost will be....

 

I got my truck back today (They knew that they had some time to trace down the problem) They checked every wire that they could find... relays... fuel pumps and pressures OK.... Sometimes it would run fine and then it would shut down and the relays would start chattering and the gauges in the dash would go crazy. They went to a junk yard and got a 'computer' (this is a '91 and does not have a lot of 'compter' junk on it) and plugged it in.... they drove it around for two days and it never died and even runs a lot better. They had it 6 days...looking at it off and on.

cost: 75$ used 'computer"
100$ 'labor' 2.5 hours ( 40 per hr.) (I think three guys were looking at it and put in around 20 hrtime.)


Total with tax 179 $

I am happy as it could have been... who knows how high it 'could' have been