I just got an '83 F-250, standard, 5.8L 351w 4x4 and I basically got it for the oversize tires and wheels, all for $600 deliverd to me. Thetruck itself is in GREAT shape, I have never seen such a clean interior and a dashpad that has all the speaker holes in tact and only one little crack, it looks new! The person I got it from says it was left at his building by a tenant years ago and ran fine as far as he knew, but was parked , had some sort of issue and was left.

My question is how to approach trying to get it started... it doesnt have a battery so after that obvious addition my concerns are that: 1) Theres is a spark plug unscrewed laying out plugged into a wire (maybe he couldnt get a spark?). 2) The air filter assembly is undone and laying on top (maybe he was spraying in some starter fluid?) 3) Most concerning is that the seat is undone and when I looked under it I noticed an "Electronic Computer Control"... maybe thats what he was trying to get at?

The truck most likely sat around for several years (it was last inspected in '05). Now I have been told everything from "its fine, just pop a battery in and let her rip, to "you probably need a new computer... (and where to find one, expense?) to "You need some sort of miracle oil (I forget the name) that mixes with your fuel incase there is surface rust in the engine from sitting so long before you run it.

So... what to do, in order of concern to not make matters worse, yet not spend $350 on a rebuilt computer I dont need. I figure I will put some drygas, maybe some Staybil, and some new gas in the tank. Put a good, new high CCA battery in, replace the spark plug and just see what happens. What do folks think? Anything I should be careful of weary of? Anything cheap I should replace while I am at it to be safe (solenoid, etc.)?

Thanks!

 

If it were me, I would:

Drain & replace the oil & filter, look for signs of water or foreign material.

Remove all the spark plugs and dump about a quart of tranny fluid into the
carb & spark plug holes while turning over the engine by hand (put a socket
on the harmonic balancer bolt).

Check & top off all other fluids.

If a mechanical fuel pump, cranking the engine by hand should be sufficient
to pump fuel up to the carb; look down the throat while opening the throttle
by hand and look for healthy streams of gas flowing into the carb.

Check all belts & rubber hoses for breaks or leaks, fix or replace as necessary.

Clean contacts on dizzy cap & rotor, install spark plugs & wires (MAKE SURE
CONNECTED ON CAP CORRECTLY).

It's probably not a bad idea to drain and clean out the gas tank as best you
can, there's a chance it's rusty inside. Regardless, I'd ensure it has at least 5
or so gallons of gas.

Ensure major electrical components are connected - solenoid, coil, computer
(if present), etc.

Install battery, see what electrical stuff works; if EFI or electrical fuel
pumps, putting the key in RUN should allow the fuel pump(s) to run for a few
seconds before they shut off.

Try and start it, see what happens. I fully don't expect it to start (or run
well if it does) but you'll then be at the point of knowing what you have, you
just gotta figure out the problem(s) from there - does it have fuel, spark &
compression.

 

Gonna try this tomorrow. Gas tank sounds empty so I will grab another fuel filter too. How long should I turn this by hand while putting the ATF in the spark plug holes and carb? I assume I turn a little, pour a little, pour a little more, etc. and divide the ATF by roughly 1/9 into each spot? Gas in tank first in case mechanical fuel pump too? Wish me luck!

 

Oh, yeah, I remember this!

In my opinion, the more fuel filters you have, the better. If you've never seen inside of a
rusty gas tank, they can get pretty grody. If it's been totally dry for 5 years, I'd also be
thinking that perhaps any rubber fuel lines & strainers inside of it might have dry rotted.
I'd be inclined to put one of those inline filters on it, right before the carb, the kind that's
approximately the size of a peach.

You bring up a good point, add fuel to the tank before cranking the engine by hand. It
hadn't occurred to me that your entire fuel line from tank to carb might be empty, I've
seen it take around half a minute of cranking with the starter motor to get fuel up to the
carb again.

How long to crank the engine by hand? Good question... What you're trying to do is
distribute lubricaton into as much of the inner workings of the engine as possible. If I
were doing this, I guess I'd dump prolly an entire quart of ATF down the carb and hope it
gets distributed to all cylinders equally. It's likely NOT going to do that, though, but ya do
the best you can.

I've got a handheld oil can with a flexible outlet tube, such a device might make it easier
to try and distribute ATF as completely as possible to the outer edges of all of the
pistons. But, trying to fit the can down between the engine & wheel covers can be
problematic, so you'll just have to do the best you can.

I guess I would squirt a bunch into the spark plugs, then dump about 1/3rd of a quart
down the carb, then turn the engine over a few times. Rinse & repeat until two quarts
have been used up.

After that point, I'd probably use the starter motor to turn it over. At some point during all
this (and there are no rotten rubber fuel lines or anything) there should be fuel up at the
carb; see if there are strong streams being injected into the manifold as you fully open
the throttle by hand.

From there, install the plugs & wires (ENSURE YOUR FIRING ORDER IS CORRECT)
and anything else necessary, then try to fire it up and see what happens.

If it starts, it's going to make a LOT of blue smoke out the exhaust for a while.

Make sure your spark plugs are relatively clean and gapped correctly; until all the oil
burns off, it may interfere a bit with their operation but clean plugs shouldn't have a
problem for such a short duration.

The bolt that holds on the harmonic balancer, I think that's a 15/16ths bolt.

While you're down there, you might take the opportunity to clean the markings indicating
the ignition timing in case you want to hook up a timing light to it at some point.

Let us know how it goes!

 

You shouldn't have a ECM,on an 83 v8,maybe your looking at the dsII modual.

 

My truck's an '83 F250 too, (ex California) - with EEC III, Duraspark III, & underseat computer; originally 302 though.

 

QFT. You should also drop the tank to drain out all the old nasty ****, and blow out the lines with compressed air. No use adding new fuel if the tank is half full of varnish and sludge.

 

Grrr.... I did all this. When it came time to try and start it with the key, it made a slight humming noise somewhere and thats it. More troubling the negativeterminal started to smoke a little, and was hot to the touch. The lights work though.

HELP!

 

Are the connections on the battery cables corroded? Could be causing a high resistance connection.

 

The battery is brand new and the connections (while not great) arent bad either. When I turn the key to the 'on' position there is a loud alarm signal type buzzing. When I turn the key to start theres a click and a very low hum. I did a cursory check before it got too dark and the only connection I saw loose was where the negative line goes directly from the battery to the engine block, and from there to the starter.... it was loosened on purpose very loose, so I wratheded it back on tight. Any ideas.... I really want to see this beast start and see what I have. PLEASE HELP!

 

This is normal.

Sounds like a bad solenoid, now that you mention the click.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty88

When I turn the key to the 'on' position there is a loud alarm signal type buzzing.

Probably the Fasten Seat Belts buzzer.

Quote:

When I turn the key to start theres a click and a very low hum. I did a cursory check before it got too dark and the only connection I saw loose was where the negative line goes directly from the battery to the engine block, and from there to the starter.... it was loosened on purpose very loose, so I wratheded it back on tight.

I agree with the others, it sounds like it could be bad or corroded electrical
connections, or a bad starter solenoid. The starter motor generally grounds
through the engine block, the block is generally connected directly to the
battery's negative post. The symptoms you are describing can be caused by
bad or corroded connections, as well as bad cables. Check & clean all of them,
as well as the positive ones.

 

I'll try cleaning the connections better all the way down to and including where they meet the starter. Maybe not a critical detail but the "click" when I turn the key is more like a very slight thud, not a sharp click. Like the sound that it would make if someone flicked the inside of the plastic wheel well with a gloved finger once.

Any chance the starter could be 'stuck' since its been sitting so long? Maybe if the starter is in a stuck position it would cause the battery terminal to overwork with no 'give' and smoke a little and heat up? Any way to try and loosen that up if so like I did with the crank shaft with the harmonic balancer? Or would I have to take it off and do something?

Anyway... cleaning all connections first....

Thanks for the help so far!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty88

Maybe not a critical detail but the "click" when I turn the key is more like a very slight thud, not a sharp click. Like the sound that it would make if someone flicked the inside of the plastic wheel well with a gloved finger once.

It's hard to convery this kind of thing using writing, I know.

It can be two things:

1) The solenoid itself, it's magnetically operated and makes a loud click as it
closes the connection.

2) The starter motor's Bendix as the starter motor comes into contact with the
flywheel or flex plate in order to turn the engine.

My first thought was, "OMG I wonder if his engine is seized" but you turned it
over by hand and lubed it up so I guess it's not.

When you were turning it by hand, did you notice if the rotor under the
distributor cap was also turning?

I hope the problem is something as minor as the possibilities that have been
isted here....

 

Thanks... could the flywheel or flexplate be stuck or wold that have loosened up when I turned everything else by hand?

First thing after a good connections check would be replacing solenoid then?