Running on 7 cylinders
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Post Fiend
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,054
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From: HOUSTON, TX
Running on 7 cylinders
I am running with 7 cylinders on my 74 460
I think I am going to have to get pretty dirty here but I want to start now that the weather is warming up. What steps do I need to take to get the job done? I've helped many people build engines from scratch but never had to tear on back down to make repairs other than the normal break and fix items(plugs are newer, coil newer, dist. cap and rotor approx 2 years old. other than that nothings ever been changed on the engine.
I think I am going to have to get pretty dirty here but I want to start now that the weather is warming up. What steps do I need to take to get the job done? I've helped many people build engines from scratch but never had to tear on back down to make repairs other than the normal break and fix items(plugs are newer, coil newer, dist. cap and rotor approx 2 years old. other than that nothings ever been changed on the engine.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,299
Likes: 2
From: The Vieux Ford, Kansas
First off you need to find out why it is running on 7 instead of 8. You could just have a bad plug wire or you could have a hole in a piston two very different problems with different solutions.
-John
-John
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,501
Likes: 5
From: Faibanks Ak.
Pull the wires one at a time until you find the dead cylinder that is dead, and check the compression, to see what you are dealing with. It could be as little as a bent pushrod or bad rocker.
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Post Fiend
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,054
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From: HOUSTON, TX
Is that normal for such low miles? But I'll try that first I always like to start with the easy steps first and use deductive reasoning from there. Thanks
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Post Fiend
Joined: May 2009
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From: HOUSTON, TX
No nothing like that at all. It actually runs Great. One person told me its not worth messing with right now but come on this is my Baby. I still have to make sure which I love more, My kids or my truck! HA HA HA
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Zombie Survivalist
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 14,809
Likes: 3
From: Rock Springs, WY, USA
same questions a johnboy. my 76 ran on 7 most of the time and only on 6 part of the time but never on 8. pulled the wires one day to discover the one to the number one cylinder was shot. put some new wires on it and it ran OHSOMUCH better!
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 89
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma
I was changing plugs in my 400 and did oneside at a time did the pas side first put wires on then moved to dri side changed plugs, stated the truck ran on 4, forgot to put wires on. put wires on and ran great.
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Hi. I'm looking to get a newish F150 and I found a nice '97 3 door 4x4 for $1200, but the owner says it's only running on 7 cylinders. Is it worth it for me to get this truck? Everything else looks immaculate. Are there some things I can do when I go to look at the truck to see what the cause is? So far I see check plugs and wires. Is there anything else? I'm not a very engine savvy person, the most engine work I've ever done was a tune up on my 88 a couple months ago.
Thanks
Thanks
Zombie Survivalist
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 14,809
Likes: 3
From: Rock Springs, WY, USA
Hi. I'm looking to get a newish F150 and I found a nice '97 3 door 4x4 for $1200, but the owner says it's only running on 7 cylinders. Is it worth it for me to get this truck? Everything else looks immaculate. Are there some things I can do when I go to look at the truck to see what the cause is? So far I see check plugs and wires. Is there anything else? I'm not a very engine savvy person, the most engine work I've ever done was a tune up on my 88 a couple months ago.
Thanks
Thanks
p.s.: if you ask me, i would hold off on that 97 and find yourself a 73 to 79 model truck.
probably for the price youre lookin at for that 97, you could get a pretty dang sharp dentside. 
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 33
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I have an 88 and I have enough problems with it. I need a newer truck (I like the new look and the nicer interiors) that I can reliably haul 6,000 lbs across country with. That's not going to need a lot of upkeep.
If I have to I can just have a local shop swap the engines for me, I found a junk truck with a good engine for $500.
Thanks
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,038
Likes: 4
From: South west Idaho
I would not drive it until it was fixed. I had a 428 with a miss in it, it ran good otherwise. I ran a compression test and found a dead cylinder. When I pulled the head , the piston had a hole in it. Good luck.