1988 F150 5.0 EFI - I used the truck 2 days ago and everything worked fine. Then yesterday I tried to start it and it cranked but wouldn’t start. I could hear the fuel pump spin up and I pulled a plug wire and was able to get a spark when I grounded the wire. I checked all the fuses and they were fine and I also checked the wiring for obvious issues. I tried starting it using starter fluid and got nothing. I don’t have a spark tester or fuel pressure tester.

I haven’t touched the motor in months. I rebuilt it years ago at 100k miles because a spark plug came apart in one of the cylinders. The truck now has 160k miles and the rebuild has always run great.

I assume the inertia switch and fuel pump relay are good because I can hear the fuel pump. I’m thinking that the ignition module or pick up magnet on the distributor may be the issue. How do I test them? Any other things I should check?

 

ICM test-->Part 1 -How to Test the Ford Ignition Control Module (Distributor Mounted)
PIP test #7-->Part 5 -How to Test the Ford Ignition Control Module (Fender Mounted)

 

Thank you for the links. The first thing I did when the truck wouldn’t start was to look at the fuel gauge which showed 1/4 tank. I had my wife turn the key while I sprayed in starter fluid and this time the engine caught. Just to be sure I dumped in a couple of gallons of fuel into the tank and guess what….the truck started. My engine is fine, it’s my fuel gauge that is busted. At least that’s a bit easier to deal with. Thanks for the help.