my 97 f-150 starts up every time.........the first time. after i drive for awhile and shut it off it gives me a hard time starting. it just cranks over but wont start. if i give it gas it catches and tries to start but dies out right away after i let go of the key. sometimes after up to 10 tries and 20 minutes later it starts up again, so far! any ideas? also there is a gas smell, but im thinking thats because of putting the gas pedal to the floor. could it be plugs? i bought it with 180,000 miles on it. i pulled a plug and it does look pretty rough so i am going to change em tomorrow.
the parts store calls out iridium plugs. the guy told me any plugs will work. said the only difference is the mileage you get out of em.
50,000 on regular plugs
100,000 on platinum
150,000 on iridium
not sure thats the case but i bought platinums. i had my 20.00 credit @ autozone so they only cost me 6 bucks
i changed the plugs and wires and it runs great now. stopped for gas yesterday and still had to put the pedal to the floor for it to start. only one try and it started tho...... what next?<!-- / message -->

 

I know on the older cars and trucks when the coil was bad when the truck would get warm it would die and not start maybe the issue is there.

 

Sniper,
Sounds like a classic case for a failed hot restart condition.
Pls R&R them hi-mileage plugs & test-fire it.

Then: check/scan yer Crank Position Sensor (located on timing cover). It's a fairly cheap sensor as they go, but a mild PIA to R&R.

G' luck here !!

 

Your making a classic mistake in thinking.
On FI motors you open the throttle more than about 7/8th of the travel and it shuts off fuel injection. The system is designed to do this.
What you are indicating is the motor attempts to run at wide throttle openings indicating the motor has flooded the plugs and you dry them by shutting off the injection and pumping air through the cylinders until the plugs can fire again..
You have a fuel issue that is flooding the motor at normal starting.
Look at the vacuum hose between the fuel regulator and the intake to see if there is any gas in the hose.
If yes, the regulator needs replacing, otherwise injectors may be allowing to much fuel in for some reason and causing flooding..
Check the fuel pressure as well to see if the regulator is faulty with to high a pressure.

 

I am with Bluegrass. Check the vacuum line on the fpr. Also this is a classic symptom of a bad or dirty IACV. clean the iacv and see if that helps. if that does not do it do a fuel pressure test...........AND CHECK FOR CODES!!!!

 

oh and a dirty air filter can cause that issue......

 

wow, thats alot of info! thanks guys. air filter is new. i replaced the plugs and wires and it ran great, but it still gave me problems on the restart. i put 70 miles on it since the plugs and wires and it runs like crap again.
today i replaced both coil packs since i have a spare motor out there to steal parts from. seems like no change. ill know more after i drive it to work again. i noticed there is a black part on top of the motor with a plug and 2 vaccuum lines in the bottom of it. it has a round top. off to the right of the cover plate. it continues to make a weird noise after i shut the truck off. if i tap on it with a screwdriver it stops making the noise. what is that part called?
also i have a few codes that will definately factor in now!
P0118 - engine coolant temperature sensor circuit....... is this why it wont start when hot?
P0304 - cylinder 4 misfire detected.......... this must be why it runs like crap! im thinking maybe a fuel injector? how do i test injectors? i already changed plugs wires and coil packs. not sure what else could cause a misfire?
P0401 - insufficient EGR flow.......... i read to try changing the DPFE sensor. is this the little black thing i saw on the top right of the motor?

 

it could still be the main relay. When you replaced the distributor, did it come with a new ICM (igniter) and coil or did you reuse the old ones? Most likely causes are main relay, igniter, or coil.

 

sniper just for the heck of it is your coolant full? are ou by chance leaking coolant into the number 4 cylindar from the heater hose at the back corner of your intake? cause the runs rough and codes p0118 and p0304?

also your dpfe is the box coming off the side with the two hoses good chance that's bad if you replace it use a ford part not an aftermarket,and replace the two hoses, they are not regular vac hose, but before you repalce it pull a vac on your egr and see if it will kill the engine while the truck is ideling, if it doesn't you either have a bad egr valve or clogged ports most likely clogged ports

 

I'm having the same problem. Did you figure out what the problem was?

 

Could also be a bad engine ground. Sounds stange but I've seen it . Since you're getting codes now
that should help.

 

still runs like crap........the muffler was rotted out so i put a new muffler on it and it seems worse now, lol. starts up great every time. i drive it for a bit and shut it off, same thing still.......... one thing i did notice tho is the oil pressure gauge movement. may be meaningless. i dont know. i turn the key over, after driving for a bit so its hot. the oil pressure gauge is @ zero, since theres no power to the gauges. when i turn the key over and it starts cranking it stays reading nothing. all of a sudden it starts to climb to where it normally is and then it tries to start. usually it wont until i give it full throttle. which doesnt always work either.........tepmted to just take it to a mechanic..........

 

I checked FPR red hose and there was no gas in it.

What are the two things on the drivers side of throttle body? One has two vac hoses and one has a circle top with color hoses going into it?

 

Has anybody checked the fuel pump monitor.....prolly located above the spare tire on a cross support. notice if the back plate is deteriorated, corroded, & or, cracked

 

mine does this too, crankshaft position sensor might be going out? mine only does it sometimes