1993 F-150 5.8L Supercab longbed w/dual tanks

I'd like to make this a short explanation but I don't think that's possible. I acquired this truck from a guy (Joe) that doesn't know jack about cars. He didn't have it long before he parked it. I'll save you the unnecessary details but he said the truck was running fine when he parked it. He had only had the truck for a few weeks when the oil pressure gauge started bouncing. He took the truck straight home and that's where it sat for a year before I got it for a song. Even though he said it was running fine when he parked it, it won't start now.

To give an idea of the condition this truck is in, the engine compartment is very clean. No oil leaks of any kind. This is exactly the kind of engine compartment you'd want to work in. Joe says he has all the maintenance paperwork from the original owner and, supposedly, the engine was rebuilt about 5 years ago. Joe said he thought it had a blown head gasket but he couldn't give me a single reason why he thought that. I checked the oil. The level is good and it doesn't look chocolate. Coolant level is a little low but not enough to indicate there's a leak in the engine. He insist it ran fine when he parked it.

Here's what I've done. Oh, this is also the order I did them in.

Bought a new battery. It didn't have one.
Replaced the starter solenoid.
Replaced the negative battery cable terminal.

Found the TPS dangling. Joe said he didn't take it off and doesn't even know what it is.

Put the TPS back in place and replaced the throttle body gasket since I had to pull it to put the TPS back in place.

Battery, Solenoid, and Starter all work fine. Engine spins over fine.
The engine doesn't even try to start.
Sprayed starting fluid into the throttle body but it had ZERO affect.
I pulled the #5 plug wire and stuck it on a new plug then let it rest somewhere on the engine. It has spark. I haven't checked the others. I can't say it was a strong spark. It's been YEARS since I've had to do deal with starting issues on a car.

I pull the ignition module and had it tested at Autozone. It tested fine. Through all the multiple attempts to start the truck, no engine light has popped up. As I recall, no engine light means there would be no codes should I check for them.

Work has kept me from getting back to the truck but I want to determine exactly what things I should check and in what order to isolate this problem.

So, what would you test and in what order?

BTW, replacing the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor will have to wait at least 2 weeks until the next regular influx of money to my bank account unless one of my seasonal clients sends me some money. Even if they need replacing, I'd expect they'd work well enough to let the engine TRY to start.


Thanks guys

 

Suck. Squeeze. Bang. Blow.

Make sure that there's nothing funky in the intake and that all the required parts and sensors are hooked up.

Check for fuel pump operation and pressure at the fuel rail.

Pull the plugs and do a compression check.

You have spark at a plug but that does not mean the plugs in the engine are firing. Replace them.

Check the timing and the plug wires for routing and firing order.

Make sure the exhaust is not blocked (although you'd probably have signs of life even with a blocked exhaust).

I'm feeling my BS detector tingle if Joe says it was running fine but the TPS wasn't hooked up and he says he didn't remove it and he , "thinks" it had a blown head gasket.... story is not holding water so you can't trust any evaluation he had about it.

Try to pull codes from the computer any way as that will at least tell you that the computer shows some signs of life if you at least get the "no codes" code.

 

It is physically impossible to remove the TPS without pulling the throttle body and the gasket was intact and sticking to both the throttle body and the plenum. So unless he replaced that gasket, he didn’t pull the TPS.

I will check the wire routing today. There’s aluminum foil on some of the wires for some reason.

I’ve checked for wires and hoses that might be unplugged and there are none. The plenum is clear as far as I can tell. I looked when I had the throttle body off.

 

Unless he pulled the upper intake with the TB still attached.

Also, nothing is impossible. The glass is always half full until someone finishes their drink. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder who was dumb enough not to wear safety glasses.

 

There’s no way he would have tried tackling a task like that. Consider that I got this truck as a trade for replacing the clutch master cylinder on his ‘88 Nissan pickup because he didn’t know how to do it. I know this guy well enough to know he didn’t try something like that.

 

No fuel pressure is the most likely cause of a no start on a truck that has been sitting, these pumps do do well when they aren't being used.

 

I completely except that premise but the engine should try to fire up when I spray starting fluid in the plenum if it was just a fuel supply issue. Is there something I’m forgetting?

 

Yes.. if it is getting spark of course.

 

I think this was overlooked...

He stated that there isn't a CEL on at any point when trying to start the truck.

If I interpreted what he said correctly, then there is a problem with the PCM. It should come on when turning the Key On, then briefly go out when trying to start the truck.
If it isn't even coming on with the Key in the "ON" position, then he needs to try pulling codes, verify if the bulb is working, or pull the PCM.

 

Then either it’s not the fuel pump or there are multiple problems? I need to get a fuel pressure tester.

 

And don't forget it's not just the presence of a spark but a spark at the correct time, so check the firing order and that the base timing is properly set at TDC of compression on cylinder #1.

 

Thats not what I meant. I meant there was no CEL after the PCM does it’s normal power cycle.

 

Concerning the CEL, if I try to start the truck, of course it doesn’t start, and I back off the key leaving it in the run position, if the CEL is on at that time, are there codes to pull?

 

Well, apparently there are codes. 633 and 636.

 

Those are trans temp and t-case codes which won't prevent the engine from starting, safe to ignore for now.