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help! urgent! my daily driver has a mystery problem.

M

mr_fujisawa

1/2 ton status
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Location
SF CA
hey all i have some weird issue goin on with my truck. i just took a trip from sf to la and back this weekend and i drove to work the last two days. so i get home today and park the truck. (facing downhill on a decline) and i go to start it up this evening and it won't start at all. the starter is going and the battery is good. i had my girlfriend pump the gas pedal and try to turn it over while i was under the hood and i couldn't smell any excessive gas smell. i wasn't able to do a big inspection cause it was all dark and i was in a hurry. but in the off chance that somebody has had this happen to them i would love some advie as to what it might be. i need my truck up and running since it is my daily driver. sorry to be so vague. i will try to update tomorrow.
oh yeah, and it's an '88 k5 for what it's worth.
thanks,
sean

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possibly the ignition module. Pull the cap and check, also check rotor. change the ignition module(save receipt) and see if that helps. You said you parked pointing downhill. Is it possible the cap got water in it somehow(sounds silly but ya never know). Pull a wire and crank and see if you got spark.

another thought...possible that your gas tank has issues since your facing downhill and you did not smell fuel with the cranking. Try pouring some fuel into carb and see if it wants to fire up. If so, then the tank fuel "pickup thingy" could be the problem.

and last...there is gas in the tank, right?

geez SF to LA , a gas station tour for sure
 
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(facing downhill on a decline)

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Without sounding patronizing, how much gas is in tank. Are you sucking gas through pump? You start with the simple first. Then we move on to checking for spark and fuel.

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i had my girlfriend pump the gas pedal

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Your 88 is injected , right? Gas pedal doesn't really do anything until it starts.
I would pull a plug wire and check for spark. Then I would see if fuel was reaching tbi . /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
yeah, it's tbi (d'oh!) so the pumping the pedal thing was useless.
the tank is full. the weird thing was just that it was working fine until i got home and then all of the sudden. . .
 
My '89 did this sort of thing a few months ago, i drove it home, parked it for the night, got out the next morn,,,nothing,checked the injectors for fuel spray, was getting fuel, then i checked for spark, i was getting that also, so out of curiosity, i checked all the fuses, i had a blown ECM fuse, i replaced it and the truck started and ran for a minute then died.
I rechecked everything AGAIN, but this time i had no spark and the ECM fuse was still good. I had changed out the spark control module and the coil, but still nothing, so i decided it must be something in the distributor. It was, it was the pick up coil, and unfortunately i had to tear apart the distributor to replace it. Got everything back together and started it, again it ran for another few minutes and died again, same part burned up again, so i replaced it with a little higher priced unit and it has been runnin ever since.

Sorry about the length of this post, but Ii just thought i'd throw another thing in here and give you another idea on something to check out?
 
You need to get more into it, make sure you are getting fuel spray from the injectors, and then check for spark. To check for spark, have your girlfriend hold on to one end of the spark plug wire and with the other hand, hold onto the truck somewhere, if she screams when you turn over the motor, YOU HAVE SPARK. After you get this info on either, then you can go further into the investigation, post back and let us know what you find out.
 
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You need to get more into it, make sure you are getting fuel spray from the injectors, and then check for spark. To check for spark, have your girlfriend hold on to one end of the spark plug wire and with the other hand, hold onto the truck somewhere, if she screams when you turn over the motor, YOU HAVE SPARK. After you get this info on either, then you can go further into the investigation, post back and let us know what you find out.

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Your F'n mean! /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif
Bill
 
[ QUOTE ]
To check for spark, have your girlfriend hold on to one end of the spark plug wire and with the other hand, hold onto the truck somewhere, if she screams when you turn over the motor, YOU HAVE SPARK.

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/forums/images/graemlins/shame.gifI don't advise this unless she's a real understanding kind of girl or you may wake up with something in your mouth that used to be attached further down your body!! /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
ok so here's the update: i went out yesterday afternoon and the truck started right up when i left and got to the destination fine.
while i was getting out of the parking spot (5 point turn /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ) it died several times and then stayed alive finally until i got home. so from those extra clues. . .what do ya think? replace the fuel pump this weekend? also do the fuel filter?
from what i have read it doesn't appear to be the ignition control module because it still does actually start. . .

thanks for the info about the fuses and the distributor, i don't know how long it has been since the cap, rotor, plugs and wires have been replaced. that probably needs to happen soon.
 
[ QUOTE ]
ok so here's the update: i went out yesterday afternoon and the truck started right up when i left and got to the destination fine.
while i was getting out of the parking spot (5 point turn /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ) it died several times and then stayed alive finally until i got home. so from those extra clues. . .what do ya think? replace the fuel pump this weekend? also do the fuel filter?
from what i have read it doesn't appear to be the ignition control module because it still does actually start. . .

thanks for the info about the fuses and the distributor, i don't know how long it has been since the cap, rotor, plugs and wires have been replaced. that probably needs to happen soon.

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OK I have been reading your post and standing back, now I might have something for you.
Check your idle air control IAC, that is what keeps you idle going and if it goes bad it will somtimes die, but start again if you try it.
/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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How was it running, while it was running?

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ran beautifully while it was running. it was a sudden death.
i am going to start with just the fuel filter changing when it stops raining. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
will also check the IAC valve with an ohm meter tonight.
 
Your symptoms are exactly the ones Boss was having when his fuel pump went belly up at Tellico.
 
faawk man, i hope it's not the fuel pump. i replaced the fuel filter and it started up. just let it idle for a few and then turned it off.

checked the IAC vavle and it was fine.

i don;t want to dig into that tank to replace the pump. . . /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
OK, when it's runnine fine, idling fine, how is the performance, meaning when you get on the gas to accelerate, or when you get on it to go into passing gear or whatever, how does it react?

Real snappy, sluggish?
 
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OK, when it's runnine fine, idling fine, how is the performance, meaning when you get on the gas to accelerate, or when you get on it to go into passing gear or whatever, how does it react?

Real snappy, sluggish?

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hmmmm. . .
now that you mention it, i was thinking that it might have been a little sluggish. but i thought maybe i was imagining it. i get all freaked out thinking everything is breaking. i am going to drive it to work tomorrow am to test it. so i will try to floor it and see how it reacts.
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it sounds to me like the Fuel pump is going. I just went through this with my wife's truck. Next time it quits, Climb under it and have somebody turn the key on to the run position.(but not start it) You should here the pump run for 5 sec. If you don't hear it, bang on the bottom of the tank. Sometimes it will jar the pump enough to work. they get flatspots on them with age. If it starts after banging it, Then it NEEDS a pump!!
 
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they get flatspots on them with age.

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I'd like to see a flatspotted fuel pump. /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I would assume your trying to say that the electric motors get "sticky"
 
Ok, On the armature, you will get a dead spot. Is that more "politically correct"??? /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
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