Caleb John Fredrick

Truck will turn crank good and only run sometimes but to keep it running I have to give it a lot of throttle if I let go it dies automatically. Since I have had the truck I have replaced all sensors, new timing chain, cleaned the gas tank, new fuel pump and fuel filter, new distributor, new valve cover gaskets, have cleaned the fuel lines out and a new starter. The only thing left to change is the spider injectors but is that the problem? Also another issue is while cranking the truck the battery cables get really hot and I have changed the starter and cable to it, cleaned all the grounds and still gets really hot. Please help with everything, anything helps!

Gumby22

1) How long are you cranking at a time and how much time are you pausing between cranks? Technically you should be able to crank for up to 30 seconds at a time, but realistically, if it doesn’t start after 10 seconds, it’s not going to start.

Starters draw a very large amount of current in a short period of time (the general rule is 25 amps per cylinder, but depending on compression, timing and a few other things it can require as much as 40), so the longer you crank the engine, the more time you need to allow for the starter to cool down before trying again. My rule is 30 seconds for every 10 seconds cranking time.

2) Is the battery also getting warm or hot? If so, are you noticing a rotten egg smell, or are any of the sides of the battery case bulged out? If so, the battery has at least one burst cell - replace it.

3) Did you replace the ground cable as well? If not, disconnect it completely from the battery and block and check resistance - anything more than 0.2 ohms, or if it has exposed strands and they’re dark instead of shiny copper, replace it.

4) The injectors could be the problem but further diagnosis is needed. Have you gotten any trouble codes? Can you smell gas while cranking without pumping the pedal? If you use starter fluid, will it start and stay running until you stop spraying fluid (DO NOT use starter fluid for more than a few seconds)? If yes, it’s a fuel system problem. If no, it’s a spark or air delivery problem.

Mr. Dude with a face

To me it sounds like you have done a lot of work to this truck. Did it fire up and run fine before or is this something new since all of those repairs. I am thinking fuel air and spark.
Fuel: check your fuel pressure, on most vehicles you could check for an injector pulse, but from what I gather, you have a Vortec 350? If so, I don't think you can easily check for an injector pulse because they are underneath the intake manifold.
Air: Could it be your Mass Air Flow Sensor?
Spark: I noticed you did ignition work, maybe you have intermittent spark?

I am no genius, I will be the first to say that, but hopefully I gave you some more places to look.

Reconyx_01

What do y'all think about the problem being the timing??? If you replace the distributor you have to set the timing... I'm no master tech, but just wondering if that could be the issue




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Caleb John Fredrick

So it turns out that the last owner which had the truck sitting just had the map sensor out of the intake. I noticed when I was changing the injectors and saw a whole in the intake. Cranks right up just have to play with the distributor a little bit now to get it perfect. Thank you everybody!