No Start Help!

[Slammed96]

So I went out today to move the truck over to my shop to do some work on it and my car and it wont start. This is the third time it has done this to me and I have yet to figure out just what the hell is the cause. Currently the truck still has the 350 vortec motor in it, and if it sits for more than a day or so it will not want to fire. I go to crank it over and it will crank fine, but then it floods itself out and attempts to fire backwards and will spit back through the intake. Like I said the truck runs and drives fine if I start and drive it daily, but if it sits it does this. So far my best guess is a crank sensor on its way out. Anyone else have any other ideas?

[tanz45]

Stick or auto?

As weird as it sounds, my buddys ranger had a bad Crank sensor. Wouldn't key start (but would crank all day), but would bump start.

[Slammed96]

Its an auto. But yeah, so far I have it narrowed down to either a bad crank sensor or a cracked distributor cap. And being the cap is only two years old, I'm leaning toward the crank sensor. I'm just not 100% sure yet, and don't wanna just throw parts at it. Looks like I'll be spending some quality time with the service manuals tonight...

[pl4yboy]

Its an auto. But yeah, so far I have it narrowed down to either a bad crank sensor or a cracked distributor cap. And being the cap is only two years old, I'm leaning toward the crank sensor. I'm just not 100% sure yet, and don't wanna just throw parts at it. Looks like I'll be spending some quality time with the service manuals tonight...

I dont think its the cap. I've had to replace caps and modules before on older SBCs and they don't act like that. Normally, they have problems after they've been running and heat up, causing expansion.

[PitchBlackC3]

Does it do it if you let the pump run before you try to start it?

[Slammed96]

It does it if the pump runs before I crank it or not. So I dont think its flooding out from a bad regulator

[RedHeartbeat]

Sounds like a dying fuel pump, slow painful agonizing death. Many times it nothing more than the connector from the main wiring harness to the fuel pump assembly.

[Slammed96]

Please explain...I can hear it kick on every time I turn the key, so not sure how it could be going out. Also it only does this if it sits, if I drive it every day it will start and drive fine.

[RedHeartbeat]

If the fuel pump is running every time you try to start it then its not the pump. Another issue could be the ignition module inside the distributor. If it's simply flooded and there is spark at the spark plug it should clear by cranking with the pedal wide open, the PCM is programmed to shut off fuel to the engine in a start condition with the pedal at the WOT position.

[pl4yboy]

If the fuel pump is running every time you try to start it then its not the pump. Another issue could be the ignition module inside the distributor. If it's simply flooded and there is spark at the spark plug it should clear by cranking with the pedal wide open, the PCM is programmed to shut off fuel to the engine in a start condition with the pedal at the WOT position.

That module is what I was talking about. Every time I've had to replace them, they've started up just fine, driven down the road until the engine warmed up (causing the module to expand), and then die until it cooled down.