I have a 1979 F250 with a 351 cleveland 4wheel drive manual transmission with 127,000 original miles on it. I'm having some trouble with the truck staying cranked up. When I crank the truck it will run fine but if you ever turn it off you have to wait a while before you can crank it up and go again. I've replaced the carburetor,fuel tank plugs and wires and even the ignition coil and switch. Starter solenoid and starter. Everything that has been replaced has been original from the factory. It's a great truck and a heavy truck and I hope that I can get it back on the road soon and make my family happy that it's nothing wrong with it. The only thing that I haven't changed is the distributor and I'm not very comfortable with the older style distributors.
The only usual suspects is going to be the distributor and finally the ignition module. I would try distributor first as when they heat up they go down and then hard to start...cool down then they all of a sudden work.
Everything is almost original on the truck. The ignition control module has been changed, ignition switch, ignition coil,water pump, fuel pump, fuel tank, new carburetor and the only thing that I haven't changed is the distributor. So this is my next move to get it running right
Change your fuel filter & pressure test your fuel pump. See if that helps.
Also, when you say ‘you have to wait a while before you can crank it up and go again’, do you mean she cranks but won’t start? Or it won’t even crank at all?
If it’s the former - https://youtu.be/064Ilsz8Fzg
If it’s the latter - https://youtu.be/hzYONeD9xUU
It's a old truck and I've replaced all of it's powerhouse stuff except for the distributor. New carburetor, plugs and wires fuel pump,fuel tank, ignition coil, ignition switch ignition control module, water pump. As soon as it cools off for a little while it will fire right back up and run smooth.
This all brings me back to where I worked where we had a company Van pool service as gasoline prices were going up back in the mid 70's ?? I dunno..heh! Anyways we had these E350 Ford 12 pass Vans with 460's. and they brought and took back company employees from home to company and visa versa for a fee. fleet of 12 plus 2 backup But their were 2 that seems to always have a problem in which they would drive...go for around..20 miles then conk out....usually on the freeway! Have to send in one of our two backup vans to the rescue so they can go on their way with some SLIGHT DELAY...Can't get the broken down van started. Call the tow. Bring back to shop....go home for the day. Come to work....Fired the van up and it starts... It runs all day...I mean like 6 hours straight....shut if off for 1 hr - starts up again...never dies. LOL! Same as in HERE as this user on the forum! I think we changed out everything we could think of...EXCEPT the distributor....I know we changed out the Duraspark ignition module...so many times but that ain't it...I'm banking on the distributor!
So, it's pointing straight to the distributor. I've also asked the opinion of another mechanic and he has also mentioned to me the same thing. If I have changed everything in the book and not the distributor, chances are it's it. I know that it hasn't been changed as long as I've owned it. I've also spoke with the previous owner and he said that he has never changed it so , I should just go ahead and get it replaced and then it should be like a new truck after all of this work
So, it's pointing straight to the distributor. I've also asked the opinion of another mechanic and he has also mentioned to me the same thing. If I have changed everything in the book and not the distributor, chances are it's it. I know that it hasn't been changed as long as I've owned it. I've also spoke with the previous owner and he said that he has never changed it so , I should just go ahead and get it replaced and then it should be like a new truck after all of this work
Yeah..its a unfortunate situation to a LONG journey of missed diagnosis but short of some wiring issue the Distributor is the last suspect in the chain of ignition issues that this vehicle has experienced. but has not explored. Slam dunk it in and lets keep our fingers crossed...
With the age of the truck and the other owners that have neglected to do the proper maintenance for the systems to keep it up until I got it. It was a mess, I will get it back on the road after the distributor and reinstalling the taillights