1984 XLT 4WD Stalling

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acapozi

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Hubby bought this recently and it ran good and strong during test drive and the next few days. Then it stalled and wouldn't start. Someone came out and looked and ended up replacing a kinked fuel line hose. It ran ok for about 2 weeks then problems started again. It will run great for a couple days then get in, start it, get about a block away, stop at the stop sign and when you take off it stutters and dies. It then won't start for about 10 minutes. It turns over but doesn't catch at all. Ten or so minutes later it starts and runs fine the whole rest of the day. On a side note when you hit a jarring bump it feels almost like the tranny slips but ONLY when you hit a jarring bump in the road. Any ideas?

 

muddinlate86

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Hubby bought this recently and it ran good and strong during test drive and the next few days. Then it stalled and wouldn't start. Someone came out and looked and ended up replacing a kinked fuel line hose. It ran ok for about 2 weeks then problems started again. It will run great for a couple days then get in, start it, get about a block away, stop at the stop sign and when you take off it stutters and dies. It then won't start for about 10 minutes. It turns over but doesn't catch at all. Ten or so minutes later it starts and runs fine the whole rest of the day. On a side note when you hit a jarring bump it feels almost like the tranny slips but ONLY when you hit a jarring bump in the road. Any ideas?
give us some info.year moter etc. so we can help

 

muddinlate86

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look under the hood?should say it on the the core saport its going to be either a 302mor a 351 probly.it sounds like it might be the ignition coil maybe going bad or a loose conection.also maybe a full yune up is needed.plugs wires cap and roter.there are many poss.it could be i dont know if it will help but could you post a pic maybe there is an obviouse prob/that i can spot

 

JLasvegas

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could be rust in the fuel tank, or something floating around that will find its way and block the fuel line, after it sits for a few it sinks back to the bottom and you can then drive for a period of time before it blocks again

atleast that has happened to me in my old chevy

 

BroncoJoe19

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Hubby bought this recently and it ran good and strong during test drive and the next few days. Then it stalled and wouldn't start. Someone came out and looked and ended up replacing a kinked fuel line hose. It ran ok for about 2 weeks then problems started again. It will run great for a couple days then get in, start it, get about a block away, stop at the stop sign and when you take off it stutters and dies. It then won't start for about 10 minutes. It turns over but doesn't catch at all. Ten or so minutes later it starts and runs fine the whole rest of the day. On a side note when you hit a jarring bump it feels almost like the tranny slips but ONLY when you hit a jarring bump in the road. Any ideas?
Could be a fuel delivery problem. Your truck has two fuel pumps, one in the tank, one beside the driver's side frame rail, a fuel filter, and a fuel pressure regulator/reservoir. All can be checked with a fuel pressure guage, costs about $30 - $40.

The fuel pumps are electric, and bad connections to them, or bad/weak grounds can cause them to intermittantly function.

Do you have a carburetor, or EFI?

Could be a vacuum leak.

Could be the carburetor needs a good cleaning, or if you have EFI (electronic fuel injection) your IAC may be sticking and needs cleaning.

COuld be that you have an early duraspark ignition, with a faulty pickup coil on the inside that fails when the engine gets hot, but works again, once it cools off.

Pull diagnostic codes

Your engine is computer controlled.

The computer uses sensors to tell it a number of different things and it controls actuators that push or pull mechanical levers (kinda). If one or more sensors aren't working properly, the computer goes "blind" and doesn't know what to do. If the computer can "see" but one of the actuators is broken and therefore can't follow the commands of the computer; the engine won't run correctly. The computer is preprogrammed with set values for each of its sensors, and each of its actuators. It will run a self check of all systems, like the space shuttle; it will compare its set value(s) to the value(s) it recieves from its sensors, and actuators. If any sensor or acutator is out of the "normal" range the computer will generate a "code." It will generate some codes on the fly, and others will be stored while you are driving. There is a simple method to "pull codes" out of the computer for one to use for diagnostic purposes. The ability to "pull codes" sets mechanics apart from being a troubleshooter or just a parts changer.

Fortunately all it takes to "pull" codes (find out what sensors or actuators are not working) is one piece of wire, a pencil and paper, and the ability to count to ten. In an '84-'87 you also need a cheap voltmeter.

See the How to pull codes tutorial here

 
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acapozi

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Thanks for all the help!! Would it narrow things down a bit if I told you it seems to only do this when it's cold? Once it has been driven around it is fine the rest of the day (so far). This always seems to happen the first time it is driven for the day. The weird thing is it starts right up with no problem and gets the better part of a block away before it starts stuttering then dies at the stop sign. It has a carb and is not fuel injected.

 
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BroncoJoe19

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Thanks for all the help!! Would it narrow things down a bit if I told you it seems to only do this when it's cold? Once it has been driven around it is fine the rest of the day (so far). This always seems to happen the first time it is driven for the day. The weird thing is it starts right up with no problem and gets the better part of a block away before it starts stuttering then dies at the stop sign. It has a carb and is not fuel injected.
Hmmm, it has me thinking that perhaps it has something to do with your choke setting.

OR the way that you normally try to start it up. I.E. do you pump the pedal, once and then hold it half way, or do you continually pump it until it starts?

Do you let her warm up in the morning before you take off, or do you start her, and take right off?

When driving dureing the course of the day, is there a ten minute interval after you shut her off, before you restart her?

IF you turned her off, after she was fully hot, would she restart right away? OR would you have to wait ten minutes or so?

Hint.. a properly tuned and well running carbureted engine should be started in the following manner.

Push the pedal all the way to the floor, let it up, and then depress it half way, then try to start it.

When it won't start if you could differenciate between a spark problem, or a fuel problem that would be a big help.

If it won't start, take the carb cover off, and look into the throat of the carb. Move the throttle and if you see two little streams of fuel squirt into the throat, you have fuel. NExt you need to test for spark. This is a two person test.

pull a plug wire, and plug it onto a spare spark plug, hold the metal part of the plug to a ground and have someone crank the engine. See if there is spark. While doing this, make sure you are not wearing any clothing or jewrly that could get caught in any moving parts.

 
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acapozi

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Hmmm, it has me thinking that perhaps it has something to do with your choke setting.OR the way that you normally try to start it up. I.E. do you pump the pedal, once and then hold it half way, or do you continually pump it until it starts?

Do you let her warm up in the morning before you take off, or do you start her, and take right off?

When driving dureing the course of the day, is there a ten minute interval after you shut her off, before you restart her?

IF you turned her off, after she was fully hot, would she restart right away? OR would you have to wait ten minutes or so?

Hint.. a properly tuned and well running carbureted engine should be started in the following manner.

Push the pedal all the way to the floor, let it up, and then depress it half way, then try to start it.

When it won't start if you could differenciate between a spark problem, or a fuel problem that would be a big help.

If it won't start, take the carb cover off, and look into the throat of the carb. Move the throttle and if you see two little streams of fuel squirt into the throat, you have fuel. NExt you need to test for spark. This is a two person test.

pull a plug wire, and plug it onto a spare spark plug, hold the metal part of the plug to a ground and have someone crank the engine. See if there is spark. While doing this, make sure you are not wearing any clothing or jewrly that could get caught in any moving parts.
Ok, He SAYS he pushes the gas pedal to the floor a couple times prior to starting it. It does start right up and not hard to start at all when it's cold. He does not warm it up usually however I made him today and it didn't stall. Then again sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it does but it's always when it is cold that it does it (sitting overnight). There has been many times it was turned off hot to get gas or run in the store real quick and it always starts right back up without a problem. He really is clueless about mechanical things and even makes me laugh at some of the things he comes up with. I don't know much either but picked up a few basics being a mechanics daughter. All I can say is it's a darn good thing the auto parts store gives us printouts and diagrams when we need to replace something LOL. Personally I would go with the fuel being the problem but what do I know?!?! I will check back here and see if my answers have narrowed down the field anymore before doing anything. Thank you!!!!!!! Do you have any idea why it would feel like the tranny slips when we hit a bump in the road? This ONLY happens when it's a rough bumpy road. We live in the desert and I really wanna play off road but am scared to until I know why it does that! It might not actually be the tranny slipping but that's what it feels like.

 

muddinlate86

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is the tranny fluid a little low?the bump might throw the fluid away frome a disc?not a big tranny guy a thought.

 

BroncoJoe19

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acapozi,

Intermittent problems are tough to troubleshoot. Your answers didn't really narrow it down for me. So at least we gave you a few things to do/check to help narrow it down.

Let us know your results.

 
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crazyhorse85

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Like joe was saying problems like these are a little tough to narrow down....but with a little persistence you'll find it....so your beast is carb'd have you checked your fuel pump pressure....it's mounted on the front of the engine...easy way to check pressure is pull the line off and put in a glass jar and have someone crank over the motor and note how steady the stream is...or just pick up a cheap pump pressure tester.....could be a weak diaphram not letting it hold pressure until it runs awhile....while you have it running a good can of carb cleaner would'nt hurt and could solve you problem.....on the tranny check you fluid if it is a little low it does make them slip a little....whether by bump or incline....hope this helps..... B)

 

dcboyz4ever

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Okay great tips if you know how to check things. What if it;s the pickup coil in the distributor how do you check that on an 85 Bronco XLT 5.8 351w 4bbl? I had the whole distributor replaced with a new one about a year ago would you believe it went bad that quick? It just started the stalling thing about a month ago and I live in Las Vegas so cold is not the issue. I replaced the mechanical fuel pump about 2 months ago, the ecm on the drivers side fender well today and got about 100 yards and it started buckiing like it wanted to stall. Then it ran okay until I got on the freeway and it tried to stall again. I got off the freeway and it did okay until I got caught in stop and go traffic and it stalled. Waited about 2 mins and it started and I made it home which was about 15 miles on the freeway, let it sit in the drive and it didn't stall. Turned it off and came inside. What can you help me find to fix this problem please. Thanks

 

dcboyz4ever

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Okay in regards to same truck,i just finished posting and went out to start it and it fired right up and after about 30 seconds it stalled and now just cranks and wont fire. Checked and carb had two strong blasts and I just within 2 hours ago installed new driver side mounted ecm. Please anyone know what to check and how to check it next?

 

miesk5

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Yo dcboyz4ever,

Check for spark: disconnect one of the plug wires from a spark plug and place the end of the wire near a metal surface on the engine. You can insert a small Phillips screwdriver into the end of the wire (the plug boot), or a small bolt or nail to provide a conductive path. Then crank the engine and look for a spark to jump from the screwdriver, bolt or nail in the end of the plug wire to the engine. If you do not see a spark, there is an ignition problem.

Or Remove a plug wire and insert an old spark plug or a spark plug tester into the end of the wire (the plug boot). Place the spark plug on a metal surface on the engine, or ground the spark plug tester to the engine. Then crank the engine to check for a spark. No spark indicates an ignition problem.

See this test starting on page 2:

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testing by Seabronc

It is rumored that Cardone remanufactured distributors do not have a new distributor pick-up.

 

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