my 86 f150 and the distributer isn't turning. In a V8 it's usually a timing chain is it the same in a 6 cylinder?

 

No, the 4.9L uses direct gear drive. The big cam gear usually has a phenolic (plastic) hub to reduce noise, and it can break. But if it does, it indicates some other problem -the plastic gear is very robust & plenty strong, so something had to cause it to break.



Or it might be the shear pin in the distributor shaft that attaches the distributor drive gear. That breaks when the distributor bearings lock up due to poor oiling.

 

Is there an easy way to find out if it is the pin or a gear?

 

Remove the distributor.

 

Could it be anything else?

 

Sure. Gremlins. An alien plot. A hole in the space-time continuum...

 

How do you expect to troubleshoot distributor drive issues without removing it? There's no magical way to see what's going on any other way.

 

I pulled the distributer and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. The gear turns the rotor and the pin is still there. Any other suggestions? Maybe without sarcasm. I am new to this kinda thing.

 

There's a limited number of things in the dizzy drive system:
The crank drives the crank gear.
The crank gear drives the cam gear.
The cam gear drives the cam
The cam drives the dizzy.

The phenolic cam gear is a known weak point, especially if you have done any upgrades to the cam or valvetrain.

When the dizzy was in place and you cranked the engine, did you get oil pressure or not? I would assume not but if you did then the problem is in the rotor connection to the shaft.

Are you capable of removing the timing, valve and lifter galley covers, removing the valvetrain and pulling the camshaft, replacing the gears and re-assembling the whole mess? If you're not, the next step may be to take it to a mechanic you trust. If you can do the teardown, start with the damper pulley and timing cover and see what the gears look like.

 

You don't have to take anything else apart yet. Just have an assistant bump the starter while you look down the dist. hole with a flashlight. If the camshaft doesn't turn...