We should bring a Toyota into the discussion.

 

Okay. Sorry for the delay in updating.

I'm a truck driver and I was out on the road for awhile before I was called home because my 88 YO mother had what they were calling fatal pneumonia. (She's still hanging in there in spite of the fact that they stopped treating her and sent her home to die).

Anyway, after sitting for a couple of weeks, I got home and tried to start the truck. Same results, would turn over but wouldn't start. I would try every morning and afternoon as I went back and forth to the nursing home. Same results.

Two days ago, after trying to start the truck that morning, same results, I went to Autozone on my way home and bought a distributor and timing light and "ignition spark tester" (basically just a light that plugs on a plug wire in between the wire and plug).

Went home, and before doing anything else, tried to start the truck.

THE DARN THING STARTED!!

I turned it off and tried again, it started just fine again.

I left it running and took the stuff back to Autozone (I wasn't looking forward to the distributor replacement and setting timing thing) to see if maybe it would die and not start after getting hot.

It was still running when I got back. I turned it off and tried to start it again. Fired right up!

I've been starting it pretty much every time I walk by it and it fires right up and idles so smoothly you can hardly hear it running, just like before.

So, while I'm glad it's starting and running just fine, now I don't trust the truck. I'm afraid that I'll get somewhere away from home and the issue will return.

I'm baffled.

Any additional thoughts from anyone?

 

Did you perhaps reply to the wrong thread?

I started this thread about a problem with a 1996 F150 with a 5.0L and you seem to be talking about a 1997, a quite different truck from what I understand.

 

Yes, it looks that way, sorry.

 

No worries. I just didn't want you to be monitoring this thread thinking that it was the other one that might actually be getting some suggestions to solving your issue(s).

 

I took a risk and actually drove the truck 200 miles round trip to move some furniture, etc. to get the kid moved in for college.

The truck missed the entire trip, at all speeds. It felt as if I had bad gas.

So, I filled the empty tank with some "premium" and topped the other tank off and switched to the tank with all fresh premium gas.

Still missed.

Added some AMSOIL Octane Boost to both tanks.

Still missed.

Got it home and rechecked all of the plug wires to make sure they were snug, no issues found.

Still missing.

So, while it will now start, it misses a lot and while I can drive it, it's running badly.

Thanks for all your previous responses and in advance for any new thoughts, ideas that you might have and will post.

 

Pull the plugs and do a compression test.