my wife drove my work truck to town today and the truck died but restarted. after turning the truck off later in the day it wouldnt start again, but did a few minutes later. she makes it home and its dead again and wont restart.

the truck is a 99 f150 4.2 v6

where do i start? cam position sensor? coil pack? any other ideas? it sounds electrical to me but might reveal otherwise on investigation.

any ideas would be greatly apreciated.

thanks!!!

 

Gotta start with the basics and go from there. Spark, air, fuel. With a problem like that, it's difficult to point you in a direction to get started without establishing that the basics are okay.

 

Very true, does the car crank over at all? Or does it just click?

 

i went out and started working on it and found out i have NO spark. it started raining pretty heavy so i havent got a chance to check for fuel.

 

it cranks normal and i can hear the fuel pump kick in.

 

Got a different key to try? Sounds like a PATS issue to me.

 

PATS can't disable the engine once it's running. And it disables the injectors, not the ignition. Sounds like the PCM is losing a crank or cam signal if there's no spark.

 

yes i do believe this is a pats issue. the theft light is flashing rapidly. also the overdrive off light is illuminated ( dont recall that before while cranking). i do not have a second key to use. nothing else on the key ring other than the truck key.