Re: 1982 F-150 302 Engine

I preface this with full disclosure that I'm a novice to cars, in general. I recently purchased a 1982 F-150 second hand, and it was running. I drove it home about 35miles on city streets even go her up to 70mph. I stopped to put some gas in it but kept it running.

I completely gutted it and cleaned it out. I wanted to clean all the dust off the engine, so I bought some degreaser (Gunk). I regret the heck out of that decision. Ever since then, I haven't been able to get the truck to turn on.

I ended up doing the following to help the situation or so I thought: New Spark Plugs + Wires, New Battery, and New Distributor Cap + Rotor. I ended up installing all of that with help from a buddy, and it still wouldn't turn over. I then went to AutoZone for some advice, and I bought some Pyroil Starter Fluid to see if it was a spark issue or if gas was the issue. I'm kinda thinking it may be a fuel filter or fuel line issue, but like I said I'm a novice and just guessing at this point. Also, I don't get how it would be a gas issue if I drove all the way home???

Anyone out there think they know or have any advice?

Welcome!

What exactly is it doing right now when you turn the key?
You say it won't turn over? Does it click? Do you have power to the rest of the cab? Headlights, interior lights, etc.

Can you take a picture of the fender mounted relay? Will be located near the battery (mounted on the fender).

Yes, welcome!  I'm confident we can get you going, but Scott/kramttoc's questions are good ones.

An issue we find is that some people say it won't "turn over" and they mean the engine won't even spin when they turn the key to Start.  Others mean it spins but won't fire.  So we need to be precise, and that's why he's asking questions.

By the way, where's home?  We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and could add you with a city or zip.

Welcome!

Hey Scott, it's kind of sputtering - like the actions kinda right before a normal car would sound like before it turns over to ignite and run regularly. Does that kinda make sense?

All the cabin interior lights are working, head lights are working, windshield wipers are working, and the radio even works. The radiator fan is like spinning but way slower than it normally did when it was running.

Thank you for the welcome.

I'm in Tucson, Arizona.

Welcome aboard!

Check the wiring  [connector with 3 wires] connecting the base of the distributor with the ignition module which is located on the fender liner on the driver's side. Pull the two connector pieces apart, clean and dry the three prongs, apply some dielectric grease and reconnect.

Any moisture in this area will negatively impact the firing of the spark plugs.

Sorry for the delay, but I've been traveling.  You are now on the map.

Welcome to the forum, Guy!  

I'm wondering if you've been able to figure out what's happened to your truck?
Tucson seems a pretty dry climate so I wouldn't think water would linger (keeping the ignition shorted out)

It's never a bad idea to wrap the carburetor and distributor in plastic wrap when hosing down the engine.
While it might not keep all the water out at least it will prevent a direct blast from forcing water in.

Thanks for the advice. I ended up getting it running. It turned out to be a bad fuel pump/filter issue, which I kinda figured after all the feedback I'd gotten from my buddies. The next thing to tackle is a the radiator. Anybody have any experience with flushing a radiator?

My experience with radiators has been that they are hard to clean if they are very badly plugged.  There are cleaners on the market that say they will do it, but you'll then need to run a few batches of plain water through the system to get all of the cleaner out.

What problems are you having?

Oh, sorry. You hadn't said that you could get it to run on ether...

I'll second Gary in saying unclogging a radiator is rarely worth it.

If it's just scaled up I would suggest removing it.
If it's aluminum, forget it.  
But you can stopper a brass radiator and use something like CLR or sulfamic acid to eat away the scale.
A cheap test plug from the plumbing aisle works great.

IME using coolant system cleaners in a really dirty system dislodges too much silt and rust.
It often will destroy the water pump and thermostat.

But I will say while the radiator is out is a perfect time to renew the thermostat, and flush the engine with a hose while the housing is open.