Hi there, I bought a 1994 Dakota 4x4 V8 to use as a donor for my V8 dakota convertible project. Anyways, The truck wont start, it has a new coil pack and battery, But the guy sait wont start. I havent gone to get the truck, I bought it sight unseen for a great price, but does anyone have any idea on why this thing might not start? Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Check for power first. Do the lights work, etc? When you go to start it, can you hear any clicking? Does the starter spin at all? Could be any number of things. When I have had starting problems in the past, it has been a failing starter, relays (ASD comes to mind), bad ignition switch (common problem with mid-late 1990s Chrysler vehicles) and cap/rotor burnt out.
Is the fuel pump cycling? It should buzz and click when you turn the key on.
You you have spark? Stick a screwdriver in a plug wire and arc it to the spark plug, while someone cranks it over. Dont shock yourself.
Is it spinning over? The timing could be incorrect, injector and ignition if someone installed a new timing chain incorrectly or something.
You first need to determine if it is an ignition or fuel issue. Good place to start is by spraying starting fluid while cranking. If it fires, it's not an ignition issue. If it doesn't, I've seen lots of distributor rotors burn through to the shaft. Also seen the dist/OP drive bushing go bad and shred the drive gear. Make sure the rotor is OK and turns when the engine is cranked. If the dist. isn't turning, you won't get spark.
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Thank god Ford is still making vehicles, because mechanics still have bills to pay.
1994 Dakota Help
