(UPDATE) 460 Ford Quits Running......But always restarts

[RJsfishin]

Trying to help a fellow RV'er, 1996 class B Airstream 460 Ford
New fuel pump installed 5 yrs ago, never a problem till 6 months ago.
Quits running,....hi speed, low speed, even idling at times,....no set pattern.
The one thing that is consistent,....it will always restart, but only after waiting about 20 minutes or so.

It has been in a shop twice for this problem.
1st time, replaced the "ignition module".....didn't fix the problem
2nd time, searched to find "nothing wrong"
A month later quit again at hi speed. It has quit twice in a day, but seldom.
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[sjholt]

If you tried all the other remedies, Check the MAP sensor. I had one experience the same symptoms.
One way to check it is as soon as it quits, throw a wet rag on the map sensor to cool it down and try to start it in a minute or two.

[RJsfishin]

UPDATE I just got a note from this 460 Ford problem
They took it to a Ford dealer this time, and they tested and found the ign module that was replaced before at another repair shop was defective. Ford tested other components, and didn't find any other problems.
They do believe that the problem is now fixed, but added that only time will tell. They were also very fortunate to get a refund not only for the defective
part, but also the labor to install it. They didn't get refunded for an hour's diagnostic time.

Thanks for all the replies that tried to help.

[John_Joey]

This old thread of mine might give you a few idea's CLICKY

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Wonder if I will ever read the outcome of this...

[2Bargos]

Being a longtime ford owner I have had this problem myself..The pickup coil in the distributor is going bad..quits when engine is hot and after it cools down for a while it will restart.

If you will check around you can buy a complete new dist for just a little more than you can buy the pickup .

[Dave_H_M]

like MEX indicted, i guess you checked it for codes eh.

[RLS7201]

sgip2000 wrote:
Could be bad caps on the ECM too.

Now there is a really great thought.
Low budget project, if you have a friend with really great eyes and a very small soldering iron.

Richard

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Cannot imagine this critter not throwing a code.

[sgip2000]

Could be bad caps on the ECM too.

[j-d]

Our much older 460 did that on very hot days and a hard run. We traced it to the ignition coil. But back on an '83 E350, all the systems were different. The coil that quit on me, was the old fashioned metal-can-oil-filled kind.

Vapor Lock and Collapsed Lines are unlikely on a 1996 since the fuel pump is in tank and all the gas is Pushed under Pressure. That pressure reduces chance of vaporization. And, with pressure, a fuel line won't suck closed. Might swell, burst, or leak, but you'd see it dripping gas. The new lines are pretty rugged stuff.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

If testing fuel pressure does not yield the problem...

Remove DISTRIBUTOR pickup coil or put the whole damned distributor into an oven minus cap and rotor. Set oven for 250 degrees and no higher.

Bake for 30 minutes.

What is the resistance across the pickup coil wire leads? Compare the value to ohms at room temperature.

A bad pickup coil harness connector will also cause this. One hand on one side of the connector the other on the other side. Pull GENTLY. Any change?

[RLS7201]

Vapor lock is a thing of the past, with high pressure fuel pumps in the tank. With bypass fuel pressure regulator, the fuel is always in motion and doesn't over heat.
Those old Fords were world famous for intermittent fuel pump problems. The problem was more prevalent when the tank was below half full. Get a fuel pressure gauge and connect it to the fuel rail. Then you will know if the fuel pump is faulty. The tricky part is figuring out how to observe the pressure gauge while in motion.

Richard

[Chum_lee]

On my older German cars with Bosch CIS mechanical fuel injection, your symptoms were often caused by a tired/failing fuel pump relay or failing fuel pump itself. Electric (in tank) fuel pumps often get noisy (growling) before they fail.

Chum lee

[suprz]

Someone on you tube had a similar problem, turned out to be a clogged exhaust/muffler