1994 Ford F150 Just loses all power

1,005

Asked by headstrong569 Jan 22, 2014 at 05:06 PM about the 1994 Ford F-150 XL Extended Cab Stepside SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 94 F150. I started having issues when I used it to pull my sons truck out of the ditch but nothing major. I then had an experience several weeks later where the trans slipped at around 50/55 miles an hour until I let off the gas then it went back to work. Got home checked the fluid it was a little low but not much. The next morning my wife drove the truck to work got about 12 miles from home and the truck just lost all power and would not start back up. We towed it home gave it a jump and boom it started and idled just fine but we didn't trust it. I was told I should change the fluid and filter in the AT including draining the stall converter so I did. I had the truck idling for more than an hour after the filter change and there were no problems. I started on my test drive and got maybe a mile away and the truck was great then suddenly it lost all power, no spitting no sputtering, just off. I threw it in neutral and pumped the gas rapidly while turning the key and finally it started. As I was trying to get turned around and get back home the longer I took the more frequent the truck lost power. Nedd Help Fast Please

41 Answers

1,005

it will start it will idle just can't drive it more than a few hundred feet without it just cutting off

8 people found this helpful.
44,605

When it does it see if it is not firing or no fuel. Take the air filter cover off and spray a little starting fluid in it .See if it fires up on it.

3 people found this helpful.
1,005

when i was test driving it and it cut off as soon as I got it to crank back up it would tear it up all the way up until it just cut off again. It was almost like some just literally reached over and turned the key off that's how sudden it would just cut out

5 people found this helpful.
44,605

Check the small ground wire at the battery with the connector for corrosion or loose. This is the PCM ground.

2 people found this helpful.
44,605

If this is ok it may be the ignition module that bolts to the distributor. I have only saw one other act like this and it was on a ford ltd. Module fixed it.

2 people found this helpful.
1,005

I'll check these out tomorrow I was just out trying to change the fuel filter not much space to work with there. Besides the space restraints its just to dark and to cold. Wouldn't the ignition module throw a code though? I've put the truck on my reader and I don't get anything back. I never thought to check that small ground wire either I like to start with the cheaper fixes when I can't figure it out and work my way up to the expensive stuff hopefully finding the problem on the cheap end of the scale. Will keep you posted thank for the help.

44,605

No codes and usually quits and won't start back. Like I said I said though I have only had one that would still run being bad. It ran like crap too.

1,005

So I replaced the Ignition control Module and now the truck won't start at all. Before it would start and idle all day now it won't start. The module is an exact match I took the old one with me when I got the new one.

1,005

I can hear the fuel pump running at one point it was for longer than usual but i dont smell gas under the hood anymore like usual

44,605

Make sure it is sliding in the metal pins on the distributor. I have seen the module pins go by them and not make contact.

1,005

mine is mounted on the driver side fender i checked it and re checked it. I sprayed a little gas in the throttle body and it started up until it burnt that gas off. I was trying to change out the fuel filter last night but the guy who re worked all of that left the fuel lines a little short and I am having a hard time getting the old filter off. There's no slack in the line to push the fuel line over the compression tool to slide it off. I'm wondering if I dislodged something last night while messing with it because before that it was getting gas up to the engine bay and now today it's not. I don't think it has anything to do with the module considering I even hooked the old one back up and it still won't start like it did previously.

44,605

It may have a 2nd problem now. You should have 2 relays on the right fender. One is the fuel pump and the other is the EEC relay for the computer. I have seen them come and go especially the EEC relay. It controls fuel and fire. Check the fuses too.

2 people found this helpful.
1,005

I kind of understand but not totally if it controls fuel why do I still hear the fuel pump cycling it comes on and off as expected. This thing is driving me crazy. Shoulda stuck with Dodge.

1 people found this helpful.
44,605

It sends signal from the computer to the fuel pump relay. They did away with this relay on the newer models. Do you hear the pump run now?

1,005

yes the pumps running now every time I turn the key on and when trying to crank it up the pump kicks on as it should. It started and would idle forever as of yesterday it wasn't until trying to drive it that it would just die. then once I got it back home it idled just fine again. I then decided to change the filter which as I described above is almost impossible so far. I then changed the module and now it won't start unless I squirt gas into the throttle body so I'm thinking that fuel filter I can't get off has something to do with it.

1,005

The first time it went down on my wife it wouldn't start back up at all and we could hear the fuel pump. We towed it home. A few days later jumped the battery and it ran fine just sitting at idle. Every time we try to drive it we have these issues. No codes so signs of anything

1 people found this helpful.
44,605

The pump is pumping but I bet the injectors aren't pulsing. Have you heard of a noid light?

1,005

No never heard of one. Is it possible to just go like that? To bad you don't live in South Georgia.

44,605

Well what you need to do is buy a set of noid lights at the parts store. Pull one of your injector wires off and plug the right size noid light into the connector. Get in the truck and crank it over and see if the light flashes. I am thinking the computer went BOOM. If it doesn't flash you need to take a test light and see if it is not getting power or not getting ground.I'll bet it's no ground which the computer supplies to the injectors.

1,005

I know a guy who has a salvage yard so I can get a new computer cheaper than those noid lights you were talking about so I think I'm going to swing for the fence and just swap the computer. What do you think?

1 people found this helpful.
1,005

btw I looked for the small ground wire at the battery for the PCM no small wire there just a thick negative wire. I did follow some wires to the passenger side fender right by the battery and it had a few different wires attached to what appeared to be the starter solenoid no corrosion everything tight nothing broken. I would have thought a bad computer would have for sure thrown codes even if they didn't make any rhyme or reason. This thing is driving me nuts for sure.

44,605

No. Abad PCM very seldom ever throws any code. It will just drive you nuts until you trace it down.

1 people found this helpful.
1,005

So what numbers am I supposed to be looking for to make sure I have a matching PCM for my truck? I haven't messed with it anymore since we spoke last but I'm about to get back on it

1,005

Hey tuff been a while just an update. I had a mechanic come out he found one thing for sure the MAP sensor and he believes there is an intermittent fuel pump problem where it's not pumping the correct pressure all the time he's going to hook a gauge to it to see what pressure it's pushing then go from there. I also learned those code scanners can either be tossed out the window or used for paper weights because they aren't worth the plastic they make them with never once did the code pop up for the MAP sensor.

44,605

Yes if the fuel pump is not pumping correctly it will act crazy but most of the time they just die and won't start. The best way to do it is hook the fuel pressure gauge up and tape it to the windshield while your driving so you can watch the pressure. The gauge should stay the same pressure or rise while driving. Never drop. If it drops the pump is bad.

44,605

If it holds pressure and it quits the pump is fine. Then it would be the injectors not pulsing and you probably need a PCM like I explained in the earlier posts.

1,005

Hey Tuff my mechanic went MIA on me yesterday. So we haven't done the fuel pressure test yet. The reason he's leaning towards that is at times when the pump is humming to build pressure (without motor turning over) there seems to be a reoccurring spot in the pump where it just won't prime and it takes two to three times as long to build pressure. On the other-side of things I have noticed over the time I have owned the truck just random things going on mostly just out of nowhere we get a dinging noise like the door isn't shut or the seat belt isn't fastened when they are and I guess that could translate into computer issues not reading things correctly or sending correct signals. I tried dealing with the ford dealership in my area and they couldn't even tell me where the PCM was located. I did finally find out it's under the dash on the drivers side close to the firewall. The dealership had me looking behind the glove box which turned out to be the ABS control module. On top of all of this my wifes car a 200 Nissan Altima jumped time on Tuesday and I have no clue as where to start with that which is why I called my mechanic friend. He's thinking the slack adjuster broke but we won't know how severe the damage is until we get into it. SO now more than ever it's important to get at least one of the 2 vehicles running and dependable and on the cheap. Living the American Dream here the more we work the more we owe. I'll keep you posted and I plan to see if I can rent/barrow a set of noid lights from AutoZone I know they use to rent tools then refund your money when you return the tools.

1,005

Tuff I just want to make sure I understood you right because I have a set of noid lights coming this afternoon. If they light up then the injectors have ground and the PCM is good. if they don't light up then there is no ground to the injectors which is controlled by the PCM and the PCM is bad. Does that sound about right or are there steps I'm missing? I'm thinking if they light up and the injectors are getting power and ground my next step has to be fuel pump. Would you agree?

44,605

There is no ground or no power .Use a test light to see if it is no power or no ground. If it flashes the Pcm and power are good.

15

I have a 94 ford f 150 and went to work drove there and back just fine then it sat over the weekend and went out to start it and it cranks up and dies checked the pressure for the fuel pump and shows 50 lbs what else could it be and changed the coil and still no luck

1 people found this helpful.
1,005

Surprisingly enough I found after I changed just about everything else on my truck that all my issues were nothing more than wore out spark plugs and wires. Never in my life had I ever seen any vehicle act like my truck did over some fouled plugs but that's what it was.

1 people found this helpful.

i have a 94 f150 with 4.9 in it .it runs great all day but somtime when it gets a little warm it runs like crap let it cool a little then it runs good again i need help

I have the same problem. i have changed the PCM computer, Spark plugs (not the distributor yet), Fuel Filter, when i turn the key i hear the fuel pumps working in either tanks. changed the starter, and the silinoid (dont judge my spelling), and now it will crank. but no start. which is further than i have been before. i sprayed starter fluid in. no spark. so i'm thinking its my distributor, or the ignition switch. I have done all i could do to my knowledge. i would love any advice.

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