You say it turns over but wont crank.

But if your getting spark then it mist be cranking correct?

How fast is it cranking? Any codes? What's the security light doing( although if you have spark and fuel then it's likely not that)

Really if you have spark and fuel, and its cranking over at a decent speed, then it should run. What does the exhaust smell like when your trying to start it? Do the plugs get wet with fuel?

 

I have not removed plugs to check for wet. The battery has been disconnected for so long that there are no lights or check engine or security issues that it is displaying. I won't have a scanner until tomorrow. I'll check for possible codes then. I even tried using starting fluid. The motor tries to start but never does. When truck was running I didn't notice anything odd about exhaust smell.

 

How fast does it crank? Does the tach register anything when its cranking?

 

It turns over fast...although sometimes its got a little hiccup. Sometimes it stops turning over while key is in crank position. I don't know why it does any of this. Is it possible that crankshaft position sensor is dead enough to not allow it to start but alive enough to show spark from spark plug wire when I disconnect and arc it to frame?

Negative. No tach reading while motor is turning over attempting to start

 

Are you getting fuel? I'm not sure on an 06, but when you first turn the key on later model trucks you can hear the fuel pump...
Maybe crack a fuel line somewhere....

 

I can hear pump when I turn key. On top of block there is a fuel line with pressure test valve on it. Ive pressed it and it squirts fuel with ease.

 

UPDATE.....This morning I replaced Crankshaft Position Sensor. Was a million times easier than I thought it was gonna be. But here's what happened......not a damn thing. When I turn key....it cranks strong. But the bastard won't start. I'm on a critical time schedule as the vehicle my wife and I have borrowed from her Mom goes away on Friday. I'm stuck. I'm lost. I'm mad. I'm stressing. I hate not successfully completing any task that I set to accomplish. Does ANYONE have any suggestions? I've read similar posts to this one but none of them that I read ever talks about fixing the problem and what the actual problem was. That kind of information would be extremely helpful right now. If for nothing more than just one more thing to scratch off the list of problems that it's not.

 

Sounds like its time to pull and check ALL of the plugs and do a compression check. Also, While doing the compression check do a vacuum check. This will make sure the motor is still tight enough to run with out issues. record vacuum and compression. All should be consistent.
Any large variances will indicate an issue.
You need to Look at all the plugs and check Spark at each plug. If your having spark issues the engine will attempt to start and stumble (like you said it does sometimes).
Do you have a Haynes manual? There are trouble shooting guides in that manual you can follow.
But All of what I suggested is covered in there.
I did not notice a mention of how many miles you have on that truck, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the plugs, might also think of new plug wires. Or at least make sure they are all working as they should.
With these trucks the spark should be a good snap and visible with out question.

 

I don't have a Haynes manual but need one. Gonna see if library has one to check out. I'm gonna go and check all plugs and wires when finished with this reply.
Odometer:112231
Engine hours:4852.6
I don't have the tools to perform compression or vacuum test. If I can aquire those, I have to first research and learn what to do and how to do it. Which is fine. Thanks for this new road of possibilities to investigate. I'll update when I have something to update with.

 

All spark plug wires produce healthy spark. The pictures below are what each pkug wire looked like. And the pic of the plug itself was the worse one out of 6. And it's still in good shape. Sharp contact still, was wet with traces of gas, and nothing out of the ordinary presented itself on any plugs or wires.
A compression and vacuum test is whats next on the books. Although I'm still not sure where or how I'll get the equipment needed. I'm new to Baton Rouge. And not only am I currently broke, but I don't know anyone well enough here yet to ask for anything.

 

Some auto stores will lend you a compression tester and vacuum gauge.
Sounds like you are doing this all by yourself?
Try the starting fluid again,, this time give is a good shot of fluid and try to start as quickly as you can. Be careful though, that can be dangerous.
If you get help, have them squirt the starting fluid in as you crank it and see if you can get it to run on the fluid. If so,, well thats obvious,, not enough fuel getting in.
Other thing to try is,,, Can you get a jump? Your battery bottomed out and you brought it back but it may be borderline and not giving enough oomph to get it going,, try having a jump and see what that does.

So far it sounds as though you are getting all three things,Air,Fuel and spark, we just gotta figure out why it won't light off that fuel, My suspicion is,, your not getting enough fuel into it.
I know you say you hear the pump working, but if your not getting the required volume in,, then she won't go.

One other thought,,,,,,,,,any chance the fuel is bad?

You could try fresh gas trickled into the throttle body,,,but again,, BE Careful!

 

I've heard fuel pump, bad gas, clogged filter, old gas, water in gas, and a few others. It sounds logical and it has to be checked out in order to either be confirmed as issue or so I can scratch it off my list and get it out of the back of my mind. I am doing this by myself. That's ok though. I like a challenge. Maybe I should rephrase that...I like a tough challenge that I can pinpoint, identify, repair, and then rebuild. There will be ABSOLUTELY no more startingfluidor gasoline adventures on this thread in this forum. There was a small incident last night. My throttle body and air box is plastic. The victim of this small incident was the air filter housing/intake box. Good news is that as a certified redneck I'm well versed in all things 'Duct Tape'...lol
And finally, I don't have the money to put down as deposit on the "FREE" loaner tools program....so for now focusing on gas, gas tank, pump, and fuel free. These are gonna be the the things that gets this damn thing back on the road.

 

Does this engine require a "crank position sensor re-learn procedure" after that sensor gets changed?

Rick

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

The old sensor was fine. I swapped it for a new one and nothing changed in any way...and I needed that money for a possible deposit today on compression and vacuum tests.

I have a question for anyone who may have ever done this in ANY vehicle....if the gas is bad or if it has water in it, have anyone had any luck with a fuel additive to correct fuel issue? Did it work?

 

Fuel additive won't correct the issue. Have to drain the tank.

 

That's what I was afraid of.....thanks.

 

I have an 05 4.3 and had similar issues. I'd start by pulling off the distributor cap and making sure it isn't all wet inside. Also, look at the rotor, is the metal button still on it? Last thing I did to mine to get it running properly was replace the distributor. None of these are expensive (or difficult) fixes and all probably need to be replaced anyway due to the age.

I think the rrot cause of my issue was the distributor which kept fouling up my rotor/cap and causing non/start issues.

 

Could this be my problem?

 

The motor tries to start but never does.

Did you try spilling a little gasoline into the throttle body, as Jake2250 mentioned?
Drop about a shot glass worth of fuel in there, and try to start.

CarMech97

 

Define healthy spark. Just looking at the rotor pic. What color is the spark?

 

Could this be my problem?

Yes Sir,, thats not good,, check cap for cracks.
New cap rotor and ignition module and I bet she fires right off!

Hold off on compression check and vacuum until thats fixed.
How do the contacts in the cap look?

You see that black stuff in the center of the rotor? Thats from arcing. The cap has gotta have some arcing going on.
I think your getting close!

 

I swapped out cap and rotor. It was dark and rainy and only light I had was a dying flash light. I must have crossed a spark plug wire or something. Didn't start but definitely a different type of crank noise when it turned over. I'll be getting back on it as soon as a can tomorrow. You're right, I'm getting close.

 

Damn.....back again with another situation. I replaced cap and rotor last night. Conditions were not optimal for working on car....oh well. I got parts installed and everything hooked back up. Turned the key and I did not like what I heard at all. I stopped and quit for the night. I suspected that I may have crossed a spark plug wire and maybe that's why it didn't sound good.
This morning, I double checked my work and YES, I DID cross two wires. I fixed my mistake and Now when I turn the key, it's acting as if the battery is dead, but I just had it charged.
Is it possible that my IGNITION CONTROL MODULE is also bad? And.....will a bad ICM cause the issue I'm having now or is it more likely that battery just needs charged again?

'STILL PISSED IN BATON ROUGE'

 

Damn.....back again with another situation. I replaced cap and rotor last night. Conditions were not optimal for working on car....oh well. I got parts installed and everything hooked back up. Turned the key and I did not like what I heard at all. I stopped and quit for the night. I suspected that I may have crossed a spark plug wire and maybe that's why it didn't sound good.
This morning, I double checked my work and YES, I DID cross two wires. I fixed my mistake and Now when I turn the key, it's acting as if the battery is dead, but I just had it charged.
Is it possible that my IGNITION CONTROL MODULE is also bad? And.....will a bad ICM cause the issue I'm having now or is it more likely that battery just needs charged again?

'STILL PISSED IN BATON ROUGE'

Jake, at this point, yes, replace that ICM, You want the healthiest spark you can get. What did the inside of the cap look like? Were the contacts in the cap worn down?
By the looks of the rotor you had some arcing going on and that arcing is just looking for a ground.
One other tip. WD40, wipe the entire inside of the cap down with WD40. You are in a high humidity area and condensation inside that cap is a bad thing.
Last truck I had with an HEI distributor quit on me once while wheeling in the back country. It was getting dark and it would not start,, After a few hits of starter fluid I could see arcs of light coming out of that cap and hitting anything metal on the engine.
Pulled the cap off and it had three hair line cracks that had slight carbon trails on them. Luckily I had an old spare cap and rotor I kept in my took box.
I crossed a couple of creeks and must have gotten water up there,, the attraction of water to the HEI cracked the cap and fried the ICM.
The new cap and rotor got me started but it ran like crap the rest of the way home..Replaced ICM on the top of the cap and all was good.
Plus, Now you can rule that out of the investigation process.
Sounds like the other dark cloud is that battery,,,and that will bite into your budget. Dragging a battery down multiple times is not good for battery life.
Like I said earlier,, try to get a jump start from some one and try that,, a good healthy battery boost and the new cap-rotor-ICM will deliver a good snap to light that fuel.
Check the wires leading to the ICM and check all your ground wires. Calm down and just keep eliminating anything that could prevent starting.
Hang in there,,you'll get it!

 

Ive included pics of a few of the bad post inside the cap and a pic of the center hub. It did not look pretty. When I took both pieces off they looked so bad I was certain replacing the two of them would fix the issue. There is no silver visible at all on posts. they are all oxidized white...corroded white.... something other than what they supposed to be. They are all disfigured like a welding rod would be when you get a greenhorn to weld for ya. I'm staying calm. I'm aggravated but focused. Battery is currently on charger.
I'll go in my Haynes manual to see if it shows me where and how many grounds there are that I need to clean up. I will also be taking cap back off of distributor and wipe down the inside like you said.
It's gonna be fixed and I'm gonna be the one to fix it. Not sure how long this harbor freight charger gonna take to charge me....but as soon as Its charged I'll be trying to start it. Thanks again for info. Almost there...