A while back my clutch started slippng, I was able to make it to a friend's house, but while driving up a hill I started smelling something like burning metal. A mechanic replaced the clutch, it was totally shot. But when we tried to start it it wouldn't turn over. There is gas reaching the throttle body. But there is no fire anywhere on the truck, he checked the censors with a multimeter and they were fine. And he couldn't figure out what was causng the problem, I had another person look at it and they said it could be either the distributor or the brain box. But he said the distributor very rarely goes out. But the brain box is fairly new, I replaced it a little over a year before the clutch went. So I was wondering if ANYBODY has an idea to were to start. I am on Social Security Disability and can't afford to replace parts that aren't bad. I've been told by a few poeple that AutoZone can test the brain box while it is off the truck, but when I ask Auto Zone they say they don't. I have to have my truck running by mid-August, so I am up for any and all ideas how to get it fixed.

 

Please provide a little more informaiton: year, engine, etc.

 

Sorry. It's a 1996, V-6 Magnum, 5-speed manual, 3.9L, 2 wheel rear drive, Club Cab with AC. I might as well give some of the history of the truck. I bought it about 7 years ago from a dealer, he said it was in a flood down south. (I live in Ohio) I know the truck was at least half submerged, the compartments under the back seat still had water and mud in them. I replaced a lot, if not all electrical stuff. All the wiring under the hood was replaced. I replaced the fuel pump, about 3 years ago, replaced the brain box twice about 4 years ago and 2 years ago. The truck was also involved in a fire 4 years ago, it melted some of the wiring under the hood, the spoiler, grill, headlightsand a side mirror, all have been replaced. (It was a van parked next my truck that caught fire.) My truck only suffered heat damage. As you can tell my "baby" has been through a lot. I really miss driving it. And it kills me every time I go anywhere because I have to see it just sitting there in the driveway.

 

will it crank?

 

It cranks, but that about the only thing it does. It kind of sounds like there is no gas getting to the throttle body, but it is. I can here the fuel pump kick on and if I keep trying to start it, it floods. I was told that there is a sensor on the clutch housing that may have been messed with (mechanic says he didn't touch the sensor)when the clutch was replaced. But if the sensor was out would there still be fire getting to the coil. The distibutor cap and rotar botton looks good and clean, so does the coil wire. I could just tow it to a garage to have them diagnose it, and have them fix it but I don't want the added expence if it is something simple like a brain box. Which takes just about 5 minutes to install. I'm a 40 year old women, but my Daddy taught me a few things about cars and trucks. I usualy leave the complecated stuff for the professionals, and do theminor stuff myself.
I've had timing chains break on cars before but I don't remember how they acted when they went. Or if the timing chain has anything to do with firing. I think it does, but I could be wrong. So I guess now there could be 3 possible causes, bad brain box, distributor or timing chain. All I know is that it still ran when the clutch first went out. It may be also whatever I smelled burning trying to climb a hill with a slipping clutch. Oh, theengine itselfdid NOT overheat. And the burning smell wasn't the clutch plate either, it smelled like burning or meltingmetal. But now that it has set for so long I'll have to get a new battery, before working on it again.