So I picked up this truck cheap with the story of it needs a timing chain. Well I get it home throw a battery in it and it fires right up, no noises or anything hinting at the chain being bad. So I hop in it to take it for a spin and all it does is stall as soon as you put it in any gear. It doesnt stumble or try to run. It just shuts right off as soon as you drop it in gear. You guys and gals got any tips on places to start?

 

Sorry I guess some info on it helps. 96 2wd with the 3.9

 

Read over the FAQ page. Check for codes as described on the FAQ page. Go from there.

 

Sorry for the delay but I thought I would give an update. I checked the codes and it was giving me code 11, so I chased down that to what I thought was a bad crank sensor. Replaced it and then it wouldn't run at all so I put the old one back in. Got it to run again but it would stall constantly. I then looked into the power splices and found the alternator cable had been poorly reconnected so I fixed that. Still no dice. I then noticed when I turned the key on the fuel pump and check engine light would intermittently come on and go out. Damn thing had me stumped. All in all I found the culprit, it was a loose ground on the firewall. Stupid me.