one more thing.. fuel/air, compression, spark, and timing.
i went through this with the boat the other day... (like brad said above) my next step was to pour a little splash of gas down the carb and hit the starter. when it ran this way it told me all was well except the carb. you said you tried spraying starting fluid but no help... if fuel was your problem - this should have started it.

this would lead me back to spark and timing. if spark is good, then a splash of gas should either crank (if timing is correct) or create a backfire (if timing has jumped). next i'd check spark plugs by removing them all and cranking the motor and check the sound of everything.
next put the plug wires on the plugs and ground them and crank it and look for good spark.

i'm guessing you may have a weak or bad coil. check for 12 volts getting to coil. i don't know how to test coil output.

 

If the PCM is not receiving signal from the crank position sensor, it cuts power to the coil - hence no spark (I've had one go bad, didn't trip the CEL). But you have spark.

Fuel pressure doesn't necessarily mean the engine is getting fuel - electrically controlled injectors. But you've tried the starting fluid through the throttle body so something should have tried to fire.

I'm stumped but still thinking. I've heard of a bad vacuum leak or bad PCV valve cause a looonnnggg time to start and bad running, but still running... You had no other symptoms leading up, even after changing the fuel pump when it ran for a while? Rough running or cutting out?

 

timing chain jump? just a thought from what dhvaughan said...although a backfire would probably be expected too.

 

...Again I am very appreciative of everybody's responses.....thank you for taking time to consider my issue...Now in reference to “after I changed the fuel pump�....it would run decent than all of a sudden when I came to a stop it would spit and sputter to finally dieing. I would cycle the fuel pump a few times and it would start immediately back up and run until the next item I came to a stop.....Sometime it would die, other times it wouldn't.....Then finally it left me on the side of the highway... I began to accelerate and it spit and sputtered and never started again.....Okay so Talk to me about PCM and Crank position sensor.....where do I find them...and can they be checked...I am going to replace the PCV because something that atcsat64[/b] said is a typical response that the truck is doing. Thanks again guys..........We'll get it yet....

 

Hi drains,

I agreewith dhvaughan. I suspect the coil as well. I had this problem before, as well as two other members of my family. For some reason, at this time of year, especially on a damp day, they decide to crazy. I too had spark, but apparently, not enough. Mine was completely open (no resistance) between theinput and output terminals. Hopeyou find your problem.