Like HeyYou stated, fix ground first "easy peasy". then move to starter, then cap and rotor. or vice versa

 

yep cap and rotor replaced yesterday made spark much better and crank better. Also does a weak distributor cause pinging? Just for future reference this was the only symptom this truck had prior to this happening.

 

Carbon buildup causes spark knock, or, a lean condition. (inadequate fuel pressure, or, a bad O2 sensor....) Don't worry 'bout that just yet though. Get it running first, and see what's up.

Distributor caps are maintenance about every 20-30K miles.

 

Alright I gotta keep some notes or something lol I forget sometimes when certain things were replaced or when I've replaced certain things. Downfall of owning an old truck for several years after it wasn't maintained previously

 

In that case, take a look at the maintenance schedule, and see what the manufacturer recommends you do. If you don't know for a fact something has been done, assume it hasn't, and take care of it.

But, make it run first.

 

Yea true. Welp the 360 that was put in my 3/4 ton truck came out of a van instead not sure what year, but it only had about 80,000 miles on it. I've put about 7,000 miles on that engine. My truck has almost 190,000 miles, but tbh that doesn't really go very far because I replaced the bed, front fenders, axle shaft u-joints, front hubs, leaf spring shackles/bushings, 4x4 actuator(posi-lok), front axles seals, redid the frame from the front of the gas tank and back, control arms replaced, etc etc etc from June-October all in my driveway this past summer so I wasn't concerned with the engine at all because it was replaced June 2020. Only problem is that I'm not very good at diagnostics I don't have the equipment/scanners.

 

Yeah, a lot of people run into that same problem. Unfortunately, to work on these computer controlled trucks, you REALLY need a decent scanner.... The better the tool you have, the easier it makes diagnosis......

 

Yeah the only thing I missed that I could've done was check the grounds again really since had spark and fuel when I first checked. Instead of replacing the crank sensor first off, but it's at the shop for the holidays sadly in NJ. Hard to find a shop in any manner where I'm located in Pennsylvania that I trust with my trucks which is why I try to do as much as I can myself now. To much of a pain trying to work outside in the cold up here get frustrated and to impatient then start breaking stuff.

 

I feel ya there. I really don't like paying inflated prices for for labor, and paying double for parts at a shop...... I *HAD* a shop that I trusted, and used on a regular basis, but, they closed...... Open on Friday, empty building on Monday....... Now I need to find another... Not an easy proposition in this day and age......

 

I have seen some VERY neglected engines and have never seen one that I thought was in danger of "rotting thru" Im interested to hear how (and who) came to such a conclusion. What was it doing? Leaking fluid? Knocking? Running bad. what?