Need Ideas...dead Bronco! Update..see last post

[blksn8k]

I took the Bronco for a little ride this evening and all seemed fine until I made the turn onto the street headed back to the house. I had just shifted into 2nd gear when the truck backfired one time and shut off. I coasted a hundred feet or so in gear with the key on and it would not re-fire. I cranked it and it started so I tried to continue but it started bucking and shut off again. It won't crank at all now and the negative post on the battery got hot enough to burn my fingers. The lights are bright but it will not crank even with a jumper battery. I'm guessing the timing chain slipped. What do you guys think? TIA. ?:?

 

[kwspony]

sounds like the timing chain to me too. Try advancing the timing and see if it will start. If so it's the chain.

 

[bert]

Timing chain sounds like a good bet.
You say it will not crank at all now. Can you turn the engine by hand (with a wrench)? If you cannot, you have more issues than just a timing chain.

 

[blksn8k]

It just occured to me that there may be another possibility. This happened to a 351C that I had in an '80 Bronco. The oil pump may have seized and then the roll pin that attaches the gear to the distributor shaft would have sheared allowing the timing to go beserk. I had very similar simptoms on the big Bronco. The EB is still sitting in a driveway near where it died. I am at work now and I won't be able to get it home 'till this evening. I think I will try to turn the crank by hand first and then check the alignment of the rotor in the distributor. If that is off I will pull the distributor and check the gear on the shaft. That's a whole bunch easier than checking the timing chain. The 302 does not have the original cam so I am hoping whoever did that changed the timing gears and chain at the same time. Hopefully the fact that it wouldn't crank last night is due to a worn-out starter that finally decided to die at the same time. It's beginning to look more and more like Windsor time. ;D

 

[74bronc]

if it were the timing chain, it would still crank. The hot battery cables point in the direction of high resistance in the starting system. I would start looking at all the battery connections at the battery and the solenoid. Clean everything with some emory cloth or sandpaper. I had a similar issue a while back in that I had bright lights but no cranky cranky. Turned out to be a bad connection at the solenoid on the wire that supplies mojo to the bronco electrical system.

 

[Jeepster]

if it were the timing chain, it would still crank. The hot battery cables point in the direction of high resistance in the starting system. I would start looking at all the battery connections at the battery and the solenoid. Clean everything with some emory cloth or sandpaper. I had a similar issue a while back in that I had bright lights but no cranky cranky. Turned out to be a bad connection at the solenoid on the wire that supplies mojo to the bronco electrical system.

I agree, timing chain or not, it would still crank. While I would not rule out a problem with the chain, Its not the cause of it not cranking. Check connections and starter. Try to turn over by hand.

 

[wildbill]

;D ;D ;D When they jump timeing they turn over real easy and when if you get it to start it wont have any power. If batt wire hot look at the starter. Good luck. Bill %)

 

[Rustytruck]

Check the ground at the block.

 

[blksn8k]

I was away all weekend so I didn't have a chance to look at it 'till yesterday. It turns by hand easily and the rotor is still turning as well. I have not checked the alignment of the rotor with the cap. The battery has now discharged completely so I am thinking the problem is either a short in the ignition system or the battery itself. Maybe once I get the grass mowed I will have a chance to dig a little deeper. ;D I have a new Ron Francis harness and the battery that came with the truck is physically too small for the tray. I was planning to upgrade to an Optima anyway.

 

[blksn8k]

I found the problem! I started checking for shorts with an ohmeter and discovered that a wire attached to the "ignition" post on the starter solinoid seemed to be the culprit. I disconnected the other wire on that same post that goes to the ignition switch but still had the short. That eliminated the ignition switch as the problem. I then started tracing the first wire and discovered that it was connected to the wire leading to the fuel tank sending unit. %) The PO had told me the only problem with the fuel gauge was that the wire was not connected to the sending unit on the original tank. When I installed the new BC Broncos gas tank I thought the stud for the sending unit wire looked a little long and I even lowered the tank about a 1/4" from the highest possible position just so the stud would not contact the floor pan. I knew I still had a wiring or gauge issue since the fuel gauge still didn't work. The truck ran fine so I didn't plan on fooling with the fuel gauge issue until I installed the new wiring harness. Because the sending unit was connected to the ignition post on the solinoid when it grounded out it took the ignition system with it and because there was no fuse in the line there was no fuse to pop. I don't have a clue why anyone would think the fuel gauge would work like this when it's not even part of the circuit. I removed the "jumper wire" and the truck runs fine. Apparently it takes awhile to rub through POR15.