89 2500 5.7L another spark and fuel no start question, unfortunately.

[Komet]

Well my final guess was bad gas.

And I ain't talkin chili night.

 

[ben2go]

Well my final guess was bad gas.

And I ain't talkin chili night.

Had just filled up the day before.

 

[Komet]

Had just filled up the day before.

Yes typically a vehicle does get bad gasoline in it around the time the bad gasoline goes in, so that timeline adds up.

But, it's just a hypothesis.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

If you have bad gas in your truck, you should run a can of Berryman's Chemtool B-12 or similar cleaner through the tank. You'll need to change the fuel filter too; get a couple when you get the fuel system cleaner/treatment. Change it before you run the cleaner through it, then again after using that tank of gas. Fresh gas will dilute the bad old stuff too.
I went through this on my crew cab; it had been sitting and not driven much by the PO. This procedure, along with a tune up (plugs, rotor and cap) helped considerably to reduce the rough idle and jumpiness.

 

[FullBlowncustoms]

ever just spray the hell out of the tbi throat with starter fluid etc... to see if it fires once?

 

[FullBlowncustoms]

At least then you would know if it was just bad fuel problem etc... With all variables being bad? IF it gets spark and GOOD fuel it would fire at least. may not start or run or run good... BUT it would fire ... Spray heavy while turning it over... see if it fires once.. or bad dizzy cap rotor cross fire etc.. ohm reading in plug wires etc...

Damn, sorry, just read it was junked, crushed... looks like junkyard just got $$$ in parts...

 

[Erik the Awful]

The shop is reputable. They've helped me with many problems I couldn't diagnose. they're well known for fixing stuff other shops can't. This is a first for them as well.

Everything in the ignition system has been changed again. They pulled and replaced the distributor. They replaced several sensors, senders, and relays. They bore scoped all the cylinders and everything looks fine. We're up to $1000 in repairs and labor

The shop is even telling us to scrap the truck or convert it to carb.

You got taken by an incompetent shop. Period, full stop. I don't care what their reputation is, this ain't rocket science. Did you pay them to fix the no-start problem, or did you pay them to swap parts? If you paid them to fix the no-start they owe you a refund, at least for the parts that didn't fix the problem.

 

[Road Trip]

You got taken by an incompetent shop. Period, full stop. I don't care what their reputation is, this ain't rocket science. Did you pay them to fix the no-start problem, or did you pay them to swap parts? If you paid them to fix the no-start they owe you a refund, at least for the parts that didn't fix the problem.

I concur. I just downloaded the '89 FSM from the Service Manual cache, searched for "No Start",
and in less than a minute had the following displayed:

No Start approach (written by the engineers that designed your system)

You must be registered for see images attach

Remember that the Big 3 of troubleshooting a No Start is Spark, Fuel, & Compression.
Under Diagnostic Aids, it states that "If no trouble is found in the fuel pump circuit (Fuel) or
ignition system (Spark) and the cause of a 'Engine Cranks But Will Not Run' has not been found,
check for:" And they go on to list 6 more bullet points, all valid. Even @Komet's valid
input in reply #11 makes the list as bullet #4:

* Water or foreign material in the fuel system.

And the last bullet states: Basic engine problem (Compression)

All the bases are covered. Including implementation specific stuff that 2024 Road Trip either
A) never knew or B) had forgotten 35 years later. (!) This is the info that we all need
in order to keep these old TBI-equipped trucks starting on demand.

And here is the actual chart for No Start:

You must be registered for see images attach

I'm not trying to pig pile on this situation. Instead, I'm trying to show that a solid troubleshooting
procedure for a No Start scenario doesn't have to be (re)created out of thin air or require rocket science.

IF the shop had methodically followed this No Start flowchart then eventually Actionable Info
would have been found.

And if I were running a shop that took on this No Start and couldn't figure it out, I really wouldn't
be charging you the Diagnostic labor at the very least. At some point the shop owner has to own the results
of their effort, and from my perspective this isn't a case where everyone gets a participation ribbon...or
should expect payment when they didn't deliver.

Blaming everything on an inscrutable computer and recommending swapping to a carb is not
a substitute for quality troubleshooting.

 

[ben2go]

Please read all the comments. I tried ether and nothing even though it has spark. None of that matters. I watch the truck go into the crusher at 10:43 this morning.