1998 5.7L starting problems

I am having problems getting my 98 p/u started. here are the steps i have done so far.

- checked fuel pressure at the schradar valve came out to about 62 while cranking which i have read is normal.

- replaced the battery just because it is winter here in wisconsin and i needed a new one anyways.

-checked for spark on all the driver side plugs i could only check these because i recently had shoulder surgery and can only use my right arm therfore couldnt reach the passenger side idk if this is a problem but all the driver side plugs sparked.

- checked as many grounds as i could reach

-visually inspected the distributor cap for cracks but i havent removed it just a visual inspection.

Im at kind of a loss right now because i dont know which direction to go in from here. But i trust all of you guys on this forum I have always received great advice here. The truck cranks but it will not fire i just want some direction to go in before i call my buddy to help me with the grunt work since im a little disabled.

Does the fuel pressure remain at 62psi, or does it immediatly bleed off?

Well it doesnt bleed out fast while im cranking it but when i stop the pressure goes down to about 50-55 then drops steady after that.

Did this all of a sudden crop up like it ran yesterday and not today?

Is there an aftermarket security system installed?

I would try spraying starting fluid into the throttle body while cranking. If it fires and then quits maybe you have eliminated an ignition problem.

Check to see if there is a security light blinking on your dash. It could be a passlock problem that nearly drove me insane. I have also recently had problems starting problems and have traced mine to the distributor cap. If you replace your cap and wires go back with ac delco.

well the security light doesnt blink it comes on for like 5-10 seconds and i did try some starting fluid a few times and that was a no go as well. thanks though. any other ideas

oh also ther isnt an aftermarket security system installed so it wouldnt be that.

oh geeze i feel dumb ok yes it did just start all of a sudden it stopped on thursday i drove it and it didnt start on tuesday. it wasnt too cold out or anything maybe about 35 or so but has been like that around here for awhile.

oh geeze i feel dumb ok yes it did just start all of a sudden it stopped on thursday i drove it and it didnt start on tuesday. it wasnt too cold out or anything maybe about 35 or so but has been like that around here for awhile.

since you have the fuel pressure , this could be the crank sensor..see if you get a good spark..blue...if not this will cause your problem especially if there are no dtc codes..

another componet would be the issue is the ect,, this temp sensor may show that the engine is hot when in fact its at 10deg f...no start obviously..

Thank you i will try that stuff tomorrow if i dont freeze first it was only 7 degrees here today and tomorrow is only gonna be 15 brrr. i just hope the wind chill isnt too bad i guess well one more question i went and bought a plug and wire tester that attatches between the plug and the wire. are those any good for testing? and also when you say blue i assume you mean a blue spark right?

Thank you i will try that stuff tomorrow if i dont freeze first it was only 7 degrees here today and tomorrow is only gonna be 15 brrr. i just hope the wind chill isnt too bad i guess well one more question i went and bought a plug and wire tester that attatches between the plug and the wire. are those any good for testing? and also when you say blue i assume you mean a blue spark right?

correct blue ,,,not yellow

Check also MAF sensor and EGR system. A stucked open EGR valve can also cause this problem.

I'm leaning towards a fuel delivery issue myself. Sounds like the pump is good because it will pump up to 62, but pressure should remain steady and only drop a few psi after a couple hours.

A common failure on these motors is the fuel pressure regulator. Have you had longer than normal starting times recently up untill this point?

When you try to start your engine, does your engine shakes a little bit? When you press the accelerator engines makes more noise?
Or it cranks w/o making any exhaust noise? It should crank at least at 450rpm to start. For a diesel 250rpm.

well it shakes a little but no i dont get any exhaust noise or anything even when i hold the gas pedal down i get nothing i am going out right now to check the plugs and im going to do one more pressure test. ill post what i find when i am complete that you for all your help. also where is the pressure regulator on this engine my haynes book has too many engine types and the pictures are kind of crappy.

I don't think it's the plugs. Because it's a V6, if 1 or 2 pair of plugs are not working, your engine should still able to start when you floor the gas pedal. And it will shake a lot, and stall. Your's not starting at all. So check others things that plugs and injectors. Test CKP, CMP, MAF sensors.

I know, because one time I have disconnected two plugs, and engine was able to start. But it makes a a mower sound :). And stall when I released gas pedal.

My neighbor yells STOP THE MOWER.

OK new problem i got it to start now but the starter seems real weak. it will start but the starter will turn stop turn stop then itll seem to get juice out of nowhere and go. it kinda gos rump.....rump......then spins... i can rule out the battery im pretty sure because it is only 3 days old now but do you think i may have damaged it trying to start the truck to many times...? i left it on a charger all last night as well.

It's not a symptom of a damaged starter. A damaged starter will slips and make a lound metallic noise when a teeth is broken.

When it goes slowly, it means that the battery is weak. Don't forget that is very cold now. Battery has only 40% of its power, and engine needs 110% more power that usual, so 210%. It's why it's hard to crank.You should see weak bulbs light when it happens.

Or maybe also a bad contact on batt terminals. Check if there's no dirt or loose connection. Cables should not turn when you turn them with force.

well i wouldt think the battery would be that weak already i guess since it is brand new is there a chance that i may have damaged or dimished its cca already? i mean i cleaned the connections and everything when i put it in and i did check to make sure they were tight maybe ill go have another look see though.

well i wouldt think the battery would be that weak already i guess since it is brand new is there a chance that i may have damaged or dimished its cca already? i mean i cleaned the connections and everything when i put it in and i did check to make sure they were tight maybe ill go have another look see though.

when you crank for too long you overheat and damage the windings and the commutation on the armature....this means your starter looses torque..[cranking power]....

when cranking 10 sec. on 5 min off then repeat..

No, I don't think that you damaged the battery.
But if you car has not run for many day and you crank your engine for long time, many time, you discharge it.

You didn't diminished CCA, but batt voltage. Check batt voltage.

Don't forget that you have a 5.7L engine. It's very big. It use a lot of power each time you try to start. 4 missed start in a row, and it doesn't work.

well the voltage is at 12v and i would think that after driving it around for 30 minutes it would be nice and charged up again maybe ill go check the connections on the starter as well.

well the voltage is at 12v and i would think that after driving it around for 30 minutes it would be nice and charged up again maybe ill go check the connections on the starter as well.

the starter will soon reveal its true condition when you least expect it..

the starter will soon reveal its true condition when you least expect it..

and what would that be...?

So lets recap, You got it to start, Left it ran, drove it around, recharged the battery. Now are you able to start it ok?

I would drive it over to an oreilley's and have them load test the battery and check the starter cranking amps. Even though them dopy littly machines really don't do squat against a VAT-40. If it were mine, I'd bring it to a mechanic who has a VAT-40 and have him check the starting and charging circuits.

What I understand is there's 2 problems.
Slow cranking and starting when engine is cold.

and what would that be...?

since you are an electrican I'm surprised with your question .

as you should well know motors internally short out..when this occurs the motor then looses its ability to create a magnetic field to cause rotation..with motors under high starting load as in this application operation of the motor with little or no time to cool down ,, damages these internal windings...

so the solenoid contacts will be blasted away with the increased current demand of this damaged motor ...then it will no do nothing..

your desciption of the starter not cranking at a constant speed is telling me the windings are bad...and I'm here in boston...this is not rocket science...

what boston has to do with rocket science?

since you are an electrican I'm surprised with your question .

as you should well know motors internally short out..when this occurs the motor then looses its ability to create a magnetic field to cause rotation..with motors under high starting load as in this application operation of the motor with little or no time to cool down ,, damages these internal windings...

so the solenoid contacts will be blasted away with the increased current demand of this damaged motor ...then it will no do nothing..

your desciption of the starter not cranking at a constant speed is telling me the windings are bad...and I'm here in boston...this is not rocket science...

ok sorry you didnt have to be rude about it man truthfully with all the other stuff people were saying that was the last thing on my mind since it wouldnt do anything before this even when it was cranking good, you dont have to lecture me about electric motors i know how they work you could have just said it nicely or just pointed it out instead of being a jerk and trying to make me look dumb. And your right it isnt rocket science but there is obviously a bigger problem than just the starter and that is common sense..

sorry if you take this as some attack on your knowlege...

you have a bad starter motor with your description of cranking...their is nothing else that would cause the starter to act the way you describe.

I've done this many times...

its cold in milwaukee I won't want to get stuck....

well anyway others can use this info to help, with their starter issues...

I agree with the explanation, it can be a problem with the starter. Or a rusty starter contact also.

Like I said, you have 2 different issue: cranking and starting problem

sorry if you take this as some attack on your knowlege...

you have a bad starter motor with your description of cranking...their is nothing else that would cause the starter to act the way you describe.

I've done this many times...

its cold in milwaukee I won't want to get stuck....

well anyway others can use this info to help, with their starter issues...

i didnt take it as an attack but it would have been nice if you just pointed it out instead of putting it the way you did. I greatly appreciate the advice and i will look at my starter and replace it if i have to it just seemed odd to me because it wasnt starting at all when my starter was cranking good, i probably ruined it trying to start it so many times but now that it is cranking real bad my truck starts i think that there was another problem besides that or it would have started before. again thanks for the advice and i do understand what you are saying but i dont want to ingnore another underlying problem just because i get it to start now..

Well i am just posting what i found to finally fix my truck i found a dead short in the ignition circuit from the horn. I bought a new starter and when i installed it and reconnected the battery the starter spun right away without trying to start it and i traced it to the relay/fuse box and found that the horn and ignition ciruits were melted together my old starter's contacts were really bad which is why i believe it wasnt turning until i closed the ignition circuit but it did crank bad. so now everything is fixed and it starts like a dream i would like to thank you all for the advice and i would like to apologize to j_cat for the little squabble you were right it was something to do with the starter but it was way out of the realm of what i expected. Thanks Y'all! :)