Hey Y'all,

Lately my 1985 F-150 with a EFI 302 has been having a starting problem, but only when warm. When the engine is cold, it will start up great, but when i try to start it when the engine is hot it starts really hard.

I've heard it may not be getting enough fuel pressure or the fuel filter is clogged.

Where is the fuel filter and the fuel regulator?

Any one know what the problem is?

I think the fuel filter is on the frame for you...near where the bed meets the cab.That's where it was on my buddy's old 85.

CDF302V8 said:

Hey Y'all,

Lately my 1985 F-150 with a EFI 302 has been having a starting problem, but only when warm. When the engine is cold, it will start up great, but when i try to start it when the engine is hot it starts really hard.

I've heard it may not be getting enough fuel pressure or the fuel filter is clogged.

Where is the fuel filter and the fuel regulator?

Any one know what the problem is?

Click to expand...

the starter turns hard? or the engine wont fire??

The fuel pressure regulator goes bad all at once and when it does it dumps all the fuel into #8 cylinder (driver's side rear) creating near hydraulic lock. Diagnose by removing #8 plug and crank it over just a couple of revs. If the reg has gone bad it'll blow fuel out the plug hole big time. (Avoid sparks down there and keep a fire extinguisher handy)

Hard start hot - could be poor electrical connections between battery, starter, ground, solenoid, etc.
Starter beginning to fail or soleniod failing.
Or could be a bad ignition control module on the distributor - they fail when hot and I've had them do some mighty strange things.

My 85 had the same problem and we replaced the starter and it fixed it.

1985 Ford F-150 said:

My 85 had the same problem and we replaced the starter and it fixed it.

Click to expand...

No, it has a new starter.

F 150Cobra said:

the starter turns hard? or the engine wont fire??

Click to expand...

The engine wont fire.

a bad TFI module on the distributor is my guess.
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Well does it just keep crankin or what we need some more information.

1985 Ford F-150 said:

Well does it just keep crankin or what we need some more information.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it just keeps cranking. I have to keep turning the key on and off (like to prime it) and after 3 times trying to start, it will.

Ok I gotcha now mine is doin the same thing I got the same motor you got. I think mine is the fuel pump but it might be the filter. Change the filter and see if it works. What I do to get mine to start is turn the key on and not start it for a minute and then itll usually start right up.

Okay, i will pick up a filter and hopefully it will solve the problem.

Worth a shot probly needs to get done anyways.

Check your connections between the battery/solenoid/starter.

flareside_thunder said:

Check your connections between the battery/solenoid/starter.

Click to expand...

Already have...not the problem. lol!

try this...

i jumped in the truck the engine was hot...
"tapped" the gas to the floor
and immediater turned the key from all the way off to start!
fired right up
i did not wait for the emmsions light to go out!

roadrash63 said:

i jumped in the truck the engine was hot...
"tapped" the gas to the floor
and immediater turned the key from all the way off to start!
fired right up
i did not wait for the emmsions light to go out!

Click to expand...

no offense but that can cause damage to the fuel injection system. let the EFI do what its supposed to.

damaged how?

damaged how?
and the efi aint doin whats its supposed to do in the first place!
i got the same problem and we arent the only ones ...
sound like a design problem/computer glitch!

check your fuel pressure at the shrader fitting on the fuel rail. if you have fuel pressure, then check for spark. my guess is the ign modual, as stated earlier.

fixing the starting problem

hey
i have heard people say that it is the starter when it gets warm the internal parts don't work right but i have always had problems with the distributers in mine. so far i have had a 351, 300-6, and now a 460 in my f-150 and all did the same thing but they had mechanical fuel pumps and it was the distributer everytime
good luck