Is this a common problem for the 4.9? I wouldn't think so since I have driven this truck for years without this happening. Since I haven't seen the oil pump pickup, I can only assume that there is a screen on it. Granted it was probably a pretty small piece.

That was my first thought,but it has gears instead of a chain and the gears look great. Turns out the guilty party was the pin on the distributor gear sheared. I had thought that it was ok, because when it quit I pulled the cap off and tried to turn the rotor-no go. The rough edges of the broken...

The 4.9 in my truck is skipping/jumping timing. I can set the timing and get it idling good, but when I try to drive it the timing jumps way off. Timing gears are good, dots lined up, distributor hold down is tight. This same engine/ignition combo has worked for a couple years, so it isn't new...