New heads, lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, Engine is still not cranking over. Compression is 160-170 on all cylinders now

 

Good stuff

And "not cranking over" means starter motor is working and engine is spinning, but engine is not starting, correct?
Or is starter motor not working, but not sure how you would do compression test, lol, so assuming you have a crank but no start

Did you do the 50/50 test?
Spray fuel into the intake and try to start

 

Yes, the motor is turning over but not starting. I think it’s an issue with the keys because they aftermarket and forscan threw a code relating to the transponder. gonna get a couple keys from the ford dealer and try that.....

 

The THEFT LIGHT on the dash will flash rapidly if its a transponder key issue, starter motor should also be disabled, but not on all models

And engine would still start if you added fuel manually, 50/50 test
Transponder key(PATS) only disables fuel pump and fuel injectors, spark would be working, to test if engine will start

 

Will not start with ether, Some cylinders give off blue spark, and some give off orangish spark

 

There is a strap, that looks like a ground that is coming from the firewall. On the drivers side. Is this for anything related to the ignition system?

 

The strap is the main ground for the cab electrics, so yes, and it bolts to the back of the head

If it won't start with ether, and you think it has spark then spark is at the wrong time
Engine are pretty simple things, IGNORE the electronics, thats just to make it more reliable
You need 3 things
1. Fuel
2. spark, at the right time
3. compression, above 120psi

Coil pack wiring is
3 4
2 6
1 5

So not the same as cylinder numbers, the 5 6 4 side is different

Does the CEL go off when cranking engine over with starter motor?
If CEL is not going OFF then you have no spark, CEL off = Spark ON

 

The cel does not turn on at all. Even before cranking. Always off

 

What could affect spark timing?

 

Then computer is OFF, so no spark

1999 Ranger, check fuse 11 in the CAB fuse box, 7.5 amp, that powers the CEL bulb

Computer grounds CEL bulb to light it up

Computer power comes from fuse 8 in ENGINE BAY fuse box, 30amp, this fuse also powers fuel injectors and fuel pump relay

When you turn the key from OFF to RUN(on) you should hear the fuel pump in the gas tank run for 2 seconds, its not quiet, loud HUMMMMM for a few seconds
If you don't hear it then computer is not on, has no power

When computer has power then CEL will come on and fuel pump will run

 

Fuel pump wines when turning key to on position.

Cel fuse is good, I replaced it and still no light.



Circled fuse is #8? If so there is no contacts in the port on the fuse box.

 

#5 is circled, #8 has the 30amp fuse, opposite end of that row

If fuel pump comes on Computer is starting up, so maybe CEL Bulb is burned out?
It would have had to be on for a LONG TIME to burn out

Fuel pump just runs for 2 seconds or so with key on, correct?
It doesn't keep running?
That would be a computer issue if it does

 

Fuel pump is only on two seconds or so.

 

Fuse 8 is good

 

Yes, it would be if fuel pump is working

So when you spray fuel into the engine it still won't start or fire at all?

Pull off the air tube from intake, open throttle manually and spray fuel in
Leave tube off, but make sure it won't hit the fan blades
Try to start

CEL not being on is the troublesome thing, fuel pump running means computer IS getting power with key on because its grounding the fuel pump relay, but it is NOT grounding the CEL bulb, so could be burnt out bulb or burnt out computer
Hard to trouble shoot that

But it engine doesn't start by adding fuel manually then there is no spark or no compression, and its got compression, so you are down to no spark which in 1999 is the computer

 

I’ll find someone to crank the truck while I spray fuel into the intake, I am gonna go on a whim and say the ecm is fine because I purchased a new one through cardone a couple of months ago. And ran the module initialization on forscan to get the pats light to stop flashing.


i bought some bulbs, so we’ll see if that solves the light being out.

 

You don't need someone to spray fuel in while cranking, just spray in the fuel and then get in and try to start it, the fuel doesn't disappear

Engine will fire up and run for a few seconds

On the computer wires there will be a Pink/green wire on PIN #2, lay out here: https://www.grandmarq.net/oldfuelinj...ages/eec05.gif

You can use a sewing needle to pierce any wire to test it, it won't hurt the wire
With key on that wire should show 12volts, its the 12v from fuse 11 passing thru a GOOD bulb, if no 12v then bulb is burnt out

 

CEL bulb wasnt even in the cluster, I replaced the bulb. turns on when key is moved to the on position. Truck will not start with fuel sprayed into intake. I pulled all the plug wires, there is blue spark on most cylinders, four and five had a reddish arc

 

Does the CEL go OFF when starter motor is active, cranking?
It should, that means computer is "seeing" a timing pulse from crank sensor

If spraying fuel into the intake, 50/50 test, doesn't cause engine to start/fire, then there is either no spark(or its coming at the wrong time), or no compression, the only two options
Gasoline engines just are not that complicated
1. spark, at the right time
2. fuel
3. compression above 120psi

Doesn't matter what "they" add to the outside of the engine, those 3 things are all that's need for engine to fire up

Testing spark is not like the old distributor days, so don't bother, you will end up chasing your tail, just do 50/50 test, that tells you if you have correct spark, instantly

 

Cel goes off when I crank the engine.

Ether does not start the truck

 

Do you think a bad ground strap would have an adverse effect on spark timing?

 

No, but Mis-wired coil pack would, there are only 3 coils in a V6 coil pack, spark plugs are fired in PAIRS

Look here: https://www.2carpros.com/images/ques...2/original.gif

There will be a 4 wire connector plugged in, 3 2 1 should be on that side of the coil pack
each of those has a Matched Pair, 3/4, 2/6, 1/5
[ ] = 1 coil
So it could be
[3 4]
[2 6]
[1 5]
or
1 5
2 6
3 4

This is the firing order for the Ford V6
2 and 6 matched pair are always on the center coil
So only "miswire" would be to reverse the end pairs
1 2 3
5 6 4
or
3 2 1
4 6 5

 

Those are correct, The truck cranks and just seldomly coughs like it’s about to kick over and has a slight backfire out of the intake?

 

Coil pack wiring, reverse the end pairs

 

Each pair of coils has a single wire for each pair correct?

t/w - 3 4
t/o - 2 6
t/b - 1 5
r/g