Fix That Old Hard to Start Ford Truck

DIY Truck Repair

If you are not a trained mechanic and you cannot take the time and money to enroll in a technical school program but would like to learn how to do at least some repairs yourself (or maybe even start an old truck restoration project) there are several paths toward accomplishing this goal.

For example:

• Find an experienced mechanic or knowledgeable friend to be your mentor.

• Consider starting with an older model vehicle that uses a carburetor rather than fuel injection and chips; and, has components easily accessible toward repairs.

• Find the factory service and repair manual that goes exactly with the model you’ve chosen.

• Buy old popular automotive magazines from the same era as your vehicle. They often supply useful information on diagnosing and repair along with the "latest" performance mods.

• Collect commercial repair manuals such as Haynes and Chilton as well as general automotive textbooks that cover within the decade of your chosen vehicle.

• Peruse multiple YouTube videos by owners who are doing a restoration or repair of the same model or engine type.

HOWEVER,…There are Some Important Caveats

While there are different paths listed above to take you on your way toward becoming a DIY mechanic or starting a car project, there are a number of caveats to each example listed above that the novice needs to be aware of. However, the last one regarding perusing YouTube videos is the point of this article: avoid firing the parts canon at a vehicle.

This point was prompted by a recent "1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know" YouTube channel video that focused on "…some easy steps to diagnose a distributor ignition system, with tips on replacing parts that need it! If your car or truck uses a distributor and rotor ignition system, there are a few simple things you can do to find the problem. Then you can replace the bad part yourself with our easy steps that will apply to most vehicles!"

Now, this in no way is a disparagement of the video. It is actually a quite useful video that offers some good basic automotive repair advice.

However, when you are in the learning stages of increasing your automotive knowledge, you should not rely on just one resource; but rather, look for multiple examples to see what information provided is aligned, supports and supplements a repair---often with some extra good-to-know info. This video like many others cannot be the end-all to a single repair.

For example, the video posted below does demonstrate one example of a useful to know repair for a hard to start old Ford truck. However, the viewer needs to understand that this is just one potential problem out of several and that there is an order to diagnosing a problem. In this case, an empty gas tank or a failing fuel pump could have been the cause of the problem. If a novice were to jump the gun on this repair, he or she would be needlessly spending money firing the parts canon expecting this to be the answer to their problem.

Related article: Common Car Maintenance Mistake Owners Make When Diagnosing Their Car's Engine Problems

In other words, check the troubleshooting steps provided in repair manuals to help avoid heading down a wrong diagnosis and parts-ordering path.

That said, here is the video that offers some good advice and explanation of what could be the problem if that old Ford truck or other vehicle won't start.

F-150 Not Starting? You Can Replace the Distributor and Ignition Coil Yourself with These Easy Steps

And finally…

One last bit of advice is that viewers of these repair videos should be sure to check out the comments section as there are sometimes useful hints or tips hidden amongst the opinion noise.

For additional articles about repairs related to Ford trucks, here are two for your consideration:

• Common Mistake Ford Truck Owners Make Upgrading Their Engine

• A Ford Truck Repair This Mechanic Refused to Do

COMING UP NEXT: Used Compact Cars with the Best Fuel Economy Says Consumer Reports

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

Image Source: Pixabay