[chrisdinhsk8]

so i replaced the water pump gasket,thermostat and gasket,intake manifold gasket(upper and lower), valve cover gasket. i also disconnected a sleew of line but i put them back where they go( i believe), it's getting fuel & spark but not starting...any ideas? its a 1988 mustang gt hatch

[nolife]

I assume you had the distributor out when you did the lower manifld gasket. Did you mark and place the distributor back in the right place, meaning the rotor was pointing in the same exact direction when you put it in as it was when you took it out and the distributor itself is clocked close to where it was before or did you just stick it in at random? Are the injector wiring harnesses plugged in tight? Are the plug wires set for the correct firing order (5.0 HO firing order, not the older or truck 5.0 order)? All connectors, jacks and plugs only fit where they should and it is really hard to plug something into the wrong place (except for the injectors which are all the same), vac lines should all be attached but where they were before and now doesnt really matter as long as they are attached. I belive there is also a single ground wire back by the fuel injector connectors that goes somewhere but I may be wrong on that.

[fogged306]

Originally Posted by nolife I assume you had the distributor out when you did the lower manifld gasket. Did you mark and place the distributor back in the right place, meaning the rotor was pointing in the same exact direction when you put it in as it was when you took it out and the distributor itself is clocked close to where it was before or did you just stick it in at random? Are the injector wiring harnesses plugged in tight? Are the plug wires set for the correct firing order (5.0 HO firing order, not the older or truck 5.0 order)? All connectors, jacks and plugs only fit where they should and it is really hard to plug something into the wrong place (except for the injectors which are all the same), vac lines should all be attached but where they were before and now doesnt really matter as long as they are attached. I belive there is also a single ground wire back by the fuel injector connectors that goes somewhere but I may be wrong on that.

+1 if it has fuel and spark and no fire it's probably ignition timing.

There's 2 grounds back there at the firewall side of the engine. A braided ground strap and an orange wire that's the ground for the heated o2 sensors that comes right out of the main harness flex loom. The orange wire won't cause a no start, but I've seen it not connected on a few foxes so make sure it's hooked up anyway.