Hello. New to the forum. Have a 1996 F-150 w/4.9-6 with a problem. It has 149000 miles on it. Will sometimes start right up as if OK but after running a while will shut as if the ignition swich was turned off. I had it running a few days ago and turned it off normally but now will crank just fine but makes no attempt to start.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

IIRR, that year also had an ignition module (basically a coil) that was prone to failure from engine heat- it's a simple replacement.

 

Well, doing the old process of elimination method of repair. Bought new coil, installed, still won't start. Also bought the ignition module. I was successful in removing the module on the heat sink from the inner fender, BUT, no matter how hard I try to pull off the connector it won't budge. Also, the module is attached to the heat sink with 2 small hex screws that are in a recess just barely bigger than the screws and so deep the socket won't go far enough in so I really can't even tell what size socket it needs. Oh well. Anyone have any solutions? This is frustrating!!

 

UPDATE AND QUESTION (AGAIN). I'm told (if anyone is interested) that the screws that secure the module to the heat sink require a 5.5mm or 7/32 thinwall deep socket which is not easy to locate at local auto parts houses. My question is does anyone have an idea to separate the connector to the module w/o damaging it. I have pulled as hard as possible and tried prying without any luck. IDEAS??

 

First: stop swapping parts. It's an expensive & usually unproductive way to diagnose a problem.

Second: buy an older edition of the Haynes manual, and a digital multimeter ($15-50). Read this caption:



3rd: the '92-up TFI-IV ICM RARELY fails, but if you suspect it's bad, follow the procedure in this caption:



4th: any decent parts store should have that tool for ~$3-6, but some standard sockets will fit with some effort. If you remove the heat sink from the fender (again, I don't think you should), you'll be able to read on the connector catch where it says "PU-SH". Push the split tab down, and the connector pulls out easily.

5th: before you do anything else, read this caption: