Hi! Glad I found this place and hope you guys might be able to help me figure out my issue...

91 f150 (I know its older than a 97) was running in the driveway and just quit, has a 5.0 from an 89 bronco. Engine currently has 90kish miles. Has no spark, new parts include cap/rotor, coil, battery key lock cylinder, plugs and wires are only 2 years old. Anyways. Have no spark at coil, truck will roll and roll but not start. I'm thinking maybe the icm or ignition fuse. Cant seem to find either.
Google isnt much help either. Other than I think the ignition fuse is on a starter wire (I'll be working/looking over it all tonight)..maybe you guys could point me in the proper direction? I'll be checking those 2 parts this evening as well as grounds if I can find em...one off the battery is good. Thanks!

 

Hard to know what to say. The 89 Bronco and your truck had computerized fuel injection. Not sure what your engine has?

 

It has computerized injection, at this point im guessing its the ignition control module behind the lock cylinder or the fuse

 

side note truck has ran fine since i bought it 2 and a half years ago

 

Your description is typical of a TFI failure. It should be on the very front of the distributor. If the TFI fails, nothing works as there is no signal from the distributor to let the ECM know that the engine is turning via the starter. No ignition, no fuel, nothing works. This is a common failure for your year model truck/engine.

 

What Labnerd said. I had a 86 f150 that had the ignition module on the front of the distributor and it would cause the ignition to be weak when the engine got hot. I really noticed it when I towed my travel trailer.

 

Thanks for the info guys! The tfi will be what I look at next. I think they're pretty cheap at parts store so I think I'll throw this one at it.
Hoping this is it so I wont need to pull the steering wheel. And for future reference, the tfi would be what I'm mistaking for my icm? Or would the switch inside the steering column be considered the icm? I apologize, electronics are definitely not my strong suit, but I'm trying to learn!

 

ICM stands for ignition control module, that's what the TFI is. The ignition switch is on the steering column and doesn't require wheel pulling, it's connected to the key switch with a rod.

 

As stated above, it is on the front of the distributor. It looks like this:


FWIW, there is nothing in the steering column in regards to the ignition. You have the keyway which is connected to linkage that runs down the column to the actual ignition switch which bolted on the side of the steering column under the dash. Another FWIW, if the starter engages and the engine starts but as soon as you release the key, the engine dies. That's typical of a bad ignition switch which is the part bolted to the side of the steering column. The issue is the two halves of the part are coming apart. It CAN be fixed once removed but it's a PIA to do. It's a lot simpler to just replace it. Sometimes, if the key gets hard to turn, the linkage, which is pot metal at best, will wear and not hook into the ignition switch. That's another typical problem with your year model truck.
Ignition switch:

 

Really appreciate the info, definitely saving it for future reference as I really like this truck and intend to keep it as long as I can, someone took good care of it for the first 25 years of its life.

On another note then apparently I've been mis-googling how toos, all the stuff I've been reading had mentioned pulling the steering wheel. Glad I wont have to, and I'll definitely be checking where that switch is. Thanks again folks!

 

Welcome to our little slice of the internet we call home

 

Good news! Was the tfi...bad news! Pretty sure I jumped a tooth on the distributor careful as I was...had to rotate the housing clockwise several degrees from my mark to get it to sound half right again...looks like I'll be educating myself on timing this weekend now LOL

REALLY appreciate it again folks, thank you

 

Congrats! And thanks for letting us know.

 

Timing is not difficult - 10 degrees BTDC with the SPOUT connector disconnected.

 

Back at it again I guess...truck ran great for a few weeks thanks to your help here!
And now after setting a week I again, have no spark at the coil.
Any chance the new tfi was bad? Or should I now be looking elsewhere?