I have an 89, automatic. i have no spark. i have tested the coil, replaced the distributer. it cranks but won't start.

someone thought it might be the ECM.

is this the case? where can i get one? what else could the problem be?

 

First have you verfied there is no spark?
If no spark, has the TFI been changed with the distributor? If yes, is there power thru the ignition switch to the TFI in the start position?
Is there fuel pressure?
Is the ECT and IAT plugged up firmly? If these are open, there can be a no start.

 

yeah i confirmed that there is no spark. i am working on it with a mobile mechanic who is pretty sharp. he has checked all that stuff. he thinks it is the ECM, i was just looking to see if there is anything we may have missed.

any ideas.

 

Do you hear the fuel pump run for a couple seconds when the key is turned to run?
Do you hear the fuel pump run when the engine is being cranked? Listen in the tank fill.
If yes, the pickup in the distributor is signaling the EEC to start the pump, sequence the injectors and ignition.
Is the distributor set in correct?
Any codes set?
EEC relay???

 

dmm , double check the pickup coil inside your distributer. Went round and round on an 86 setup - pickup coil checked out the first time - it didn't the second and I don't have a clue why. Changed it out, it fired right up.

 

OK, you replaced the distributer. You said you tested the coil, considering that's all you had to say about it, I assume you have spark at the coil. If you have spark at the coil, then you have spark at the plugs. If you have spark and fuel but it still won't run, you might have the new distributer installed 180 degrees out.

 

look, i don't understand all the technical stuff but this is what i know.

the fuel pump works, i tested the fuel pressure, and i can hear the pump running.

there is no spark coming from the coil. the guy i have working on it has tested everything you all listed and i stood there and watched. we changed out the ignition switch, tested the pip, tested the coil etc. there is spark, or power or what ever to the coil, but he thinks that somehow the coil is not "talking" to the distributer.

he wants to change the ECM. he is saying it is rare but that is all that is left.

if you could, explain what all that other stuff you all were good enough to mention is.

thanks for the help. i will ask about the distrib being in 180

 

On my 89 the ignition module mounted on the side of the distributor would fail, causing a no spark. I always carried a spare just in case. Autozone carry them too even had the tool to remove the tork screws too.

 

If you have power to the coil, and the coil and all the distributor components(ie ignition module, rotor and stator) are good you will have spark at the plugs, as tritonpwr says. This is barring a bad wire from coil to distributor. You don't say where you got the distributor, from what I've heard the rebuilt distributors are notoriously bad. I would remove the distributor fully intact with ignition module and take it to a Ford dealer, where they can(should be able to if they know anything) quickly and easily test the complete unit. If the distributor tests good, I would try a new coil. I assume your replacement distributor had the ignition module on it, if not you may want to try replacing that first. You may want to try this first anyway, the ignition module is usually the first thing to go.

 

I posted yesterday - same problems on an 86 - we had power to , but no power out = Coil. I think it was a precision tune or something like that - My brother in-law - Mechanic along with two co-workers worked on it all at once after hours. It was 15 years ago , I remember it tho s, it was funnier than hell watching them argue with each other trying to figure it out. Then changed the coil not expecting that to be the problem - that was it in my case.

Good luck

 

ok thanks for all that. what i have done is changed the coil, changed the distributor, changed the ignistion switch. there is no spark.

 

Have 'bout the ground straps, have you made sure they are nice and clean/tight?

 

I duno , you have go though it again - something getting missed ..It sucks I know.

 

so no one thinks it could be the ECM?

 

Looking at the connector that's connected to the TFI, with the tab towards you and looking at the wires, left to right, 123456, you have..

1. Ground
2. Tach
3. Run
4. Start
5. Spout
6. PIP

You can check each of those for proper ****ion. The only one that is somewhat confusing is PIP. PIP is a sensor inside the distributer that tells the ECM when each cylinder is at TDC. It sends the signal that the ECM uses to decide when to fire the coil. The ECM desides what the advance should be at that moment, and POW! It serves the same function as a crank trigger basically. The engine needs to be rotating to detect a pulse from 6.

If the ECM is not sending the spark pulse to the coil, no spark. If the TFI is bad, no spark. If the PIP sensor in the distributer is bad, the ECM will not get the signal it needs to know when to fire, no spark. If the coil is bad, no spark. Bad wiring, and plugs/wiring are all there is left, period.