Car still wont start

[Scrapla]

Ok I have a 90gt a few weeks back I posted a message about how I was driving my car one night and it just died on me, revs dropped and car wouldnt start back up, cranks but wont start. Everyone told me TFI so I checked mine and replaced it but still wont start. I tried replacing my coil back to stock but nothing there either. I removed the spout connector or pill when you set the timing and still nothing. The car cranks but just wont start I have no spark what else can I do?

[Gearhead999]

The pick up in the dist is more then likely bad.

[82 GT]

It's eithe that...or the computer is toast

[Scrapla]

I think I narrowed it down to the wire back from the coil so either a fray tear or rip from the coil wire back to the computer. Now if the computer is bad what else wont work or how can I check to see for sure?

[82 GT]

A bad computer would give you the same results you have now....cranky but no startie.

[Scrapla]

Where is the pick up coil and computer located, and does anyone have pics?

[82 GT]

Well, the computer is located behind the passenger side kick panel, down near the floor.
The pickup, I assume, is located under the dizzy cap under the rotor.
I'm not sure about that one though.
The computer location, I'm 100% sure about

[HoodStrype]

If the pick up coil is bad, you may not want to just buy another one... it's a pain to take that distributor apart. Check all wires and grounds coming from solonoid on the driver's side behind the battery, it's the little black, round thingy. That happened to me, it was a ground. I really doubt it's the computer... the wires are so old on that car by now that's more than likely your culprit.

If you want to see if it is your distributor, take a screw driver (engine OFF!!!) and put a screw driver into the coil wire where it connects to the distributor cap. Put it a centimeter or less away from a part of the car or a steel bolt (Nowhere aluminum- somewhere grounded). Then bump it over... if it arcs- you got fire to the distributor and start there. It took me a couple of tries to get mine to arc.
Do Not Touch that coil wire when the engine is running or being cranked over if you didn't already know...!

[Capri306]

How about we isolate the signal switching to the coil first? Easier and rules out a bad coil. All that's necessary is a 12V light bulb (I like the 194 series) attached to the coil's primary connector, and it will flash when cranking if there is the necessary switching occurring at the coil.

It's a little premature to jump to a bad computer, IMHO. Ford computers typically don't fail like that; there's usually some warning or they at least go into "limp home" mode. Let's isolate the ignition coil (are you even getting +12V on the positive side?), the ignition module, the pickup, the spark plug wires, ignition switch, and computer from each other. There are ways of testing each item, and it's kind of senseless to throw parts at it until it's fixed....unless you just like new parts a LOT.

[Scrapla]

That day I did not have access to a volt meter so I will be testing everything related to ignition to make sure im getting power but ive been told by the majority of people that is either the "pick up coil" or soloniod behind the battery next to the coil. I apreciate all you guys helpin out and i'll keep ya posted

[Capri306]

If there was a problem with the solenoid, the engine wouldn't crank over. That's your starter solenoid. If they're referring to the fusible links that are typically attached to the solenoid (not using it for anything other than a junction point, really, on the Batt+ side) that's a different story. Good luck, either way!

[Scrapla]

I tried isolating the coil and hard wiring it to the battery and still nothing

[Capri306]

Uhh...when you say hard wired, you meant just the positive side of the coil to battery positive, right?

[84LX89GT]

Here's what i would try without knowing much about what you've done so far:
cycle the key a few times without cranking. locate the schrader valve on the fuel rail and push in the plunger in the center with a pointy object and see if there is actually fuel there. If not you might have a bad fuel pump, plugged fuel filter, bad fuel pump relay or other fuel related issue (something stuck in fuel pickup - sugar in the gas tank).

Find the pcm power relay and swap it with a relay you know works like the blower motor relay or something along those lines and see if it starts up.

get some insulated gloves and if possible spark plug wire pullers and hold a spark plug wire just off about 1/4" from where it plugs onto and see if while someone else cranks there actually is spark there.

Also pull the spout connector and check timing while cranking and see if the marks jump around (timing chain jumped), also do a compression test, if compression is low (should probably be 140 psi or higher) then it might be a jumped timing chain (i've had two mustangs that have had that happen). I don't know how many miles your mustang has, but 150,000 miles seems to be the magic number for timing chains going out, at least for me.

Keep us posted.

[Capri306]

Originally Posted by 84LX89GT

get some insulated gloves and if possible spark plug wire pullers and hold a spark plug wire just off about 1/4" from where it plugs onto and see if while someone else cranks there actually is spark there.

He's already established that there is no ignition (see first post), so everything else can sit on the back burner until then. We're just trying to find out WHY there is no ignition right now.

While we're on it, if the distributor is the original I'd replace it anyway. This way you eliminate the hall effect switch, as it's properly called, as a souce of lacking a PIP signal. Let's start throwing money at it! No, seriously though, that's what I would do just because of the age of it, and my personal experience with Ford distributors and their hall effect switches melting for no reason.

[HoodStrype]

Agreed!!!
I've had your problem twice and fixed it with a new fusable link off the starter solonoid, and I went ahead and bought a new distributor a month ago... about $70 plus $26 for the Control Module. It really helps just knowing your distributor is new and you don't have to worry about it.
Now there should be a fusible link (black wire) with a black cylinder plastic piece in the middle of it connecting from just behind your battery to the solonoid. That plastic piece was my problem. It kept coming loose. I just bypassed it and have had no problem since.