Progress Thread 95 2-Top Cobra Build Thread- Never ending

  • Sponsors (?)


Still fighting my no spark. Jumped tan wire going to coil to ground, as recommended by Ted Jenkins and no fire. Pulled a plug and did a base timing reset. At a loss now. New TFI, distributor/pip, tried the OEM coil I had on prior to the blower. This is how my #1 plug looked
4AA55E06-43E7-4269-BCD5-AF68F4F5D954.jpeg
 
So, the stator in the distributor pulsates voltage to the negative side of the coil when cranking.
You should have voltage on positive side (key on and cranking) and pulsating voltage on negative side (when cranking)
If no pulsating voltage, you need to check to see if the distributor is turning and if it is, then replace the stator
 
So if there is no pulsating voltage then the coil will not fire at all, correct? The stators are pretty much all junk with the exception of the Standard Ignition LX222. I know people interchange (myself included) the stator with the PIP (profile ignition pickup) or hall effect sensor. There is only one sensor inside the distributor so whatever you like to call it just understand that its two functions are to tell the TFI module (also known as the ICM or ignition control module) when to tell the coil to fire and sends the same signal to the ECU for injector pulsing.

So I am going off of memory here so please check me as I was chasing a no spark problem on my Coupe years ago which lead to doing what I am going to try and describe below. In my case the injectors did pulse but there was no spark. One way to tell if the stator is bad is to unplug the distributor from the ECU harness, pull the distributor (mark the base of the distributor body to the block and rotor bug to the distributor so you can reinstall with the timing correct), ground the body of the distributor, connect the distributor back to the ECU harness, and install a plug into the distributor side of the coil wire and ground the body of the spark plug. Turn the key to run and spin the distributor by hand. You should see a spark and hear the injectors pulse. If you do not see a spark or hear the injectors pulse then their is a problem with the stator.

Again, would appreciate someone checking me on the above "test" as its been a few years.
 
You have it correct, that the sensor in the distributor is the stator which provides the PIP signal

A guys F150 last week suffered roll pin failure and lost PIP signal (died and would not start)
Pulled the distributor out to replace the stator, found the gear laying in the engine
Had no blinking light on the negative side of the coil
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
China distributor, I put a new stator in his old Ford distributor Motorcraft DU 50
Getting harder to find, but around
If yours is not a remote mount TFI you need DU 30 C
God luck out side of fleabay those things are hens teeth these days for the DU 30,... The roll pins in those New loaded China distributors are pot metal, way to soft so not shocked it sheared one, damn gear isn't even press fit. if your stuck with those buy a bag of coil spring pins to replace them. Think I paid $5-10 for a 100.
 
The motor craft stuff seems hard to come by and lesser quality than they used to be. Have a Duralast distributor so I doubt the PIP sensor is of high quality. Also bought a new Motorcraft TFI (remote mount) from O reilys but it wasn’t stamped motorcraft like the OEM one
 
So if there is no pulsating voltage then the coil will not fire at all, correct? The stators are pretty much all junk with the exception of the Standard Ignition LX222. I know people interchange (myself included) the stator with the PIP (profile ignition pickup) or hall effect sensor. There is only one sensor inside the distributor so whatever you like to call it just understand that its two functions are to tell the TFI module (also known as the ICM or ignition control module) when to tell the coil to fire and sends the same signal to the ECU for injector pulsing.

So I am going off of memory here so please check me as I was chasing a no spark problem on my Coupe years ago which lead to doing what I am going to try and describe below. In my case the injectors did pulse but there was no spark. One way to tell if the stator is bad is to unplug the distributor from the ECU harness, pull the distributor (mark the base of the distributor body to the block and rotor bug to the distributor so you can reinstall with the timing correct), ground the body of the distributor, connect the distributor back to the ECU harness, and install a plug into the distributor side of the coil wire and ground the body of the spark plug. Turn the key to run and spin the distributor by hand. You should see a spark and hear the injectors pulse. If you do not see a spark or hear the injectors pulse then their is a problem with the stator.

Again, would appreciate someone checking me on the above "test" as its been a few years.
I understand that the parts store distributors and PIP are not of the highest quality but it is my understanding that if the Check Engine Light goes out, the PIP and distributor is providing a signal and therefore are good. Can anyone confirm? The last thing I want to try is to pull the spout connector and see if it starts.
 
I have not had any experience installing the aftermarket ones.
Last I heard, the TFI can fail and have a no start condition and not have a code
Never really checked for codes on a no start if it had no spark
We went right into the no spark diagnosis subroutines in the PCED
That is those of us who did not have 2 test distributors like a seasoned vet has (me)
That is the easy way to test, substitute a known good module or distributor
Like this / these
 
Plug one of those in and the testing gets easier
The 2 short ones are synchronizers off the newer stuff
Until the du 30C's and DU50's are all gone, I see no reason to run aftermarket
I bought 1 of each off ebay last month
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I understand that the parts store distributors and PIP are not of the highest quality but it is my understanding that if the Check Engine Light goes out, the PIP and distributor is providing a signal and therefore are good. Can anyone confirm? The last thing I want to try is to pull the spout connector and see if it starts.

Well, the PIP can send a signal but it might not be a good signal. My PIP started acting up, it would stop sending a signal to the ECU for a couple of seconds then continue as if nothing happened. No check engine light, no code 212 (the most common PIP code), nothing. Replaced the PIP with a Motorcraft DU50, and all is well.

You can rebuild your distributor yourself, but you'll need a press or a few specific hand tools so you don't damage the distributor taking it apart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user