Car died yesterday, need help on this one

red94fiveo

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Apr 12, 2003

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Wichita, KS

Sep 7, 2004

#1

• Sep 7, 2004

• #1

I was cruising around about 30 mph yesterday under part throttle, when all of a sudden my car just dies and will not start back up. I tried unsuccessfully to start it for about 10 minutes and eventually had a friend tow me. Right after it died when I first tried to start it it would crank but not turn over, but the more I tried the more sluggish the starter got and now its like the starter or the battery is gone. I also had m friend try and give me a jump just in case and I was really draining him power wise. This is just another chapter the long saga since my H/C/I swap, but does anyone have a suggestions? Thanks.

P.S., when the car died, there was nothing violent about it, no bucking or surging or anything, the engine just quit. I looked and I didn't blow out any fluids ar drop anything. Also, all the connections in my engine seem to be in good working order.

 

Rootus

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Sep 7, 2004

#2

• Sep 7, 2004

• #2

That is textbook TFI module failure. Not as common for them to fail as abruptly on 94/95's, but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

red94fiveo

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Sep 7, 2004

#3

• Sep 7, 2004

• #3

Thanks Dave. My TFI coil is an MSD unit that is about 6 months old. I still have the old one that was good, I will try to swap that back on an go from there.

BTW - I'm just curious, what exactly goes wrong in the TFI when it fails?

 

Y

yellow1995Cobra

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Dec 23, 2002

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Sep 7, 2004

#4

• Sep 7, 2004

• #4

First thing to check.. Pop the distributer cap off and crank it over. Make sure the rotor is spinning.

 

iluv95stangs

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Sep 7, 2004

#5

• Sep 7, 2004

• #5

I think he was talking about the tfi module and not the coil. the module is mounted on the pass fenderwell in front of the strut tower with a heat sink mounted to it. That would be my first guess also.

 

Rootus

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• Sep 7, 2004

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red94fiveo said:

Thanks Dave. My TFI coil is an MSD unit that is about 6 months old. I still have the old one that was good, I will try to swap that back on an go from there.

BTW - I'm just curious, what exactly goes wrong in the TFI when it fails?

Click to expand...

Not coil -- module. Located on the passenger side near the airbox. It's electronic, and as I understand it heat is what ultimately causes the failure. Used to be on the distributor in pre-94 cars, but it was exposed to a lot of heat there. I still hear about them failing though.

But Jesse is right, check the obvious first . I just jump directly to suspecting TFI module failure because my Dad had his pickup do exactly the same thing you described, just as he entered an intersection. He keeps an extra TFI module in the glovebox now .

Dave

 

red94fiveo

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#7

• Sep 7, 2004

• #7

Thanks for the correction. How much for a new TFI module?

And yeah, I sat at the intersection or about 10 minutes before I got a push.

 

maypo59

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Oct 20, 2003

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Sep 7, 2004

#8

• Sep 7, 2004

• #8

I got one from summit, it's accel, was $49. I live close to them and stuff gets here overnight.

 

mo_dingo

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Aug 26, 2003

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Sep 7, 2004

#9

• Sep 7, 2004

• #9

Just a thought, but is your fuel pump audible? If it is, turn the key to "acc." and see if you can hear it. Quick and easy test to see if the fuel pump is dead or not.

When mine died on my TBI 4.3L truck, the truck still drove, but I had to give it some throttle to keep it alive. But once I turned off the motor, the vacuum was gone, and the truck wouldn't start.
Scott

 

stang_gt_1994

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Powder Springs, GA (30 min. from Atlanta)

Sep 8, 2004

#10

• Sep 8, 2004

• #10

Good call Scott, I had the same problem but it was the inertia switch in the trunk. See if you have fuel and spark first before you buy any parts. If you have no spark then see if you have power to the modual. Thare is no need to through parts at it and see if they stick.

 

red94fiveo

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#11

• Sep 8, 2004

• #11

maypo59 said:

I got one from summit, it's accel, was $49. I live close to them and stuff gets here overnight.

Click to expand...

Got a summit p/n?

BTW - Rule out the fuel pump, it hums away when the key is turned.

Also, someone want to give me a little more info on the inertia swithc in the trunk. Its got a little red button on top right? Should that be up or down?

 

Rootus

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#12

• Sep 8, 2004

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red94fiveo said:

Also, someone want to give me a little more info on the inertia swithc in the trunk. Its got a little red button on top right? Should that be up or down?

Click to expand...

If the fuel pump is working, then that rules out the inertia switch -- it is designed to kill power to the pump in the event of a wreck.

Dave

 

stang_gt_1994

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#13

• Sep 8, 2004

• #13

What is the progress?

 

Killercanary

The car that set the bar.

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Sep 8, 2004

#14

• Sep 8, 2004

• #14

Ity could also be the stator. GMKILLR had this happen to his car and I know he chased it for a week or so before discovering it was the stator. I'm not even sure what the stator is but I'm 90% sure that it is INSIDE of the distibutor. I'm sure someone on here knows more about.

 

stang_gt_1994

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Sep 9, 2004

#15

• Sep 9, 2004

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Stator? There is a stator in a alternator. That is the only one I know of. You might be talking about the hall effect switch in the dis. Paul. It tells the PCM a ref. for crankshaft position, thus tells it when to fire the spark plug. This could be the problem also. But first thing first. DO YOU HAVE SPARK OF NOT?

 

red94fiveo

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Sep 9, 2004

#16

• Sep 9, 2004

• #16

Little update here guys - I have been swamped at school and haven't had time to chase this down. I have ruled out the fuel pump and inertia switch. I will check to see if I have spark tonight and take a look at the distributor rotor.
Anyone got anymore info on the stator being a possible cause?
What is my best method for tracking this one down? I have more time than money at this point.

 

S

Silver85TC

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Sep 9, 2004

#17

• Sep 9, 2004

• #17

Read this link to find out all about the Stator;
http://www.corral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=542627&highlight=stator

 

Killercanary

The car that set the bar.

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#18

• Sep 9, 2004

• #18

thanks for the link, that was VERY helpful. I knew it was in the distributor and that it was prone to fail, but that was about all I knew about it... until now. What does get replaced, just the circuit?

 

S

Silver85TC

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Sep 9, 2004

#19

• Sep 9, 2004

• #19

The following link has a good picture of the sensor assembly;
http://fordfuelinjection.com/stator.html

Cheers

 

red94fiveo

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Apr 12, 2003

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Wichita, KS

Sep 10, 2004

#20

• Sep 10, 2004

• #20

Update -

Checked this morning and I have no spark, also lifted the dizzy cap up and cranked the engine, that rotor isn't moving at all.

I feel cmfortable with most everything on my car, but I hate electrical stuff and don't know much about it. Thanks for the links and keep the advice coming!