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final diagnosis: Ig Control Module

  • Thread starter Thread starter allballsmustang
  • Start date Start date Sep 23, 2008

allballsmustang

Member
Mar 31, 2005
174
0
16
Lehigh Valley, PA
Sep 23, 2008
#1
  • Sep 23, 2008
  • #1
a few months back i started having a problem with my car cuting up at full throttle that i posted about... just thought I would share my final results because I found them a little odd and it may help someone else in the future. The car was not displaying any check engine light(it does function) and also the only code i got was an egr code(because my sct chip has the egr turned off). My original suspects were the obvious plugs, wires, cap rotor. None helped. Then I started checking sensors Mass air, act, coolant temp, tps, iac, oxygen sens, all seemed ok. Then I tried something on a complete guess and it worked. It was the ignition control module. I had replaced it a year and a half ago but i guess it was failing already. The car would only cut up when it was hot so im guessing that the internal circuitry of the ig control module "opened" when it was getting hot causing the miss. Never got a cylinder misfire. Strange, I'm glad it's fixed but just a little curious why I didn't have any codes pointing to ignition problems. Anyone?

Jim
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
34
129
Sep 23, 2008
#2
  • Sep 23, 2008
  • #2
Generally the TFI's do show failures when hot (the critical temp threshold is 257*F, and this goes down if the module is degrading).

The IDM can't always pick up issues, especially relatively conditional ones like this, and if the failure was on the input side of the TFI, the IDM might not pick it up anyhow.

Nice work figuring it out.
 

1990lx5oh

New Member
Aug 10, 2007
26
0
0
Weaverville, NC
Sep 23, 2008
#3
  • Sep 23, 2008
  • #3
When my ICM went out, i was stranded, it completely shut down, until it cooled down a little bit then ran for 15-20 miles or so. The bad thing was I was in the middle of a local "Pony Run" and had to watch 150 or so Stangs pass me by...little embarassing... That was a good guess though!!
 

cenok is family

15 Year Member
Jun 25, 2003
1,409
69
79
Norman, Ok
Sep 24, 2008
#4
  • Sep 24, 2008
  • #4
do you guys think the ign con mod could cause my car to spit and sputter?
 

allballsmustang

Member
Mar 31, 2005
174
0
16
Lehigh Valley, PA
Sep 24, 2008
#5
  • Sep 24, 2008
  • #5
what are the symptoms...
 

cenok is family

15 Year Member
Jun 25, 2003
1,409
69
79
Norman, Ok
Sep 25, 2008
#6
  • Sep 25, 2008
  • #6
no problems other than she's kinda spittin at me. still runs hard at WOT but i can tell the spitting and sputting is slowin her down a bit. she idles fine. only really does it under normal acceleration. i guess it could be miss firing? absolutely everything on my motor is brand new aside from my MAP sensor. new ACT, ECT, MAF, IAC, EGR vac solenoid, less than 1k on motorcraft plugs, taylor wires, less than 20 miles on cap, rotor, coil. the only thing i can think of is i ran through a pretty deep puddle and got some stuff wet. i don't recall it doing it until that. that's when i replaced the cap, rotor and coil. the ICN was replaced a couple years back. i'm thinking maybe it got wet but from what i understand, they either work or don't, and typically when they go bad, they start causing your car to die while driving which my car doesn't do.
 

68stang351

Founding Member
May 16, 2002
850
9
39
Savoy TX
Sep 25, 2008
#7
  • Sep 25, 2008
  • #7
This is exactly why my 90 has a spare ignition module and tool in the glove box AT ALL TIMES!
 

allballsmustang

Member
Mar 31, 2005
174
0
16
Lehigh Valley, PA
Sep 25, 2008
#8
  • Sep 25, 2008
  • #8
its a good possibility considering mine only lasted about 10,000 miles and started going on me...
 
R

rich1

New Member
Oct 26, 2007
12
0
1
Sep 25, 2008
#9
  • Sep 25, 2008
  • #9
allballsmustang said:
a few months back i started having a problem with my car cuting up at full throttle that i posted about... just thought I would share my final results because I found them a little odd and it may help someone else in the future. The car was not displaying any check engine light(it does function) and also the only code i got was an egr code(because my sct chip has the egr turned off). My original suspects were the obvious plugs, wires, cap rotor. None helped. Then I started checking sensors Mass air, act, coolant temp, tps, iac, oxygen sens, all seemed ok. Then I tried something on a complete guess and it worked. It was the ignition control module. I had replaced it a year and a half ago but i guess it was failing already. The car would only cut up when it was hot so im guessing that the internal circuitry of the ig control module "opened" when it was getting hot causing the miss. Never got a cylinder misfire. Strange, I'm glad it's fixed but just a little curious why I didn't have any codes pointing to ignition problems. Anyone?

Jim
Click to expand...
Common well known problem in the 5.0 if shutting off of acting up when hot. I have a tester for them but easier to just replace it .
 

allballsmustang

Member
Mar 31, 2005
174
0
16
Lehigh Valley, PA
Sep 26, 2008
#10
  • Sep 26, 2008
  • #10
rich1 said:
Common well known problem in the 5.0 if shutting off of acting up when hot. I have a tester for them but easier to just replace it .
Click to expand...

how did you test it? where can you get one of these testers?

thanks

jim
 

68stang351

Founding Member
May 16, 2002
850
9
39
Savoy TX
Sep 26, 2008
#11
  • Sep 26, 2008
  • #11
allballsmustang said:
how did you test it? where can you get one of these testers?

thanks

jim
Click to expand...

Any Autozone can test it for free.
 

cenok is family

15 Year Member
Jun 25, 2003
1,409
69
79
Norman, Ok
Sep 26, 2008
#12
  • Sep 26, 2008
  • #12
68stang351 said:
Any Autozone can test it for free.
Click to expand...

lol i work at autozone, i just need to quit being lazy and take it in to work one day.
 
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