Ignition - Help

limppimp

Founding Member
Mar 10, 2002
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Well, here is my original story:

My car would not start so I had it towed to the local Ford dealership. They told me that I needed a new TFI module and a stator. They want $850 for the work...


So I did the work myself. Here is what I replaced:

1. Distributor
2. Module
3. Plugs and plug wires
4. Ignition Coil
5. Cap and rotor

I timed my car to 10* (and, yes, it has been timed correctly after finding TDC). It still runs like crap! It is and pinging and performing very bad at low and high RPM's (missing). What else would make it run like this? I thought I had tried everything. :bang: :bang: :bang:

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
few things come to mind.

fuel filter
fuel pump (has the car been getting harder to start? is it noisy?)
double & tripple check that all the plug wires are in the correct order
 
1. Fuel filter is about 5 months old, so I don't think that would be it

2. Seems to be starting fine, but it does want to shut off when it gets warm

3. Done, they are in the correct order
 
What was originally wrong with the car when you took it in? Did the performance degrade before it would not start and needed to be towed. This might give a basis of comparison to what it was doing then vs now.

You can get a bad dizzy right off the bat. When they take in cores, if the PIP tests ok, the often reuse it. That's one reason the dizzies have a lifetime warranty.

Good luck.
 
It just shut off on me and wouldn't start. They told me that I needed a new TFI module and a stator.

I had no previous problems before it quit.

Unfortunately, Advanced said they couldn't even call the people to get me another dizzy until Monday...which sucks because I wanted to get it fixed this weekend.
 
Replacing the PIP can be easy or a real pain. It's best to use a bearing splitter and gear puller to remove the cam gear (I like that better than using a hammer as some folks do). I'm not sold it's a PIP issue. To get a clue about the PIP, put a timing light on a given plug wire and have someone crank the engine (or let it idle). If you have a real nice consistant spark pulse, that suggests your PIP is doing ok, at least at that moment (when your car should be running well).

Are you totally sure you used the HO firing order and that the dizzy is not installed 180* out of phase? When stabbed 180 out, it will run and run like total dog crap.
I know you've been over it, but I'd check again, especially ensuring the dizzy is in phase.

Good luck.