TFI module compatibility

N

NerdKrusher

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#1

• Jan 1, 2020

• #1

I was wondering if there is a difference between TFI modules for the 86-93 fox body and 94-95 sn95. Can I put a TFI module from a fox on a sn95? If not please explain.

I want to put the dyna mod on my 94 but I'm not sure if it will work.

 

90sickfox

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

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#2

• Jan 1, 2020

• #2

They are different. Your car should have a black module. Pre 93 are gray.

 

N

NerdKrusher

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#3

• Jan 1, 2020

• #3

Ok. I understand now. Any recommendations for a reliable TFI module for my 94?

 

Blown88GT

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#4

• Jan 1, 2020

• #4

NerdKrusher said:

Ok. I understand now. Any recommendations for a reliable TFI module for my 94?

Click to expand...

Ford.
But my MSD one works well, too.
Is yours remote mounted or on the distributor?

 

N

NerdKrusher

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#5

• Jan 1, 2020

• #5

Blown88GT said:

Ford.
But my MSD one works well, too.
Is yours remote mounted or on the distributor?

Click to expand...

Remote mounted. Mine works fine now. I want to do some preventative maintenance and replace it soon though. I've heard that some replacement ones don't work. So I want to cut the bs and find out which ones to get and which to avoid.
Also is there a way to bypass it so I won't need it at all?

 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

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#6

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If it’s working I wouldn’t replace it.

I have more faith in my original 32-year old TFI than a new motorcraft replacement

 

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NerdKrusher

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#7

• Jan 1, 2020

• #7

Mustang5L5 said:

If it’s working I wouldn’t replace it.

I have more faith in my original 32-year old TFI than a new motorcraft replacement

Click to expand...

If it craps out what do I get?

 

90sickfox

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

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#8

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To be honest..... I'd replace it now before it goes bad. Keep it in the glove box with tool to remove it. I say that because eventually it will go bad. The factory working one will be your back up if the new one fails. If you wait till it goes bad there's no telling what you'll get from a parts store. When they go bad the car is dead. Better to have a good one to try. Would save you a bunch of money in the long run.

 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

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#9

• Jan 1, 2020

• #9

NerdKrusher said:

If it craps out what do I get?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately not much out there. I actually keep a good junkyard unit in my glove box. Whenever I found a 5.0 in the yard with an original unit, I took it. Got a few kicking around.

If I had to choose a new one to buy, it would be a motorcraft. Buy two along with the tool and distributor wrench and keep in car

 

Last edited: Jan 4, 2020

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vrm71

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#10

• Jan 4, 2020

• #10

Is there a difference between manual and auto TFI? I sometimes see separate part listings

 

Steel1

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#11

• Jan 4, 2020

• #11

I bought a Motorcraft unit a few years ago from Rock Auto and it worked without issues.
Not sure if all the Motorcraft units they sell now are actually Motorcraft and not re-branded.

A long time ago I bought an Accel unit , after install I couldn't even get the car to idle.

 

Blown88GT

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#12

• Jan 4, 2020

• #12

90sickfox said:

...I say that because eventually it will go bad....

Click to expand...

It depends on the date of manufacture. Later TFI's used "chips" with a higher thermal limit.
The original ones were prone to failure (there was a class action suit) because the "chips" inside were a poor choice. The thermal limits encountered were at the maximum of the spec sheets for the semiconductors. I had all this data & it's probably on the internet somewhere. When it's running at maximum, it may or may not fail. The electrical geniuses at Ford, skipped junior/senior year of electrical engineering or more likely, someone signed off on a drawing without a design review.

BTW, I hate the use of the work "chips". Too many don't understand it, but I'm sure you do.
For those that don't...a chip is a small piece of semiconducting material (usually silicon) on which an integrated circuit is embedded. A typical chip is less than ?-square inches and can contain millions of electronic components (transistors). Computers consist of many chips placed on electronic boards called printed circuit boards.

 

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