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Ignition Module???

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:46 pm
by New2BII
So I backed out of my driveway earlier today and my bronco died on me and wouldnt start back up. I tested for spark and I have spark everywhere and it wont fire. Assuming now that I am not getting gas however it still wouldn't fire with starting fluid. A friend of mine said it is probably the ignition module that is located on the back of the distributor (stock 2.9) just wondering if anyone has had this same problem or if anyone has had the same symptoms and know or can confirm the solution. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:10 pm
by 84_4x4
pull off distributer cap and check for moisture mine was getting spark and fuel other day but no fire and that was problem but since you had it started not sure sounds like a problem with distributer to me but im not sure

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:37 am
by tekatlarge
The TFI is an regular failure item on these engines.
I have also seen the Hall effect sensor on the inside of the dist to fail.

To replace the TFI you need a special thin wall socket. I know several people that have made their own by grinding an old socket. You can buy one ready made at your local auto parts too..
Have Fun and Good Luck.

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:04 pm
by New2BII
Well at the risk of sounding like a complete idiot... what and where is the tfi? Does it take the same thin wall socket (7/32) as the ignition module? I went ahead and replaced the ignition module and that is NOT the problem. I respect my friends opinion and he is usually right however this time he was wrong. Would the Hall effect sensor still allow for spark to the plugs?

yea

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:19 pm
by baby bronco
i had the same problem i changed the ignition module and it was good to go...was jsut hard to get to...it was in inexspensive

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:30 pm
by 84_4x4
tpi i believe is tuned port injection now being a carb man i know ablsolutly nothing about it but thats what i was able to come up with

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:35 pm
by New2BII
well I just found out the TFI is the ignition module and I replaced it like I said in my previous post however it did not fix the problem. I guess next I will replace the pickup inside the distibutor please if someone knows what the problem may be let me in on it, I dont have a lot of money to just start replacing parts until I find out whats wrong. If I had the money I would just take it to a shop and have them deal with all the issues

Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:38 pm
by New2BII
84_4x4 wrote:tpi i believe is tuned port injection now being a carb man i know ablsolutly nothing about it but thats what i was able to come up with
Yes you are correct TPI is tuned port injection TBI (throttle body injection) is the other one however I believe we had a misunderstanding between TFI and TPI :D I shoulda stuck to carbs... but I saw the truck and had to have it :redneck:

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:59 pm
by tekatlarge
New2BII wrote:well I just found out the TFI is the ignition module and I replaced it like I said in my previous post however it did not fix the problem. I guess next I will replace the pickup inside the distibutor please if someone knows what the problem may be let me in on it, I dont have a lot of money to just start replacing parts until I find out whats wrong. If I had the money I would just take it to a shop and have them deal with all the issues
Sorry to confuse ya. Yes the TFI is the Ignition module. TFI stands for Thin Film Ignition. If you replaced the TFI with a known good one then the Hall Effect sensor could be your problem.. The sensor is inside the dizzy. Only other thing could be the computer maybe.
Have you run codes on this vehicle?

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:42 pm
by New2BII
I have no way of checking codes. I replaced the TFI with a brand new one from NAPA so I can only assume it is a good one. As far as the hall effect sensor... wouldnt that cause it to have no spark at all if that was bad? The odd thing to me is I have gas and spark and I know it didnt jump time or anything like that. My friend told me when those TFI's go bad sometimes they work when the engine is cold but once it warms up it will fail and that seemed to be the case a few times because I tried to start it yesterday morning after sitting all night and it fired right up, so I decided to go ahead and replace the TFI because it was doing exactly what he had described (working when engine was cold but not once warmed up) After replacing the TFI it wont fire at all so I tried the old one again just for fun since I dont seem to have anything better to do and got nowhere but because it did work when it was cold and now it doesnt and also the new one doesnt work I have to assume the problem is somewhere else. Is there anyone in the Portland Oregon area that has a code reader they may be willing to help? Please let me know. Sorry for the terrible punctuation and rambling on sentances the frustration is getting to me... lol

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:53 am
by plowboy
Have you checked the ignition coil? It sets on the driverside fender well.

Also, carefully inspect the wiring and conector that attaches to the TFI. Make sure none of those wires are broken or bare and grounding. Especially the green one that is the Tachometer lead. If that one grounds out it will kill spark for sure. Are you sure that you have spark after it warms up and dies? I bought an inline spark tester to help with firing problems. It was just a few bucks at Auto Zone. You can set the gap and see whether or not you have spark very easily.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:03 pm
by upriverjoe
:usa: the TFI module could cause so many symptoms its ridiculous, so that is the first inexpensive thing i would replace.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:33 pm
by New2BII
I checked and replaced the ignition module and same as since I started dealing with this headache I still have spark however now it is firing when its supposed to but still wont start. The issue at this point looks like it could be flooding itself out and I cant figure out why or what the cause is, spark plugs arent wet at all but it seems as though there is a lot of gas in the oil. Any suggestions at this point? Thanks to all who have helped so far, its greatly appreciated

Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 9:33 am
by upriverjoe
do you have a voltmeter or may a friend who has one you could borrow, you can check codes with a voltmeter as long as its not digital. i have no idea why you would have fuel in your oil?

Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 11:33 am
by tekatlarge
Fuel in the oil = bad fuel regulator. it The fuel regulator can also drown your engine by letting fuel into the vacuum system ands thus into the motor.