Ford Wiring/Electrical :: 1987 - Died While Driving - No Spark?
Sep 20, 2013
So I bought my 1987 F150 XLT 4X4 (4spd) about two weeks ago and haven't had any issues with it so far... until now. As soon as I got it I did a full tune up. Changed plugs, cap, rotor, fuel filter, new battery, sea foamed it, fuel filter, ran a bottle of fuel stabilizer through it, new pvc valve, cleaned the throttle body, oil change, etc., ( all the usual things).
Was running fine up until two days ago when I was driving down the highway doing about 90km/hr in 4th when the truck suddenly lost power, sputtered and died. Tried to start it again and it will turn over but not start. So I get a nice expensive tow home and start to diagnose the problem. It is not a fuel issue. I can hear the pumps coming on, and fuel is coming out of the fuel filter so I cross that off the list.
Next I check for spark. No spark at all. So I run some tests. Battery is putting out 12V, about 10 when cranking. The solenoid is getting power and putting out power. No visible damage to any of the wiring, and all the grounds look good.
Next I just went ahead and swapped out the coil thinking that could be the issue. Didn't work. So I preform some more tests on the old and new coils. Both are grounded and having voltage pass through them. Next I take the TFI module off the distributor and check for resistance. Everything still checks out fine. Now I am thinking that the only thing left could be the PIP in the distributor. So instead of taking the dist apart and screwing around I go ahead a get a brand new dist and throw it in.
Now I am stoked and thinking that I finally fixed my truck and go to start it up and.... no spark. It still turns over but no start. I am trying to provide every bit of detail that I can. When I say I tested all the components I mean I REALLY tested them. I did both tests from the Haynes manual and from various sources off this site.
I am almost at the point of getting it towed to the shop, which I really do not want to do. A day before this happened I degreased the engine and VERY carefully sprayed it off with water. In the process I am thinking I may have damaged something?
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My '84 F150 4X4 inline 6 Died last night while driving. just conked out and died right there on the spot. no sputter... no gasping... just instant death...
after some investigation i found i wasn't getting spark anywhere. not at the plugs, not at coil. I have replaced the ignition module to no avail. still no spark I am going to swap in a the coil tonight. sure do hope this works.
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My F250 is acting like the battery is almost dead but its not. I've checked all the grounds I can think of, used jumper cables and clamped right to the body and still nothing. I put my battery charger in place of the battery and my charger almost caught fire! Where are all the ground points at and points to check? It was doing fine then this. I only found 3 ground points on the block and I bypassed all of them and nothing. There are 2 large on the front of the block, I was able to get one loose and "clean" it but not the other. The block to firewall is currently off so I can clean it in the morning.
But it didn't do anything. I can clamp anywhere are get the same results. There are a few threads about this truck and trying to get it back into shape. When it worked, when I turned the key on, gauges worked, RABS, Engine, and Battery light came on, GPs kicked on, etc... now, I get a very faint Batt light, Erie dinging, and not even the stereo now. This truck has been an electrical nightmare since day one. Spent 4 days on just under hood electronics alone. Haven't even moved towards the back. Also, Instead of using a 2/0 AWG wire to the starter, Can I use two 1/0 AWG wires to it instead since they used two separate grounds? It also still has a 2G alt.
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I have a 1988 Bronco II 2.9 5 speed 4x4. Ive had it for about 2 years and the other day I put on a new cap and rotor and plug wires. I also cleaned the IAC. After that it ran fine for about a day and then I made a 2 hr trip and cut it off at a store. When i tried to recrank it, it just turned over and over and over for about 10 minutes and then it finally just cranked and ran like nothing was wrong. Its done the same thing twice since then (past 3 days) .
Yesterday when it did it, I pulled the coil wire and put a "spark tester" plug in the wire and tried cranking it. It only sparks right at the end when u quit cranking, itll spark 1 maybe 2 times. It'll crank if you just do a few short bursts of turning the ignition key to on. What else to check, or what the problem probably is? At first i was thinking it was the coil or module, but its only when cranking so maybe an ignition key problem or relay between there?
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So I've been having problems with my old duraspark 2 ignition box and I replaced that but it didn’t seem to fix the problem. The truck doesn’t start if the voltage is down around 12v, it cranks but no spark. So I put it on the charger a couple hours ago and came inside and was reading old posts on here about testing the ignition system and then just went out to test the negative side of the coil with a test light and low and behold when my assistant went to crank it over the truck started right up like everything was fine. I took off the charger.
So then what I did was I checked the charge at the battery while the truck was running with a dvm and the voltage was 14.33 then I turned on the electric fan and it jumped up to 14.88 and spiked at 15 then held at 14.88. is that normal or is the voltage a little on the high side? If it is high then could it be the voltage regulator or alternator? And could that have been my problem all along instead of the ignition module?
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I bought a 84 ranger 2.0 that ran when parked sat for six months. Cranks all day long but only sparks when you shut the key off. Replaced the ignition switch (by key) ( someone told me there is another ignition switch under the dash?? is this true?) Tested the icm and it passed all wires seem to be fine. I am just wondering if something in the dizzy could cause this or possibly the starter solenoid?
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I have a friend of mine that has a 1983 and he had me change the water pump in it because it started leaking and it has been sitting for 7 Months now. I changed that but I can't get this bugger to start. I used to be a mechanic in a past life so I know what I'm doing most of the time so let me explain what has transpired here.
I attached my remote starter, turned on the key and cranked over the engine after shooting a little bit of starting fluid in the carb and she cranks over but won't start. I then pulled the #1 spark plug out and then did the same thing to check for spark and nada. I put my light tester on the coil and there was power. I have run into this kind of problem years ago with other vehicles so I thought I would just go ahead and replace the Coil and also the Control Module. After replacing these parts, still no spark. Since the distributor is there only to distribute the spark (meaning no electrical connections to it) I'm assuming that the Pick Up part that is down by the Crank shaft might be bad.
How to test either the Control Module or the pick up. I'm trying to diagnose this problem without needing to remove the module and taking them to the parts house for testing. (long drive). These wires should have 12 volts when the key is off and these wires should have 12 volts when the key is on.... and so on.
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1996 Ford F150 5.0 ... New battery, new alternator, new starter, new coil, dis cap good and rotor is good. New plugs and wires. Ignition mod tested good.
Drove a mile from my house and lost power to my engine. Lights and radio work. Just sits there and cranks and cranks. I'm not getting spark from the coil. Don't know a lot about engines.
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I have an 86 f250 i just bought back with no spark. this truck is not original. used to be a diesel. has a 400 out of 81 f250. had this truck running just fine 4 years ago. sold it to a guy running and bought it back 4 yrs later not running.
Checked all the connection to make sure they r clean. Had the ignition modular tested and tested good. I have 12+ volts from the white and red wire. I have a little over 6 volts at the bat side of the coil. I have no spark from the coil. I notice every time I connect and disconnected the bat cable I will get a spark from the coil. i ran a test light from the tack test sight on the coil and tried to start and the light stayed real dim and never flickered.
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I have a 77 ford truck with a 351 ,the ignition system keeps shorting out, killing spark. If i replace the starter solenoid, it works for a while, then goes out again. I have replaced 4 solenoids this month. What could be shorting the solenoid out? Had the truck for 8 yrs. now, never had a problem with it till now. It has a mallory dist. it was in when i bought it.
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My points to electronic conversion suffered this problem, just started, set the timing and was idling, like ten minutes or more, suddendly the engine died, no spark, immediately I noticed the module was very hot, so was the ignition coil, it's a TFI "square" coil from a 1987 Econoline I6, the module is a new Spartan brand name blue module.
I cooled the module with a wet rag and the engine came back to life. I hooked up the module and the coil with full 12V, no ballast resistance for the coil, I'm feeling this is the problem, maybe this coil needed a ballast resistor?
I have this 1.6 ohmm ballast, if I install this, will the coil run cooler and put less strain in the module, so it won't overheat? or the TFI coil is wrong for the Duraspark ? it was running fine with the points, never missed a beat, never tested how hot it run with the points though, but I did used the ballast resistor with the points.
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My truck is a 1990 F-150 with the 351. I was replacing the spark plugs last night, got it all wrapped up and everything squared away, and after firing the truck up I noticed a ticking noise. It was not there before I replaced the old plugs, and it is not at all loud. I can hardly hear it with the hood closed. It appears to be coming from the driver's side of the engine. It does not misfire when its idling, and it revs smoothly. However, while driving it is noticeably choppy and feels sluggish.
Any thoughts on what it could be? I used dielectric grease on the boots, but I did not replace the plug wires themselves, or the distributor cap. I am probably going to replace the plug wires today though, because the plugs I took out were not in good condition and its been a bit too long since I replaced them last. Its also worth noting this engine is less than years old. This is a frustrating problem because I've replaced the spark plugs on her before, so I'm not quite sure what I did wrong this time.
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Over the weekend I was driving my 2000 F350 and the alternator died (found out later). The shop said they replaced the alternator but it wasn't charging. They later told me it was because the isolator failed. My 2nd battery WAS a yellow gel battery. Before the battery (in series) was an 50 amp circuit breaker...........that blew apart.........and the battery had a melted off side terminal. It looked like the 'sealed gel battery" had been 'leaking for a while" (as there was funky acid type white corrosion deposits in a few places. Any speculation what happened here?
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My Truck : 1999 Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4x4 5.4L V8
So the other day I was driving the truck and it just dies on me. Tried starting but it just cranked and cranked. Got it pulled over to a parking lot and then tried to start and I got it to run again. Died a couple mins later uo the road and it will not start at all anymore. I got it towed to my driveway and I've started diagnosing some things.
I dropped the tank thinking it was a pump I replaced awhile back. The pump wasn't running but jumped to conclusions and took it back to the auto parts store. They bench tested and it works fine. I checked for voltage at the pump connector. NOTHING. So I'm not getting power to Fuel pump. Then I checked the fuse and relay for the fuel pump. Everything was okay.
I did some research and decided to check for spark. NO SPARK. Another thing I noticed the other day was that the odometer is displaying all dashes. So I'm really unsure on what to really troubleshoot. I am going back to the truck tomorrow to check a few other things. I'm not sure if the Theft light is blinking or not so I will check that tomorrow and get back to you.
What to check? Any other relays or fuses besides the fuel pump? What about any modules to check like PCM, GEM, etc. Or I've heard the crankshaft sensor could be an issue.
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I have a F250 towing a Big trailer and the RV folks have told me that while the factory seven prong will supply power to the RV, it would take a days to charge the RV batteries. So...
1) Does the connector not really significantly charge the batteries?
2) Is there a faster way to charge the RV batteries while driving?
3) Would instructions something like I found at How to Charge Two 12 Volt Batteries on an RV Towed by a Ford F-150 | etrailer.com work?
4) Would #3 eventually tax my alternator so badly that I kill it?
5) Would #3 fry the electronics in the trailer?
I'm trying to charge 2 6-volt marine deep charge batteries in series.
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1994 Ford Ranger. Replaced coil, ignition control module, and distributor. Have checked fuses. Cranks fine.
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I have a 2004 Ford F-150 lariat with a bit of a problem. My running lights (not sure if correct term, I'm talking about the tail lights' illumination that stays on while you drive at night) are not working. My headlights and parking lights do work, and my brake lights and turning signals also work. I have put in a brand new brake light switch and checked every fuse and relay, but no luck.
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While driving along my Expedition will completely shut down, ignition, all accessories, everything, for a few seconds then come back alive. It happens generally up hills or around right turns.
It is like the main ground strap is loose and losing contact momentarily. I don't know where to look for this. Engine was replaced 1500 miles ago. Battery and all visible connections seem ok.
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I have a 2011 Ford F150 FX4, And for a while now i have been having a issue with the gauge cluster.
while driving once in a while all of the gauge cluster turns off then back on within a couple of second. all the lights for the traction control, air bag, engine.... turn on and then turn off just like when you start the truck.
The issue only last for a couple of seconds. And it can go for a day before doing it. Brought it to the Ford dealership and they said unless the gauges are completely off there is nothing to go on by. Also once in awhile the check advancetrac comes on and will be off next time i start the truck. Same thing dealer said there was no codes and nothing then can do.
I checked all the connection at the fuse box, gauge cluster. and no issues. had the truck running and try wiggling all of the connectors, in the truck one by one with no success in duplicating the issue.
Also notice that once in awhile my signal light will flas extremely slow when having the blinker on.
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