93 festiva no spark

[tim jeffery]

there is a little black unit called a power unit j701 it sits beside what i believe is the coil, or electronic ignition unit, it has a green led lite, should that be lit up if its working, and would that be the reason for no spark if its not working?? thanks tim

[1988redfordfestiva]

I think so get a test light and see if your getting power. Use a volt meter if u have one your suppose to be getting 12 volts from the coil to the distributor. I will look at alldata to see what it says for the 93.

[tim jeffery]

i seem to have juice to the plug ins to coil and the black power unit, but nothing out of coil, have tried 3 coils and 3 power units (all used) still nothing. i'll try to find new unit tommorrow, could there possible be a ground issue? thanks tim

[1988redfordfestiva]

well the pic i show is the chip that controls the spark when it cranks may be the crank sensor is not reading

[Pocket_Rocket]

Here's the procedure for coil testing per Hayne's instructions: unplug the 2-wire plug from the coil and put one lead on each of the coil's plug terminals (not the harness'); it should be 0.8 to 1.6 Ohms cold. Then, put one lead on the high-tension terminal (the one that goes to the distributor) and the other on one of the coil's plug's terminals; it should be 6-30 K-Ohms (6000 to 30000 Ohms), hope this helps. If you have juice coming in the coil, and this test is successful but still no juice at the sparkplugs, move on to the distributor, mainly the cap and rotor. And BTW, I don't know about that green led light, I never seen that on any Mazda or Ford coil ( Festiva, Escort GT, Protege LX, etc)....

[tim jeffery]

thanks pocket rocket, i will try that. the little green light is on the starter moduale, and was wondering if that moduale has anything to do with lack of spark?? tim

[fastivaca]

Does the car have a remote start/alarm system because I think that the power module you're referring to is probably part of it? If that's the case, your problem could be with that.

Does the car turn over at all with the starter? Do the headlights work? There are three fusible links on the driver's side strut tower, just behind the battery. Have you checked those?

Oh, and by the way, welcome to the site! You've found a treasure trove of information and support for the trusty Festiva. Add your location to your profile... there may be someone close by that can help you out.

[tim jeffery]

thanks for all the input folks. what a great site. i did a coil test its ok. i did a power moduale test, it's ok. apparently i cant see the spark when i pull the plug and ground it, so i shot some either into the air intake and got a little action (not much) out of the engine. i then checked the fuel pump, seems to be pumping when i took of the fuel filter, but fuel doesnt seem to be making it to the cylinders? this is all very complicated when all you have worked on is a 53 chev, (theres no stinkin relays on it!!) i,m looking forward to any suggestions, and really looking forward to driving this thing. thanks tim

[1988redfordfestiva]

Your injector aren't firing the cut off switch must be on or something is wrong.
Check all your grounds on the engine.

[batstiva]

So, to clarify, you have spark? But no fuel to the rail? Is that the issue, or do you have no/weak spark? This thread started as a spark issue, and the problem seems now to be fuel delivery issues? Correct? Just want to clarify so that you are not sent on wild goose chases.

Also, did this problem just develop? Or is this a car you bought not running with the intention of fixing? Sorry if you have answered these questions in other threads. Just want to know more of the details before advising. Thanks.

[tim jeffery]

i believe i now have spark, i shot either into the air intake and it wanted to run,the fuel pump is pumping there is fuel out of the filter,the plugs seem dry so i guess its not getting past the injectors. i got this car not running, but i ran well up till it quit. only 126000 on it. i,m also not convince i,m getting a strong spark as i can not see spark when i pull plugs thanks for any help tim

[batstiva]

Okay, let's go one problem at a time here. Fuel system first. Since I cannot see a scenario in which all 4 injectors go bad at once, I'm going to assume your problem is not with the injectors themselves. You have fuel out of the filter. Just for the S&Gs of it, pull the fuel line at the connection right before it goes into the fuel rail, and make sure you have fuel at that point. Let's make sure you are actually getting fuel to the rail. I have seen blockages in the filter get pushed into that line and cause problems. There have also been members on here who have had the inside of that line breakdown and clog the system. Anyway, check that, and as someone else suggested, double check grounds.

BTW, just wondering about what another member asked. Does the car have a remote starter on it? If so, does that system have it's own fuse that could be blown, causing your problem? Assuming you have checked all fuses, and your fusible links as well. Just kind of wondering out loud.

[tim jeffery]

i have to believe it is week spark or inconsistant, and no fuel to cylanders . there is fuel iin and out of filter. but i'm not sure what sort of pressure it should be flowing at, its just a steady stream. i cant help thinking its a ground issue, but dont know where to start. thanks for any tips tim

[tim jeffery]

there is fuel getting to the rail, with the key on what sort of voltage should register out of the coil wire to distributor. thanks

[1988redfordfestiva]

Hey quick thinking disconnect the fuel line from rail use a soda can and if the fuel flows fast when u turn the key u have good fuel pressure if slow u might have a bad pump or the tank has some debris .

Well if everything is good yank the injectors put them in a flat pale and have the wires hooked up when the key is turned on the injectors should throw out gas if so your fuel system is OK. If not your fuel pump does not have pressure or u have bad injectors which i doubt.

Anyways if your getting spark most likely fuel pressure is your issue so u might need to pull your tank and clean it out i just did mine and it was nasty cause it was sitting but getting ready for a new carb so i have to clean it alittle clr and shake and rinse with water.

Make sure to unplug the drain plug helps get rid of most of the gunk u never know anyways i hope this helps you ....