old car, new problem - wont start

[farmstud_46985]

i've had my 89 festiva for a while and have had nearly no trouble until recently. it sat most of the winter and this spring i tried to start it and had no spark. i replaced the coil and after that i was getting power to the distributor but still no spark. i figured it was either the ignition module or in the distributor so i purchased a reman distributor with a module in it, and i reinstalled it and was careful not to mess up the timing. ive checked nearly all of the wires and fuses and im not finding anything. is there something im missing or a problem that i may be overlooking? any hints or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, i miss driving it!

[bravekozak]

Is there spark at the plugs now?
What about gas? Did you check your fuel injection?
You need both to make the engine purr again.

[nitrofarm]

[QUOTE=farmstud_46985;413223] i replaced the coil and after that i was getting power to the distributor but still no spark.
Please explain how you determined this....What do you mean by power? Are you talking about spark?

[farmstud_46985]

there is currently no spark at the plugs now, i pulled them out to check before and after replacing the distributor and still nothing. i haven't messed with the fuel yet, but i don't think it's the culprit...once i get some spark though i'll start worrying about the fuel system if there's something also wrong with it. and i checked all of the wires running from the coil to the distributor with a test light, that's what i meant by power...sorry for the unclear description. i've also checked the relay behind the batter and there is nothing wrong there either. is there something not telling the coil to send spark to the distributor or is it likely that it's still all in the distributor, and if so, how can i check it?? or am i completely off the mark here? how confusing can a 22 year old car be!?

[91_festy_Gl]

ECU went bad possibly?

[farmstud_46985]

anyway to check the ECU before dumping some more money into it?

[91_festy_Gl]

Not sure but i have a spare if you end up needing it. It came out of a 91 or 92 FI.

[worfdog]

I bought a rebuilt distributor once and it came with a bad ignition module. I had to return it for another rebuilt dist. It solved the problem. Just because it's rebuilt doesn't mean it's good.

[nitrofarm]

Ok I see what your saying now. When you did the coil swap did you get the wires swapped on the wrong terminal perhaps? Also is the cap & rotor good? No cracks water or green corrosion? Jus wondering....

[farmstud_46985]

wires all look good...found a bad ground connection and replaced it but still didn't solve the problem. come to discover though, that my old distributor turns very freely compared to the reman one which has some tension on it, which lead me to wonder if it was something internal in the distributor was broke and the ignition mod was still good on the old one...so i swapped ignition mods and still nothing. i'm going to try a new cap and rotor and if still nothing, i'm going to try another reman distributor and module...

[FestYboy]

Not sure but i have a spare if you end up needing it. It came out of a 91 or 92 FI.

bro, the '89 is carbed.... even if the '89 was an EFI auto, the ECU is totaly different.

i doubt the ECU has failed. clean out the dizzy with brake clean and let it dry.

[riferdez]

Is your engine Carb or Fuel injection? Becouse on the 80's
some came hith CARB. If it is fuel injection, the ECU falling is a comon
Problem, Buth also the ICM [ignition control module], or also the so
called Pick-up coil, some times called krankshaft module, or even by
other names.
One of these 2 sensors make the 12 volts pulsations and that makek
the ignition coil too produce the high voltage for the Spak-plugs.

There are to many things that can make the ''no spark'' problem,
a code reader could help you a lot with this problem, But I don't
Know if ther is any one for the older Festivas; remember to look
for an OBD1 [or-OBDI] Festiva Compatible, and compatibility is
very important too ;
Do not trow your money away on a comon OBD2 only ( I did-it ),
those work only on some 1995 engines & on all 1996 & up .
Some Auto parts companies can test those modules
for free. Just my 2-cents: rifega

[GenevaDirt]

Is your engine Carb or Fuel injection? Becouse on the 80's
some came hith CARB. If it is fuel injection, the ECU falling is a comon
Problem, Buth also the ICM [ignition control module], or also the so
called Pick-up coil, some times called krankshaft module, or even by
other names.
One of these 2 sensors make the 12 volts pulsations and that makek
the ignition coil too produce the high voltage for the Spak-plugs.

There are to many things that can make the ''no spark'' problem,
a code reader could help you a lot with this problem, But I don't
Know if ther is any one for the older Festivas; remember to look
for an OBD1 [or-OBDI] Festiva Compatible, and compatibility is
very important too ;
Do not trow your money away on a comon OBD2 only ( I did-it ),
those work only on some 1995 engines & on all 1996 & up .
Some Auto parts companies can test those modules
for free. Just my 2-cents: rifega

this problem goes back to the beginning of may....almost 4 months. Not sure how long you have had your Festy but the ECU going bad is NOT a common problem on these cars. We are pretty well versed in what ones came with Carbs and which ones were FI. The 88 was carbed....89 was carbed if manual and FI if automatic, After that they were all FI. No code reader is necessary to read the codes in the Festy....it is a matter of grounding a wire and counting the blinks on the dash....that is provided it is throwing a code.

[WmWatt]

The igntion module can be tested for free at some auto parts stores. Using a volt-ohm meter you can check for continuity in the ignition wire from the coil to the distributor (resistance below some number I don't remember), and any other ignition wire. Also wipe off all the ignition components with a clean rag. I like to crimp the ends of the ignition wires a bit with a pair of pliers to ensure a good connection. The boots slide up the wires easier after a shot of WD-40.