Help: Sparky is spark-less

[Bert]

My car died a few times but then did restart every time a few weeks ago. Figuring it had to be the fuel pump I replaced it. Shortly after that the car died outright and had to be towed home.
With a spark plug tester I have determined there is no spark, even at the coil. Swapped in a spare ignition module and an ignition coil and there is still nothing. Timing belt is not broken and underhood and indash fuses appear to be good. My Haynes manual is buried somewhere (I'm renovating the house) and have so far not been able to find it.

Anybody out there got any simple advice for diagnosing the problem? I have a spare ECU (are auto and manual versions identical?) but no immediate inclination at the moment of digging around under the dash simply to try that out. Is there a sensor or signal device in the distributor (EFI car) that may be on the fritz? Thanks folks.

[FestYboy]

make sure you have power to the ign module and coil with key on.
next, make sure the pickup coil in the dizzy has continuity (this is likely your problem).

you won't have spark if any of those conditions don't exsist.

[Flyin4stroke]

Sounds like a distributor pick up went out. Coils hardly ever go bad. New dizzy sparky will be sparking all over the place.

[93festiva]

I think I have the answer for you. My Festy just died going over a bumpy road. I did notice that before I coasted to a stop the "Check Engine" light was on and the tach went flat before the engine had really stopped. We towed it home and started the process. My son has a Festy also so I could swap parts back and forth to verify whether they were good or not. Tried coils, ignition module, even switched distributors, they worked fine in my son's car, no go in mine. Thought the fusible links were an issue so I switched to a fuse block with maxi-fuses, still no go. My Festy has seen a few deer and the P.O. had taken the driver's front corner apart and just let everything hang behind the headlight. There is a large relay with a metal top that is suppose to be mounted on the rail that the overflow tank is on. This relay supplies power TO the distributor and coil, mine had taken salt and moisture inside by hanging upside down. I pulled the plug and looked at the wires, two small gauge, two larger. I made a jumper and jumped the two larger ones and Festy fired right up. I cut the pigtail off and wired in another relay and now Festy is fixed.

Hope this helps Bill

[georgeb]

That's the main relay and they don't usually fail unless it's a situation like above. If you hear something clicking by the dr side headlight when you turn the key it is probably good.

[Movin]

ECU is interchangeable to run, but not for proper repair, the
inputs from the clutch and trans make the idle weird if wrong.

When mine did that is when I saw how bad the stock
fusible link connections are!

[Bert]

These electronic-governed cars, without ready diagnostics (OBDII?) are frustratingly non-intuitive compared to what I grew up with (1960s and 70s stuff) and still drive (May of 86 manuf. Ford half ton with the very last leaded gas carbed 300 six, no cat/electrics, nothing).

Appreciate all you folks advice and will be trying them out as soon as it quits raining, with forecast of snow, around here.

Now if in fact the distributor is cooked (lucky I do have a spare) are these items rebuildable? Festy parts are no longer over-the-counter things around here.

[Bert]

On the road again

Sounds like a distributor pick up went out. Coils hardly ever go bad. New dizzy sparky will be sparking all over the place.

Also thanks to Festyboy, and the rest of you guys for the great advice.

Replaced the distributor and the motor fired right up. There was power at both low voltage wires at the coil (with the key on) so I didn't bother to look for bum power relays. The dizzies looked the same on the exterior (both are off EFI 93s) but the insides are quite different. I will make some inquiries as to whether the 'pickups' can be renewed, seeing as everything is merely screwed on inside the dizzy.
Now I did for the helluvit also pull out the fusible links (EGI, Main and Head, in the little brown box) to have a look. One of them crumbled in my hand! For you folks living in the salt belt it may be a useful diversion to clean up the terminals and dielectric grease the connections once in awhile, and renew wires that don't look particularly sound. I'm guessing you can make your own with crimp connectors but you'll want to try to match the wire gauge of the ones you're replacing.

[milehighbear]

The little pickup or cam sensor inside the distributor cannot be bought. I tried to get one from several distributor companies and they will not sell them alone. You have to trade in your old distributor so they can rebuild it and sell it for much more. Sucks, but can't be helped.

[Bert]

The little pickup or cam sensor inside the distributor cannot be bought. I tried to get one from several distributor companies and they will not sell them alone. You have to trade in your old distributor so they can rebuild it and sell it for much more. Sucks, but can't be helped.

Welcome to 'consumerism'. Us bunch of well-meaning idiots with 20+ year old cheesehound (hybrid-manufactured) cars are priding ourselves with collectively sharing adaptiveness and inventiveness in order to keep them running.
Someone out there is going to defeat the non-repairability issues with Festy Distributors.

[georgeb]

Someone was offering an EFI disty on here a couple days ago for $25. Can't find the thread. It was a repair issue.

[FestYboy]

i've found NOS pickups on the 'bay every now and then...