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» Northern California Ford Owners     » Automotive   » Tech Talk   » no spark, coil getting hot?

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Author Topic: no spark, coil getting hot?
Blind
2.3L
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My 89 started right up this morning, I drove down the street, turned slight right to get out of my neighborhood, and it died. I tried pop starting it while still rolling, nothing, I cranked it over until it rolled to a stop on the curb, nothing, not even a sputter.

I popped the hood and pulled a plug wire and stuck it slightly over one of the bolts on my c/c plates, and there's no spark while cranking.

I left the key to run so I could turn the wheel, and pushed the car back to my house, halfway there the coil started making a crackling sound and a puff of smoke came out from under that side of the hood, I figured...ok cool the coil just died, easy fix, right?

Well I just replaced the coil with the one from my friends car that is known good, and still no spark, and the coil got noticably warm after a very short while of cranking, and when I unplugged the wiring for the coil I saw a spark from the connector.


any ideas on shit to check?

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
Stangs R Us
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Man I was having the same problem and probably still am I gave up on the car since I have other projects to worry about , but did u put that coil back on your buddys car and it worked or it didn't work? Cuz mine blew out 4 coil and it blew one right when I hooked it up , its some kinda bad ground or something I got tired of buying coils.
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
warhorse58gt
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i had my car blow a jacobs coil. samething as yours i heard a crackle then a ploom of smoke. i hooked up a stock ignition & coil. and the car ran home. i took off the jacobs ignition & blown coil and never had a problem. i just figured i had a bad box. cause i never blew another coil.

[ April 23, 2008, 01:41 AM: Message edited by: warhorse58gt ]

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Posts: 4200 | From: 209 | Registered: Jun 2007  |  :
Blind
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I used to have an MSD 6al box on the car but it did the same thing as this (no spark, not the blown coil) about 6 months ago so I took it off then and haven't used it since, both the coil it blew up and my buddies were stock.

I'm going to try my buddies coil in my `91 convertible right now as she just got home from class, my buddies car is down at the moment so I can't throw it in his car to try.

[ April 23, 2008, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: Blind ]

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
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Ya I bet the coil is blown , my car also had a 6al and blew that first also , only difference is I had a msd coil but same symptoms , I hope ur not having the same problem that I am but if u are I will let u know if I fix the problem and would appreciate it if you could do the same.
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
Blind
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my buddies stock coil just worked in my girlfriends `91 vert, so it didn't kill the coil by hooking it up.


I'm wondering if this is connected to my autometer pro-comp 5" memory tach failing a month ago? I have a new tach installed now and it worked perfectly fine on sunday when I was driving the piss out of the car at an autocross all day.

that's the only thing hooked into the coils wires right now (the tach signal wire). I wonder if that is possible shorting to ground at the firewall where I have it coming in to the dash?

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
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Dam that's another thing that could be wrong with mine I forgot it used to have a tach also and could have a bad wire somewhere , wiring problems are the worst. Good luck.
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
Blind
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just swapped the distributor from my girlfriends car into it, and still no spark.


I used a test light to the - lead on the coil, and not getting any blinks while cranking either.

the rotor is turning, the fuel pump is priming, why the hell is there no spark?

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
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Ecu ?
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
Blind
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if the ecu wasn't turning on the fuel pump wouldn't be turning on...

but I am going to try it just in case

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
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Ya I'm jus tryin to think what's related with spark ,
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
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Or a fuseable link
Posts: 3100 | From: sacramento | Registered: Aug 2005  |  :
Stimpys 5.0
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you said you changed the distributer. do you know if the module on the dist. was working.
i had that problem w/no spark it turned out to be my module.

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1989 burgundy coupe
1968 mustang 289 - 4 speed
1989 white lx (totalled)

Posts: 646 | From: sac/916 | Registered: Jul 2005  |  :
Blind
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quote:
Originally posted by Stimpys 5.0:
you said you changed the distributer. do you know if the module on the dist. was working.
i had that problem w/no spark it turned out to be my module.

works fine, I put it back into my convertible and it started right up.

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
Blind
2.3L
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just got it fired.


the tach signal wire (coil negative) came out of the loom running past my m/c, and it was grounded on the last primary tube for my header.


had a sweet ass backfire through the intake when I first started getting spark, apparently had some fuel up in there from cranking with no spark [Eek!]

neighbors probably thought I was crazy when I was excited to make a shotgun blast out of the intake, cuz I got spark again bitch [dance]

started it again and it ran like shit, timing is way off since I pulled the distributor, but that's easy, time for [burnout] soon

[ May 02, 2008, 07:28 PM: Message edited by: Blind ]

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
vpr_klr
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TFI distributors are notorious for having bad hall effect switches and blowing fusible links in the ignition system in the mess of wiring below the coil.

also the dist. have a tendancy to have loose wires coming out of the harness causing a short and a intermittent no start.

how are you guys wiring in these MSD boxes and Tachs?

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Project crustang has begun
14 mustangs and counting...

Posts: 893 | From: Livermore | Registered: Oct 2003  |  :
Blind
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my MSD box and tach was wired in with -

Deans ultra plugs (r/c car stuff) on the coil + and - wires, so I could bypass the box if (when) it went bad and run off the factory ignition.

I had it mounted on rubber isolaters where the battery is normally mounted.

Tach was hooked in through the tach output on the MSD, with it getting +/-/headlight signals from inside the cabin.


Now with the MSD bypassed, I have the tach signal wire spliced onto the coil - wire.

this tach signal wire is what came loose from the split loom that runs along the m/c and across the firewall, and it was laying on the last tube of my equal length headers and had grounded = boom coils blew up, and no spark.

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89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :


 
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