no start

Topic: no start (Read 6250 times) previous topic - next topic

no start

February 20, 2005, 08:03:43 PM

I just got tired of all the posts on the last one, so that will be the referance thread. I have a 1986 cougar,5.0 that wont start. I got the distributor back in. I changed out the tfi. It made no diffrence. It dosent even try to start. Its not gas, because I tried to use starting fluid. I cleared out the computer. I pulled codes , they are in the referance thread. Long story short, minus the spark plugs, I dont know what to try next. The dist. is good, The coil is basically new, but the spark plugs have some corrosion on them. Friday I am going to switch out spark plugs. Until then, I am not sure what else to try.

Re: no start

Reply #1 – February 21, 2005, 12:27:42 AM

Timing chain?

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Reply #2 – February 21, 2005, 02:40:47 PM

On your distributor, find the #1 plug wire. Thats passenger side front. Make a mark on the distributor base directly below the #1 wire port on the cap.

Take the passenger side valve cover off.

Take the distributor cap off.

Turn the engine over manualy with a socket wrench. Every other time that the timing pointer points at TDC the rotor should be pointing at #1 and both valves for #1 should be closed.

What kind of electrical trouble shooting tools do you have? Meter, 12 volt test light, anything?

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Reply #3 – February 21, 2005, 11:19:36 PM

I went back to the other thread to catch up,, sorry,, i was absent during that time i think.

from what i gather,, you still have been forced to maintain the old Stator assy "pick up module". correct. You did not use a new but a used dizzy.

first things first,, orient the dizzy to number one tdc.
easy way to do so.........
use a 1/2drive wratchet/extention/socket
remove number one plug
place thumb over the plug hole
rotate crank****in the proper direction***
keep working your wratchet with generous effort
wait till you hear air seeping from around your finger.
now stop****
mark ZERO DEG TDC on your harmonic
slowly rotate your crank til the pointer points to zero
now stop***
remove dizzy cap and eyeball the rotor
does it point to number 1 plug wire post or not?

if so,,

replace the pick up module.

in addition,, remove the rotor, remove the round metal thing a ma jig with two bolt holding it, mark it before you remove. now gaze down into the dizzy and you will see what appears to be a magnet on the stator,,,,,,,,,,,,,,be sure there is no grit or grim build up on it cause it will cause these problems as well. I used my one of my wifes eye lash brushes and some rubbing alcohol to fiddle around in there and clean mine up once.

if you jumped a tooth on timing, im afraid you wont know till you take the front of the engine down to see. You dizzy can put up with being off a tooth and maybe even two. Your crank to camshaft relationship is a different story and must be perfectly matched dot to dot or you wont start.

BTW,, there are no known troubleshooting steps to test the the stator/pick up module.
symptoms could be ... no spark and no start
or..
there is spark and no start. pretty tricky thing a ma jig if you ask me.

also check to make sure your little red wire is plugged in at the coil. that is tied to your transmission range selector switch or what ever its called. Having that unplugged usually prevents cranking at all.

honestly,, from my past experience and i wish i could get the consenses on this.............
if you have weak spark and no start then replace the Stator.

if you have no spark ,, replace the tfi(if good coil/solenoid)

Re: no start

Reply #4 – February 21, 2005, 11:45:19 PM

I know my solenoid is good, I have tried to bypass it as well. The tfi is good. It tested good on my dads crown vic. I think that little red wire is good. The dist is fairly new, replaced just before I got the car. The coil already took a dump on me, It was sparking all over and when I took it off, it was broken in two or three spots.

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Reply #5 – February 22, 2005, 11:26:47 AM

Quote from: Haystack

The coil already took a dump on me, It was sparking all over and when I took it off, it was broken in two or three spots.

I never had a coil do that. Makes one wonder about the condition of your fuseable link now. :screwy:

change the stator,, its the only thing left.

think about it, you get weak spark, you get fuel.
the reason why your other coil burnt up has me puzzled,, anything you wanna share with us that might have lead up to this? you mentioned battery/alternator issues on the other post but did not go into detail about what it is you meant by , "thats all fixed now".

the wierd thing you need to consider is this.,,, these cars CAN have SPARK and CAN have FUEL and still not start. I usually place the blame on the stator when this happens.

BTW,, i understand the mounting screw issue you had with the ign module. I did not bother with a special tool,, i just modified a 7/32 socket by putting it on the grinder to make it a thin wall socket. I did not reinstall the hex screws,, i replaced them with phillups self tapping screws. Now i can change my ign module without removing anything but two phillups screws.

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Reply #6 – February 22, 2005, 09:12:53 PM

The alt, and battery both tested bad when I first got the car. I just got new ones. The car did sit for some time before I got to it. the coil was actually rusted away in some parts. What exactally is the stator. My hayes is out side in the cold underneath things

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Reply #7 – February 23, 2005, 04:25:58 PM

anyone? jcass maybe?

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Reply #8 – February 23, 2005, 07:04:46 PM

the stator is also called the pickup or hall effect. it is basically an electronic version of points. If you have tried more than one distributor then by default you have tried more than one stator. They are the electronic gizmo under the rotor that provides a signal to the tfi.

Do you know if you do or do not have spark for sure?????????

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Reply #9 – February 23, 2005, 08:06:35 PM

I havent gotten it to the point I want to start it yet, but It will finally be over 40 degrees out side so I can work on it for more then 20mins at a time

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Reply #10 – March 01, 2005, 04:59:09 PM

alright got the disributor back in and checked everything that you said and got no where. I cannot get a new stator for a while. I was wondering, what would it take to go disributorless?

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Reply #11 – March 01, 2005, 09:51:21 PM

oh no :flame:
just about everything i can think of :nono:

i know someone back there asked ,,,, are you sure you have spark?

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Reply #12 – March 01, 2005, 11:27:53 PM

I dont have anyway of mesureing weather it is good spark or not. I just have it hooked up to a timing light. I am just gettin gvery pissed off at this car. there is nothing that I can do on my own at this point. Ihave tried everything that I can think of. Maybe I will just spend the $100 of my birthday to get it looked at.

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Reply #13 – March 02, 2005, 01:02:29 AM

your just going in circles without knowing what your trying to fix. why not go buy a spark tester for 10 bucks and see where you stand......you may have good spark and need a fuel system repair...not an ignition one

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Reply #14 – March 02, 2005, 05:35:15 AM

I am pretty sure it isnt gas related. It dosent start with starting fluid. I can smell gas if I leave the air filter off.Maybe I will go and get a spark tester. I assume that you can just pick one up at the auto zone?