Ford Wiring/Electrical :: Ignition System Keeps Shorting Out / Killing Spark
Nov 11, 2012
I have a 77 ford truck with a 351 ,the ignition system keeps shorting out, killing spark. If i replace the starter solenoid, it works for a while, then goes out again. I have replaced 4 solenoids this month. What could be shorting the solenoid out? Had the truck for 8 yrs. now, never had a problem with it till now. It has a mallory dist. it was in when i bought it.
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I plan on moving the engine/drivetrain from my 1986 F350 460 to my 1996 F250. I also want to move over the 1986's ignition system with a Duraspark 2 setup.
Although I could just cut in the easiest places to remove the wiring for later reuse I am looking for where to make the cuts, what to take and what to scrap. Alternatively I am also asking if there are aftermarket or OEM replacement sets out there are aren't a ton of money. The current harness in the 1986 has been sprayed with engine oil and cooked for 27 years so I am looking at alternative options if there are any.
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I have a 1988 Bronco II 2.9 5 speed 4x4. Ive had it for about 2 years and the other day I put on a new cap and rotor and plug wires. I also cleaned the IAC. After that it ran fine for about a day and then I made a 2 hr trip and cut it off at a store. When i tried to recrank it, it just turned over and over and over for about 10 minutes and then it finally just cranked and ran like nothing was wrong. Its done the same thing twice since then (past 3 days) .
Yesterday when it did it, I pulled the coil wire and put a "spark tester" plug in the wire and tried cranking it. It only sparks right at the end when u quit cranking, itll spark 1 maybe 2 times. It'll crank if you just do a few short bursts of turning the ignition key to on. What else to check, or what the problem probably is? At first i was thinking it was the coil or module, but its only when cranking so maybe an ignition key problem or relay between there?
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So I've been having problems with my old duraspark 2 ignition box and I replaced that but it didn’t seem to fix the problem. The truck doesn’t start if the voltage is down around 12v, it cranks but no spark. So I put it on the charger a couple hours ago and came inside and was reading old posts on here about testing the ignition system and then just went out to test the negative side of the coil with a test light and low and behold when my assistant went to crank it over the truck started right up like everything was fine. I took off the charger.
So then what I did was I checked the charge at the battery while the truck was running with a dvm and the voltage was 14.33 then I turned on the electric fan and it jumped up to 14.88 and spiked at 15 then held at 14.88. is that normal or is the voltage a little on the high side? If it is high then could it be the voltage regulator or alternator? And could that have been my problem all along instead of the ignition module?
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I bought a 84 ranger 2.0 that ran when parked sat for six months. Cranks all day long but only sparks when you shut the key off. Replaced the ignition switch (by key) ( someone told me there is another ignition switch under the dash?? is this true?) Tested the icm and it passed all wires seem to be fine. I am just wondering if something in the dizzy could cause this or possibly the starter solenoid?
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I have a friend of mine that has a 1983 and he had me change the water pump in it because it started leaking and it has been sitting for 7 Months now. I changed that but I can't get this bugger to start. I used to be a mechanic in a past life so I know what I'm doing most of the time so let me explain what has transpired here.
I attached my remote starter, turned on the key and cranked over the engine after shooting a little bit of starting fluid in the carb and she cranks over but won't start. I then pulled the #1 spark plug out and then did the same thing to check for spark and nada. I put my light tester on the coil and there was power. I have run into this kind of problem years ago with other vehicles so I thought I would just go ahead and replace the Coil and also the Control Module. After replacing these parts, still no spark. Since the distributor is there only to distribute the spark (meaning no electrical connections to it) I'm assuming that the Pick Up part that is down by the Crank shaft might be bad.
How to test either the Control Module or the pick up. I'm trying to diagnose this problem without needing to remove the module and taking them to the parts house for testing. (long drive). These wires should have 12 volts when the key is off and these wires should have 12 volts when the key is on.... and so on.
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So I bought my 1987 F150 XLT 4X4 (4spd) about two weeks ago and haven't had any issues with it so far... until now. As soon as I got it I did a full tune up. Changed plugs, cap, rotor, fuel filter, new battery, sea foamed it, fuel filter, ran a bottle of fuel stabilizer through it, new pvc valve, cleaned the throttle body, oil change, etc., ( all the usual things).
Was running fine up until two days ago when I was driving down the highway doing about 90km/hr in 4th when the truck suddenly lost power, sputtered and died. Tried to start it again and it will turn over but not start. So I get a nice expensive tow home and start to diagnose the problem. It is not a fuel issue. I can hear the pumps coming on, and fuel is coming out of the fuel filter so I cross that off the list.
Next I check for spark. No spark at all. So I run some tests. Battery is putting out 12V, about 10 when cranking. The solenoid is getting power and putting out power. No visible damage to any of the wiring, and all the grounds look good.
Next I just went ahead and swapped out the coil thinking that could be the issue. Didn't work. So I preform some more tests on the old and new coils. Both are grounded and having voltage pass through them. Next I take the TFI module off the distributor and check for resistance. Everything still checks out fine. Now I am thinking that the only thing left could be the PIP in the distributor. So instead of taking the dist apart and screwing around I go ahead a get a brand new dist and throw it in.
Now I am stoked and thinking that I finally fixed my truck and go to start it up and.... no spark. It still turns over but no start. I am trying to provide every bit of detail that I can. When I say I tested all the components I mean I REALLY tested them. I did both tests from the Haynes manual and from various sources off this site.
I am almost at the point of getting it towed to the shop, which I really do not want to do. A day before this happened I degreased the engine and VERY carefully sprayed it off with water. In the process I am thinking I may have damaged something?
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1996 Ford F150 5.0 ... New battery, new alternator, new starter, new coil, dis cap good and rotor is good. New plugs and wires. Ignition mod tested good.
Drove a mile from my house and lost power to my engine. Lights and radio work. Just sits there and cranks and cranks. I'm not getting spark from the coil. Don't know a lot about engines.
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I have an 86 f250 i just bought back with no spark. this truck is not original. used to be a diesel. has a 400 out of 81 f250. had this truck running just fine 4 years ago. sold it to a guy running and bought it back 4 yrs later not running.
Checked all the connection to make sure they r clean. Had the ignition modular tested and tested good. I have 12+ volts from the white and red wire. I have a little over 6 volts at the bat side of the coil. I have no spark from the coil. I notice every time I connect and disconnected the bat cable I will get a spark from the coil. i ran a test light from the tack test sight on the coil and tried to start and the light stayed real dim and never flickered.
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My '84 F150 4X4 inline 6 Died last night while driving. just conked out and died right there on the spot. no sputter... no gasping... just instant death...
after some investigation i found i wasn't getting spark anywhere. not at the plugs, not at coil. I have replaced the ignition module to no avail. still no spark I am going to swap in a the coil tonight. sure do hope this works.
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My truck is a 1990 F-150 with the 351. I was replacing the spark plugs last night, got it all wrapped up and everything squared away, and after firing the truck up I noticed a ticking noise. It was not there before I replaced the old plugs, and it is not at all loud. I can hardly hear it with the hood closed. It appears to be coming from the driver's side of the engine. It does not misfire when its idling, and it revs smoothly. However, while driving it is noticeably choppy and feels sluggish.
Any thoughts on what it could be? I used dielectric grease on the boots, but I did not replace the plug wires themselves, or the distributor cap. I am probably going to replace the plug wires today though, because the plugs I took out were not in good condition and its been a bit too long since I replaced them last. Its also worth noting this engine is less than years old. This is a frustrating problem because I've replaced the spark plugs on her before, so I'm not quite sure what I did wrong this time.
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I have a 2007 e350. I installed a battery isolator and I believe I need to run a wire from the ignition circuit to the exciter post on the isolator. I found the Power Distribution Panel under the hood (drivers side) which has a fuse in slot #7 (60 amp Maxi Fuse) listed as Ignition Switch/Accessory Delay. What is the best way to tap into this?
Also, I have 8 gauge wire which I ran from the isolator to the batteries. I am second guessing this now and wondering if I should go with thicker wire?
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Pulled up to customers home and took key out and engine kept running. Disconnected battery, engine and aux turned off. Then Connected battery and power came on as if the key was in. Then put key in and turned with no change in power or engine trying to turn. Disc battery, put key in first then connected battery and truck started. Last stop took key out as well as disc batt and engine stayed on this time. repeated steps above several times to get back. Looking for narrowing the problem,possible ignition key cylinder, actuator or possible bad circuit.
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Just got a 66 f100. Some one cut out the ignition. It has a toggle switch that doesn't seem to do anything, turned it to on and used a screwdriver to short the solenoid and it did not crank. I think I counted 9 cut wires in the area of the ignition counting 2 for the toggle. My other 61-66 trucks seem to just have five wires? So I can remove an ignition from one of these parts trucks, but might there be a difference since the gauges are unique to 1966 ?
Started to take the ignition out of my 62 f600 but i hate to cut wires but i must since there is no remnant of an ignition in the 66 f100. If I can match the five wires i should be ok. Just putting a battery in i have headlights, tailights and dash lights. Solenoid and cable to starter look horrible so i bought a new cable. I think i have a good solenoid or two? I didn't even get a spark when i shorted the solenoid with a screwdriver....
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I bought a 1952 F1 that is mounted on a 1978 E350 chassis.( 351W )
It has all the 78 wiring installed. When cranking engine, it will not start, unless you release key to run position. You have to get engine turning over, and then quickly release key to start. Checked back of switch, not losing voltage at ignition post while cranking...
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My 77 F150 Ranger with a 400 in it didn't wanna start up at all. It wouldn't even crank or click like if the battery was dead. Then I tried again this morning and it cranked once then melted a red wired with I think a black or gray tracer, on the ignition. (I put a new solenoid on a couple months back and the positive also melted a bit by the solenoid but didn't pay any attention to it.) I'm just wondering what could be wrong with it to make it do that and how to fix it. Also when I went to put gas in it (it's on a slight hill making it lean to the driver side) it was empty but no fuel would go down the filler neck, then it started to gurgle and spit it out some. I was told it was vapor lock but I thought vapor lock happens when it's hot.
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Having problems with their door locks attempting to activate when turning the ignition key? If so, how can I correct it or make repairs.
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here its is i have a 1986 ford f350 6.9 aftermarket turbo set up i was driving it then i went over rail road tracks lost all power to fuse box no headlights no interior lights no ignition power batteries are good so now when i turn key nothing lights up it just killed my whole truck....
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97 Explorer XLT ... All lights , radio, etc. work, so not battery. When turning key to start, there is silence. No click, no stutter, nuttin. Starter?? Where should I start?
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'03 E250, standard van with RKE if that's pertinent.............
Looking to replace the on-board 4-way flashing system with Whelen strobes and looking to have the column mounted button be the on/off switch for that power supply. I have a schematic from a '97 E250 (almost identical FWIW) which I can post the pin out, test procedure and EVTM version of the hazard portion of that Multi Function Switch if that's useful.
I know it would be far, far less complicated to control the Whelen via a separate switch but this above reversible mod would be somewhat cool IMHO.
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So my Honda Civic has been flashing my check engine light, which is telling my my cylinders are misfiring. I checked the ignition coils by removing them while the car was running and cylinder 2 and 3 I can remove and it doesn't change how the car runs. I put a new ignition coil In and that doesn't work so it isn't the ignition coils, what it could be?
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