Duraspark swap

[patrick84]

My son's '84 Ranger with the 2.8L has the POS TFI ignition in it. I can not find parts for that at all, other than a distributor. I'm sick of trying to find parts, so what all is involved in swapping to a Duraspark ignition??? I'm not wanting to spend a lot on this - I've already got $250 in trying to figure out why it's not running, and guess what? It's still not running. I'm about ready to part this b!tch out, quite honestly!

It was running quite nicely before it just flat quit. I'm not going to throw any more $$$ at it, unless the Duraspark conversion is worth the effort.

 

[RonD]

If you have a Duraspark Vacuum advance distributor then I would do an HEI modification instead of Duraspark.

GM's HEI modules are cheap and long lasting.
Wiring is very easy.

Google: duraspark hei conversion

Also read here: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117817

 

[GKM007]

My Duraspark conversion is the best thing I have done to my Bronco thus far! Runs better, more power, and I can actually trust it to start every time now. My only complaint is mpg went down a little, but well worth the trade off.

As far as parts go. Ebay is your friend for dizzy and carb. Everything else can be purchased at your local parts stores. I used AutoZone for everything but the carb and dizzy. I think all told I spent about 500 on my Duraspark swap that included a tune up.

 

[AndyB.]

What parts are you having a hard time finding?

 

[patrick84]

If you are addressing me, I'm needing the wiring harness from the coil to the TFI module. The green wire insulation has simply disintegrated! I tried to splice a new wire in. Plus, there is a white (tan?) wire off the coil with a female connector that has NO mating male connector, coming off the coil plug! WTF? So, now when the key is in the RUN position, the starter engages! It would be far easier to swap in a used harness, IMO. I'm really wanting to get this running so I can sell it. I've ditched the DuraSpark idea. Not willing to spend $500 on parts. I already spent $140 labor and $100 on a r/b distributor and a new TFI module...still no run.

Does ANYONE have a schematic of the wiring off the coil to the TFI module???

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

$70 dizzy, $20 module and a maybe $10 harness from a JY and you are durasparked but its your baby.

 

[patrick84]

$70 dizzy, $20 module and a maybe $10 harness from a JY and you are durasparked but its your baby.

What year am I looking for here? I've trolled the local yards - NOTHING older than a '91 anywhere, and the 2.8L was long gone by that time. That harness in every later truck I looked at was gone or cut up. So, either way, I'm gonna have a bitch of a time finding an intact harness.

Ideas???

Back to my question - does ANYONE have a schematic for the factory wiring on the 2.8L V6 from the coil to the TFI module???

 

[RonD]

If you are addressing me, I'm needing the wiring harness from the coil to the TFI module. The green wire insulation has simply disintegrated! I tried to splice a new wire in. Plus, there is a white (tan?) wire off the coil with a female connector that has NO mating male connector, coming off the coil plug! WTF? So, now when the key is in the RUN position, the starter engages! It would be far easier to swap in a used harness, IMO. I'm really wanting to get this running so I can sell it. I've ditched the DuraSpark idea. Not willing to spend $500 on parts. I already spent $140 labor and $100 on a r/b distributor and a new TFI module...still no run.

Does ANYONE have a schematic of the wiring off the coil to the TFI module???

Have a look here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TFI_Diagnostic.shtml

And here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/EDiagrams/files/Diagrams_StartIgnition83to882_9.JPG

If Tan/white wire is from "-" on the coil then it is for a tachometer, if it is from "+" then it is for a condenser to prevent Radio interference.


If you have a 4 post Starter Relay(solenoid) on the inner fender then it is miswired if starter motor engages in RUN.
The small posts on this Relay are labelled "S" and "I"
"S" activates Relay when 12volts is present, this wire comes from a Clutch switch(manual trans) or a Neutral Safety Switch(NSS, Automatic trans), when key is turned to START 12volts is sent to the safety switch, if closed that 12volts is sent thru the switch to "S"" post.
This prevents engine from starting when in gear.
Someone may have tried to by-pass this switch, and miswired it, or Relay is miswired.

The "I" post, if used, is there to provide the Coil with full battery voltage when starter motor is active, "I" post gets 12volts when Relay is active so when starter motor gets 12volts "I" post also gets 12volts.
The wire on this post goes directly to Coil "+", if miswired to "S" post, then when key is turned to RUN the 12volts from key switch would run to Coil AND "S" post so starter motor would activate.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

You cannot run a duraspark module with a TFI distributor you need a duraspark three wire distributor. The wiring is real simple two pickup coil wires and a ground to the module. Black is ground and it really dont matter about the two pickup wires as long as they go to the orange and purple wires at the module.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

What year am I looking for here? I've trolled the local yards - NOTHING older than a '91 anywhere, and the 2.8L was long gone by that time. That harness in every later truck I looked at was gone or cut up. So, either way, I'm gonna have a bitch of a time finding an intact harness.

Up to mid 80's Fords, truck car or whatever if it has duraspark (with the blue grommet module) it will all work. My first one was from a '80 F-350 with a 400, the connector died on me so I made my own (with Delco style weatherpack connectors because they are easy to assemble) and I just got another harness a few weeks ago out of early 80's truck.

Easy to make your own if you can't find one. My big problem is finding one that wasn't oil soaked (my first one was which is why it finicky making connections)

I am putting the regular harness back in so if I have a module problem somewhere far from home I won't have to rewire the module pigtail to fit my morphadite harness. You can get one factory style connector but I could never find the other one. You can buy new harness but they are pretty spendy.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-30812/

The dizzy price was one from Rockauto for a '78 Mustang II, that is what I speced out when I got mine. If you want a pic of my JY harness I can get you one tonight. If you can't find one I would just make one.

 

[GKM007]

Napa also sells the pigtails. Part numbers are the same as the Duraspark list specifies. I used them for my swap and it worked out great.

Napa P/N echec72
Napa P/N echec127

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Napa also sells the pigtails. Part numbers are the same as the Duraspark list specifies. I used them for my swap and it worked out great.

Napa P/N echec72
Napa P/N echec127

If those were the numbers out of the tech library one wasn't right, I think the module one. Maybe the one I got was boxed wrong or something. If they are different and actually right that is good to know.

 

[GKM007]

Those were both the numbers that I used. I would have to look again but I'm pretty sure that one of the wires on the 4 wire one is not used. They both plugged right in my 84 harness.

 

[85ranger2.8]

I am getting things together to do the duraspark swap. My question is, on the new carb, will I still be able to hook up the electric choke, or should I go with the manual choke for some reason? Any help is appreciated!

 

[bronco2fan]

I read somewhere about hooking the electric choke to the stator on the alternator. Don't remember if it was in this tech section or elsewhere. I'll see if I can find it again and post it.http://www.broncoii.org/techpages/duraspark/index.html Hope that helps, different forum, about halfway down page.