Help!!!!

[Buzzard]

Okay so long story short I have a 1988 2.9 XLT with manual trans, I’ve replaced the rotor button and cap. I’ve put a new coil on it and a new ICM I have spark coming from my coil but not my distributor and Idk what to do from here, it cranks over but will not fire

 

[Uncle Gump]

So you have spark at the distributor from the coil wire... but no spark at the plugs through to plug wire?

 

[Curious Hound]

Timing off? Is the distributor actually rotating? Bad wire from coil to cap?

 

[Buzzard]

Could it be a fusible link and if it is where do I get new ones

 

[Buzzard]

Timing off? Is the distributor actually rotating? Bad wire from coil to cap?

Yes it is rotating and no the timing is right

 

[Dirtman]

There's no fusible link between the coil and distributor.

 

[RonD]

Spray fuel into the intake to confirm No Spark, 50/50 test, humor me

So coil sparks in rhythm while cranking engine over, not just one spark, so ICM is timing the coil
And no spark on #1 wire, if so then rotor is bad, its not passing spark, or new cap is, center plugin is bad, no connection to rotor
And that's all it can be, not a complicated system

One thing to check is if the Coil's + terminal has 12volts................while cranking, in 1988 there can be TWO 12volt pathways from ignition switch to Coil and ICM, one for RUN, and one for START
In RUN(on) 12v comes from a red/blue wire, then in START red/blue 12v is cut off and a Brown wire provides the 12volt for startup
This is a hold over from the Ballast resistor(wire) days
Long shot but not a no shot


There is a hall effect sensor in the distributor, it reads the "vanes" as distributor turns
The ICM(TFI) uses the "Vane pulse" to time the coil's grounding
Coils have 12v on + terminal when key is on
The ICM grounds the - terminal to charge up the coil then UNgrounds the coil to get it to Spark

You can test if coil is getting the "ground pulse" by using a 12v test light from battery Positive to Coil -
Test light will pulse when you crank engine
If you have a tachometer you should see it move when cranking, thats the ground pulse from ICM

Also if you have a CEL(check engine light) it should go OFF when cranking, that also means there is a ground pulse from ICM