new owner looking for clarification on tfi

[yporanger]

Aloha
I was recently given a 1990 ford ranger 4x4 with a 2.9L manual trans. It has been sitting with no battery and fuel in the gas tank for over a year. The person who gave it to me said it ran solid before he parked it. I pulled out the fuel tank, emptied it, and replaced the fuel filter. With a new battery and starter relay the engine will crank but not start. NOT GOOD

So i start looking at fuel, spark, and air right?

Fuel:
Pump does not turn on with key on. If i bridge the FP relay, pump runs(should indicate that wiring from pump to battery are good). Put in a new FP relay, FP still does not run with key on.

Spark:
I know i have no fuel but what the hell lets see if i have spark. Plugs, wires, and cap all look recently changed. I test for spark at the plug and get nothing. Check for spark at the coil and nothing. Next check voltage going in to coil and get 12v.(on cheap digital meter). I have now replaced the coil and still have no spark.

My main question now is could a faulty EEC Or TFI on this engine be causing both of these systems from working.

 

[adsm08]

First things first. Welcome to TRS.

Now, to business...

Fuel: The pump will not run continuously with the key on and the engine not running. It will prime for 5 seconds and shut off, and is not always audible. Crank it over for 5 to 10 seconds and then pull a spark plug to see if it is wet. That is the truest test for fuel.

Spark: Your issue here is about 90% likely to be the TFI itself. A test light can be used to test TFI function easily. Hook it up from the battery + to the green wire at the coil and crank the engine over. The light should pulse if the TFI is working. If it holds steady go get a new module.

The coil is almost never the problem in these things unless you are burning through TFI modules at a rate of one a year or more. An old or weak coil can place and excessive amp draw on the system and damage the TFI.

 

[RonD]

Good TFI info here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TFI_Diagnostic.html

 

[yporanger]

Thank you much adsm08.
You seem to have answered my question. Will let you know how the repair goes. Is the remote mount worth doing?

 

[adsm08]

The people who bother seem to think it is.

I am ditching distributors altogether this weekend, so I will probably never know first hand.

 

[huh?]

waipio- big island or oahu?

anywho, i just spent about 2 hours typing a response to your thread and when i hit the submit button the screen said i wasn't logged in and i had to log in again. instucted me to hit the back button but my post is gone forever.

i going put my name and phone number in your message box cause i just got my truck on the road and my trucks history is exactly like your trucks one- sit one year, pump no prime, no spark. more easy to say my fix on the phone cause my two index fingers cramping up already.

to everyone else reading this , i owe this forum a written record of how i got my truck rolling because the knowledge i used to succeed came from the many helpful members here who are generous with their time and knowledge.

it's going to take me a couple of days, though.

bottom line: it was a grounding problem involving the circuits that are serviced by pin 20, 40, & 60 for the ecm on my 1987 2.9l w/manual transmission

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

^^^ @ huh?
I used to lose posts all the time. Now I write my long-winded responses in the "go advanced" window and it is always recoverable with the back button. I still use the quick reply for short responses.
Thread-jack over,

Richard