HELP please - Ford Forums

crazyeyeschase · 11-29-2008, 17:12

Ok so i went to a diff city 30 mins away to work and it sat for only 3 hours when i got in to start it it started fine and drove fine i went maybe 100 yards until i put it into park so i could run inside right quick it sat for maybe 3 mins. When i got back into the car it was fine i drove maybe 25 yards and it started to sputter really bad i figured ide go down the street and pull over ina parking lot and when i got to the stop sign my car did it again and then it started to clang so i figured i needed to hurry up the car had no low end torque i had to floor it to get to 30mph i also had to press the brake and stay on the gas or else it would die.

We got it towed back to home and we thaugh the timing belt skipped a tooth after pulling everything off it ways fine we then turned to the distributer we loosend it up and tried to crank it while playing with the dist it still wouldnt turn over. We checked the fuel preasure and it was at 40psi. Tomorrow im going to be pulling the distributer off and getting the modual tested is their ne thing else yall can think of doing?

The car is a 87 turbo coupe 2.3l 4 cyl.

crazyeyeschase · 11-30-2008, 11:28

Just got up and pulled the distributor off and got the module tested, and it passed.

crazyeyeschase · 12-01-2008, 18:14

I have spark from the ignition coil to the distributor. I haven't gotten a chance to check the spark plugs for spark. I'll do that tomorrow if I can get some help, lol. Also just to make sure the firing order is right, on a Ford 2.3L is 1,3,4,2 right???

**jwko** · 12-01-2008, 18:52

Quote:

Also just to make sure the firing order on a ford 2.3l is 1,3,4,2 right?

Yes 1-3-4-2 Clockwise at the distributor

crazyeyeschase · 12-01-2008, 20:31

Yeah, I guess I should of added that part, lol. Well I'm just trying to figure it out, I'm getting it somewhat narrowed down. I figure something isn't firing right. I don't know why, the plugs are new and I would think the wires wouldn't go bad out of nowhere, but who knows. The timing is right, the distributor cap and rotor are new. If I don't get spark from the distributor maybe the distributor itself is bad, even though the module is good. If I don't get spark through the wires I'll replace them, and if I still don't get spark the distributor is faulty I'd say. Now I checked the fuel preasure and I noticed the plastic cap for the fuel line didn't get put on. I think it fell somewhere. Can I get it off a different car or does it need to be on there???

**tbird100636** · 12-02-2008, 19:22

If your getting spark from the coil to the distributor, but not to the spark plugs, I'd be looking at the distributor cap, rotor and plug wires. How old are the plug wires??? Their not the original Motorcraft, right???

crazyeyeschase · 12-02-2008, 19:40

The cap and rotor are new. I haven't had the car but less then 6 months, so I'm not sure if the wires have ever been changed. A few of the wires are different than the others where they plug onto the plugs. Can't really describe it, but if it is the wires that's causing the problems, I'm going to be mad at myself for not looking earlier.

**tbird100636** · 12-03-2008, 16:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyeyeschase

The cap and rotor are new. I haven't had the car but less then 6 months, so I'm not sure if the wires have ever been changed. A few of the wires are different than the others where they plug onto the plugs. Can't really describe it, but if it is the wires that's causing the problems, I'm going to be mad at myself for not looking earlier.

Take a close look at the plug wires. The originals should say "Motorcraft" on them. Also, there may be a date code too. Example: "9-87", which stands for September of 1987, the production date of the wires.

crazyeyeschase · 12-03-2008, 18:00

Thank you sir. I will check tomorrow if they are the originals. I'm sure I'll replace them because I really don't trust wires that are 20 years old, lol.

crazyeyeschase · 12-04-2008, 16:12

Ok, so 3 of 4 wires are the originals, the fourth must of been replaced by the previous owner. I did check the spark and it was fine. I also took the dist. cap off to make sure the rotor was rotating and it was. Also took the voltage thing off, cleaned the back off to get a good ground. Also cleaned all the connectors on it with a wire brush and still nothing. The check engine light doesnt come on so what can I do?