Last week my son was driving this truck and it died in the middle of the road after he was taking off from a red light.
I replaced the TFI and stator assy in the dist. I replaced the dist. cap and rotor and still no spark. I checked the coil and it ohms to spec. The coil wire is ok. There is voltage to the TFI electrical connector. What else do I need to check??

 

Had that happen to me worked for a weeks trying to figure it out took it to the dealer and was fixed in no time. It was one of the ones off the starter sol. hope that helps....

 

Many years ago there was a TSB about the wires becoming loose on the TFI harness connector. basically they get broken where you can not see them.

The Popular Mechanics CD gives the procedure how to step by step check it.

The more likely one is the connector for the coil goes bad. How to test it is OHM check the wires going to the connector (back test) while testing the front. Many times the wire on the right hand side breaks or rusts enough so there is no wire left for a contact and the plastic coating on the wire is still holding the wire into the connector.

I know NAPA sells the connector because I have replaced them for that reason. It can drive you nuts because it is not obvious (until you do the step by step mentioned above).

Get a spark tester and make sure you are getting at least 20k out of the coil and wires.

I recommend if you live in a salt state to squish RTV into the backside of the connector.


Fernal makes a good point. Over time those elbows loosen and all you have to do is squish them with a set of plyers to make them work again. What I do is put an eyelet on both starter solenoid wires (I & S) and use a small spring washer (not lock) and nut to hold it tight. When you clean your battery cables, clean that connection. Using the seal tite connector with the glue and shrink wrap on it works best for that area. You can usually find these at NAPA and West Marine.

 

I went thru the same thing did all the things he did mod,plugs ,cap,dist,and did all the trouble shooting guides drove me crazy hours and hours of getting mad steping back and trying again.checked all the relays and every wire. And it was a 5 dollar part and i was in the same spot all the time and for some reason i did not check the fuse link felt like a idiot oh well .....

 

Well it turned out to be the ing. coil. Eventhough the coil ohms just like the book said it, turned out to be bad.

 

Since diagnosis is 80% of the battle, how did you determine the coil was bad, especially since measuring the resistance per Haynes showed it to be good?