Ignition module question
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Senior User
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Ignition module question
I keep Frying them, like today out of the blue then engine started loping and then at a red light while I was trying to stop the truck and give it gas at the same time, hard to do on a standard it died and would hit a little bit and then die, lucky somone was nice enough to pull it off the busy Intersection and give me a ride to autozone, yeah I here you should not put the cheap Modules on but still I don't believe I should be frying them like every 500-1000 miles any thoughts?
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2009
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Get a good module and you'll probably quit having trouble. I keep a spare in both my Dents, but I've never had one go bad. I've run one for over ten years that has leaked all it's epoxy out of the back and it's still going strong. I only run the Motorcraft modules.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2008
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When I was getting my truck back on it feet I put in a new distributor. It would intermittently get spark but refused to crank. I finally tracked it down to a ground screw was missing in the distributor body under the rotor button. While trying to diagnose the problem I tried swapping the ignition module from 2 different running trucks to see if that was my issue. Apparently turning the motor over with that screw missing fried both modules because my friends truck wouldn't start when I put the module back in it. All that being said I'd check your ignition parts over for a loose ground somewhere.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
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You know you've got a good friend when they let you take parts off their trucks and break them lol. We do that as well. Anything to keep these trucks running.
MSEE
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,386
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From: Austin, TX
First off, how do you know the ignition module is the problem? What have you done to actually verify that the ignition module is indeed the culprit? How do you know that the problem is NOT some other failure mechanism that happens to go away as the truck cools off while you swap the ignition module?
IF the ignition module is indeed the issue and you're indeed frying them (which I'm hesitant to believe):
1) Check voltage somewhere while the truck is running. In rare cases if the voltage regulator lets go and lets the alternator output climb, the alternator can fry the ignition module. If a truck truly consistently fries ignition modules, the voltage regulator is the first thing to check. Understand however that this is rare.
2) Don't buy the < $30 ignition modules from box stores. Only buy the Motorcraft modules. They are the only suitable replacement.
The ground connection in the distributor is the sole ground to the ignition system; there is nothing else.
IF the ignition module is indeed the issue and you're indeed frying them (which I'm hesitant to believe):
1) Check voltage somewhere while the truck is running. In rare cases if the voltage regulator lets go and lets the alternator output climb, the alternator can fry the ignition module. If a truck truly consistently fries ignition modules, the voltage regulator is the first thing to check. Understand however that this is rare.
2) Don't buy the < $30 ignition modules from box stores. Only buy the Motorcraft modules. They are the only suitable replacement.
The ground connection in the distributor is the sole ground to the ignition system; there is nothing else.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: town of less than 200 ppl
If your tired of burning through ignition modules I have an alternative for you, although some people may not like it..
Dirt cheap Ignition
That is the route I went with my '74 so I could have electronic ignition. Because you already have the duraspark distributor this would be a cake-walk for you..
Here's a pic of my setup, mounted to my firewall..
Dirt cheap Ignition
That is the route I went with my '74 so I could have electronic ignition. Because you already have the duraspark distributor this would be a cake-walk for you..
Here's a pic of my setup, mounted to my firewall..
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