I am still trying to figure out the problem with my 92 F-150. Since I have posted several times about it and even started a thread with as much info as possible about it, with not a lick of help/advice. I just won't go into it again.
I am asking though, where is my TFI module? It's not on the distributer, and I don't see anything that looks like what Autozone and Oreillys show on their websites.
Also is the EEC another name for the TFI or is it something totally different? If it's something totally different, where is it located?
Thanks in advance.

 

The TFI is located on the driver side fender near the firewall. It is mounted to a heatsink.

 

Yup, TFI module is right close to the hood hinge on the driver side fender. Make sure you replace it with the right color for your year truck (and don't assume whatever one is in there now is correct, parts stores are known to sell you the wrong one).

TFI = Thick Film Integrated module. Monitors the PIP signal, fires the coil.

PIP= Profile Ignition Pickup. Sensor inside the distributor used for determining engine speed and crankshaft position.

EEC = Electronic Engine Control. Also called PCM (Powertrain Control Module). Main controller for engine and auto transmission.

 

Wow that was quick. Thanks guys for your help.
Where is this PIP and the EEC?
I'm sure the TFI is original, My Dad was the second owner of the truck And he bought it when it was only a couple years old.
Up to about a year and a half ago. I never had any problem with the truck, but since that time it has been nothing but a POS and no shop around here can figure out what's wrong with it, so I might aswell throw parts at it instead of paying anymore shops to throw parts at it.

 

Ah hell, don't just throw parts at it! Tell us what's wrong and we'll try and help you find exactly what needs replaced, and what doesn't.

PIP is inside the distributor body.
EEC slides into a slot/rack in the driver side firewall, it's mounted fairly low near the bulkhead electrical connectors. I have a pic, but I'm on my phone so it's a real PITA to upload. A quick search on here should find you a picture though.

 

Well what mostly happens, is my truck just dies for no reason. It does it mostly when it's hot out or the engine is hot. and it mostly does it when driving real slow, like backing out of a parking spot, or pulling up to or taking off from a stop. The long I have to sit at a light or in stop and go traffic the better the chance the engine is going to die.
I'm afraid to pull out into traffic, becaue the truck may die. Usually it will start right up, sometimes it takes quite a bit of cranking to get it started.
Sometimes I can't touch the gas pedal til it catches up with itself. It acts like it's choking ( Like a carbed engine with the choke on) If I start it, it sometimes acts like it's trying to run on a couple of cylinders then it will eventually gain momentum and the rpms go high enough that I can press the gas pedal.
When I do get it started there is a real strong smell of raw gas.
I've had my truck to several shops, they've all cost me lots of money and none of them have fixed it. One shop charged me 2 diagnostic fees, because they couldn't find the problem.
One day my truck died no less than 20 times in a 10 minute period. I pulled into a shop and told them what was going on. I didn't even shut the truck off. The head mechanic got in, took it for a test drive, came back and said I couldn't get it to do it. I said you don't have to get it to do it, it does it all on it's own.
Oh almost forgot, there is a bit of bucking nad hesitating too just driveing down the road at any speed.
I have posted resently in someone elses thread. I'm sorry, I can't think of the OPs name at this moment, anyways, he seemed to have the same problem as I am having, and he changed out the map sensor. I will be changing mine this week. But I figured these other parts seem to possibly effect the problem aswell, so I figured I'd change them too.
I think you can find my posts on this subject in my profile.

 

Ok, did any of those shops happen to give you a list of fault codes from the EEC? Or can you read them yourself?

It sounds to me like either an ignition problem (cuts out when hot) or a failing EEC (raw fuel smell) but, the raw fuel might just be because you ain't got spark. The fact that fuel is being injected at all tells us the PIP and TFI module are working at least some of the time (but not necessarily correctly) because without those things the EEC won't see the engine cranking and therefore won't inject any fuel. Let's start with an open mind by getting codes.

After that, we will have a good idea where to go next.

 

Have you pulled the vacuum hose off the nipple on top of the FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator) and turn the key on and off with a cold engine to see if there is any fuel coming out of the nipple?

As said above check to see if you have in codes in CM (Computer Memory). The KOEO is good but it is just an electrical check and we need to know what it is doing while you are driving it. That why we want to know about codes in the CM.

 

One mechanic did pull codes and he told me what they were, but I don't remember any of them. I will have to call him and see if he still has them written down.
No I haven't pulled the vacuum hose off the fpr that's also on my to do list.

 

Go rent or borrow a fuel pressure gauge and tell us what pressure you see at the motor with engine idling and with vacuum attached and disconnected from the regulator. The TFI modules in these trucks have a known heat failure problem but when they start doing it the truck won't restart until it cools off so I doubt that is your problem.

 

had this same exact problem on a 89 f150 with a 5.0 and would die and then restart but over time got worse and worse having to wait longer and longer for things to cool down. was the TFI and after replacement never had a problem again. Good luck.

 

I've had unexplainable die outs off and on for years in my 86 Bronco II, but only recently have I had a difficult time re-starting it.
Been through the wringer trying to find the culprit. then a wise old Bronco mechanic suggested the ignition module:
"What you have described as a hard to start or no start problem when the engine is warmed up is a classic case of Ign. module overheating causing no spark. As the module heats it can sometimes "misfire" and cause rough idle and running."

So I looked up the module..also called the TFI module and foundthis:
Ford TFI Module National Class Settlement | The Center for Auto Safety
..about a massive recall of TFI's I never heard about..But here's what a bad TFI does
- "defective ignition modules ...may cause the vehicle to stall and die on the highway at any time."
- "The models affected have ignition modules mounted on the distributor ... When its temperature goes above 257 degrees Fahrenheit, the module is likely to cut out and cause the vehicle to die on the road. When the vehicle cools down, it can be restarted and will run until it again exceeds the design temperature. This is a hard problem to diagnose because by the time the vehicle gets towed to the dealer or sits in the shop waiting for repair, it has cooled down and no cause can be found for the stalling."
BINGO!!

"The TFI module regulates the electrical current that fires the air-fuel mixture in each of the engine's cylinders. To reduce costs, Ford installed the TFI on the distributor, one of the hottest locations under the hood. But because the TFI module is sensitive to heat, its mounting location creates an inordinate propensity for the TFI module to fail due to thermal stress. Making the problem even more insidious is its phantom nature. A TFI module can fail on an intermittent basis when hot, then function again when the engine cools, without leaving a trace of physical evidence that the TFI module had failed."

It's an insidious little ******* is right - it cost me a fortune and had mechanics thinking I was crazy.

Hope this helps!

 

Remote mount TFI modules rarely fail, especially the black in color CCD style TFI modules. Yes Ford did screw up on millions of vehicles with distributor mounted modules, but after 20+ years almost any automotive electrical device is ready for replacement.

An informed consumer is the best defense.............

 

I had an 87 turbo coupe that did the same thing you are describing. Ended up being the tfi(distributor mounted) and I didn't find out what it was until it caught my car on fire while I was inside the house. Luckily the car wasn't in the garage then. Just to be safe, I would keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't go up in flames when you park it

 

Most people don't have problems with replacing 20 yo electrical parts..when needed.. But the family owned mechanics I go to wouldn't stay in business long if their answer to a problem they can't figure out is to just replace everything.

I did notice my mechanic parked it farther away than normal..since he couldn't catch my car 'in the act' I wasn't sure if it was the car or me he was worried about.