We have a 1980 F100 1/2 ton,302 engine.the motor has 73,000 on it. The egine will whir like mad,will not fire. It has new spark plugs,fuel filter,strong battery. When examined,there is a lot of gas on the plugs. It was running great,went to town,it had to be towed home,hasnt started since. Anyone have any ideas? I sure would appreciate any hhelp. Thank you!

 

I am going to guess your fuel delivery is OK, leaving ignition.

First thing I'd do is take the Duraspark ignition module to a parts store to be tested; could also be the pickup coil inside the distributor, could also be a broken, corroded or loose wire at the coil, etc.

 

The three step scenario of a failing DuraSpark ignition module:

1) Module overheats, engine dies. Module cools down, engine restarts almost at once.

2) Module overheats, engine dies. Module cools down, engine restarts in an hour or so.

3) Sooner or later, usually sooner, the module overheats, BURNS OUT. Now the engine will not restart.

Taking the module to be tested at an auto parts store: Will test OK unless the little charmer has burned out.

Engine heat is the mortal enemy of these modules, which are located on the left fender inner apron, just in front of the firewall (thru 1986).

If replacing, use some washers to space it further away from the apron, the more airflow around the little charmer...the better.

 

While I agree with everything my friends have said, there is an easier way to see if it is ignition than pulling the module out. Just pull the coil wire out of the distributor cap and hold the end close to something on the engine that is ground - although you should wear gloves and use an insulated pair of pliers to hold the "little darlin". You should get a strong blueish-white spark if the ignition system is good.

If not, the ignition module is the prime suspect, followed by the trigger module in the distributor, and then the coil itself. If none of those appear to be bad it will take a volt meter and some diagnostics to determine the problem.