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So, I bought a 89 bronco custom XLT 4x4 according to carfax it’s came stock with the 5.0 EFI. Dude I bought it from had it 2 years & never even titled it but he got it from someone & they swapped it to a carbureted 351 Windsor & cC6 automatic still 4x4. Wiring is a mess but it functioned. It had 5mm plug wires missing the rear passenger one. I got a set of 8mm for it & plugs & changed the oil now it jsut cranks but won’t start. The distributor is female unknown brand. Put in new fuel filter still nothing just cranks no fire. Someone give me the Knowledge to give her life please??
Last edited by $Ghotti****boi88; Feb 18, 2026 at 10:14 AM.
Did it start before you replaced the spark plug wires? Have you checked for spark to the plug wires? If you have spark, have you confirmed that you have the firing order correct? Did you pull out the distributor? If you have spark, have you tried spraying some starting fluid/carburetor cleaner/other flammable liquid in the carburetor to see if that will get it seem to want to start? What's with all the cut wires in that last photo above?
I’m actually out in garage working on it now again. So u didn’t like all the wires huh?? lol IDK bro it’s how I got it from dude smh I was in ahurry on an ankle monitor for parole had to get home bought it in the middle of nowhere late at night. It ran before yes but not very well & the day I drove it in to get wires & plugs etc it limped to AutoZone lbvs it’s gotta be something simple tho. I’m uploading some more close ups of things…under hood…so there’s a relay with 2 wires sitting on top of battery & a resistor I think sitting up by a/c condenser with 2 wires one jumping over to choke on carb & ignition coil is all stuffed up between carb & dist. That’s how he had it. I’ve tested the coil & it’s good I put in new fuel filter it’s full of fuel I’ll check for spark & post anything I find
+1 for post 2
Double check your firing order (you didn't forget to put the rotor back in it did you)
Look up "induced voltage" and separate those plug wires to lessen that
Tidy up the wiring and put that ballast resistor somewhere safe
You can run a stock E core 40kv coil with a duraspark module that will handle 12 volts, and not need a ballast resistor (that is what I run on my Boss 302)
You didn't play with the ignition timing, did you?
The distributor is not loose in there is it?
Maybe you fouled the plugs out?
Does it fire on ether?
A relay with only 2 wires going to it isn't going to do much, unless the two wires on are on posts 30 and 87a. Then the relay would just be acting like a short circuit/wire. There's probably not much chance that you managed to know 2 or three wires off that relay when changing the plugs and spark plug wires, is there?
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