So, I got my 94 f150 about a week ago, its got 144000 miles, and i dont really know how well its been taken care of the past 16 years, so i decide to do a complete tune-up. I changed the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, wires, dist. cap, rotor, ign. coil, and I BOUGHT a TFI module... My idiot self decide to pull of all of the wires without memorizing what position they were in, so I had to make some phone calls after it wouldnt crank. The local Advanced auto told me the firing order was 123456, and that i had to top-dead center the #1 piston and go from there, I did this, and it turned over, however extremely weak, and bucking like crazy. Got on the internet and realized that the firing order is 153624. So that should be the solution to the problem, i will find out in the morning.

Good story, but my real problem is this... where is the TFI module located on our distributor?!?! I have looked and looked and looked, and cant find it... if I can, I will post some pics, but i really dont think its there... there only 1 wire going into the dist, and its not that. Where I thought the module was supposed to go, there is a black connector attached to the plate on the dist. with some kind of plastic "tie" but nothing actually pplugs up to it....

Any help would be appreciated....

 

The ICM (Ignition Control Module) should be mounted on a heat sink located on the driver's side fender. If your truck is not experiencing an ignition problem I would leave the ICM alone.

 

Ok, I found the ICM yesterday. Its all good, i replaced it because it was hard starting, and its probably a good thing I did, because when I took it off the heat sink, i looked at the dialectric plate, and was burnt all to hell! I touched it, and it started falling apart.

 

Everyone, I still really need help!!!!! I have done everything that I was supposed to do...well except for in the beginning where I didnt put the wires back in the same order. I bought a haynes manual and have done what it said to do, but it hasnt done anything.

I started all over, with everything... I took all the plugs out, re-gapped them, cleaned them, put them back in. I took #1 plug out, and TDC the piston, looked where the rotor was, and went 153624 from there. The haynes manual says that the rotor should be at the 2 oclock position when the #1 piston is TDC (99% sure it isnt) but tried it anyways, and went 153624 from there. Nothing. All the ignition components are new, and i never touched the distributor itself, so I am out of ideas.

ANYONE PLEASE!!!!!!!

 

When you were at TDC was the timing pointer at/near the 0 degrees mark on the balancer? Do not forget the crank turns two revolutions for every rotation of the cam.

 

Well, the way I TDC'd it was by taking the #1 spark plug out, and turning the crank until it hit the compression cycle (when it finished blowing air). I also just set a screw driver in the plug hole and cranked it until the screw driver started going down, reversed direction until it looked like it was at the peak. To answer your question, I have no idea what or where the balancer is, nor where the zero degree mark would be on it.

What are you trying to tell me when you said "dont forget that the crank turns 2 revolutions for every rotation of the cam"?

 

Just because cylinder number one is at the top of it's stroke does not mean it is on the compression cycle. True Top Dead Center means the cylinder is at the top of it's compression stroke. Once that is established you need to check the timing pointer in relation to the timing marks on the crankshaft balancer. True TDC on cylinder number 1 should also read zero degrees on the timing pointer.

Until you can comprehend that fact and confirm true TDC, you have no idea where the rotor should be positioned in relation to the distributor body. It does make a difference to the PCM of where it thinks cylinder #1 is firing.

For reference: Steve's Old Engine Shed- 4 cycle theory

 

If you didn't disturb the distributor (aside from changing the cap) then simply put the #1 spark plug wire on the terminal marked #1 on the cap, and proceed clockwise from there.
Here's an illustration of how an engine works from wikipedia:

The piston has an upward stroke twice for every firing cycle, you need to make sure it's the compression stroke you're on. The big pulley at the front of the engine is the balancer. On the right (passenger) side of the engine, there is a little tab overhanging the balancer. That is the timing pointer. There is a little notch in the balancer that, when lined up to the point on the pointer, indicates you are at TDC. If you put your finger over the spark plug hole as you turn the crank, you will feel air trying to escape on the compression stroke. Once you feel the air, turn the crank until the mark lines up, and that is TDC #1 compression.

 

I understand all of this... (they are really good animations, both of them) as soon as i get up in the mornign I will start looking for the balancer and the timing pointer. I realize that there is an exhaust stroke, and a compression stroke, however, you shouldnt feel anywhere near as much air, if any, coming out of the plug hole on the exhaust stroke, correct? Also, I am 95% positive that the cap does not have a "1" anywhere on it. I will look again when i re-do everything. And I did not disturb the distributor whatsoever. Please keep the suggestions coming, ie assumong that i did everything right, and if the above suggestions dont work, what is wrong?

 

Well everyone, I figured it out, and got her running. I had everything right except one thing.... For some reason the position of the rotor when #1 is TDC is one plug down from stock. I have no idea why, but it is. Once I changed the plug order to accomodate, I started her up, and shes running real good. Thanks for all of the help, much appreciated.

 

Probably because somebody before you pulled out the distributor, and did not make sure to have the rotor pointing at the proper place when they put the distributor back in.
Before pulling it, they may have marked the outside of the distributor, but forgot to mark the inside edge of the housing as to where the rotor was pointing.
Or put in a totally new distributor, but did not turn the crankshaft to TDC on cyl. #1 and turn the distributor shaft to put rotor on #1 before inserting.

Isn't it fun to troubleshoot down to some mess-up somebody else did?

 

The EFi TFI that you're looking for on the Ford truck is mounted to the side of the distributor right below the cap It has electrical connection it's plastic so I'm wear black some were gray not all f-150s have the EFI distributor though

 

Fords are just about idiot proof from the fsctory
Meaning your factory cap has a #1 on it
rla2005 just about has you walked through this no start
If you beat your head for a long time, double check the compression,
The cam gear teeth may have fallen off and you will still have a little compression when that happens
See if the negative side of the coil has a blinking light when cranking with the key on
See if the key on voltage to the coil positive terminal is there and not interrupted during crank
That Haynes manual may cause you more grief than you already have
Use AllData at your library for information

 

You resurrected a thread from 14 years ago and you are wrong about the ICM being on the distributor on a ‘94 model year truck. Reread post #2. Ford moved the ICM to a heat sink on the fender because of all the heat related failures and subsequent lawsuit. I’m not sure what the “not having an EFI distributor” comment means.