I drove 10 miles down the road with no issue. Stayed for 2 hours or so and tried to leave. Battery was dead...short, bad ground, idk, its a new problem. Jumped it off and set around idling for a while then headed back home. With no shroud, it gets warm when not moving. Shortly out of the parkinglot the headlights flicker. The further I went, the flicker continued, but its irratic. A couple time times the lights go out for a second and the car misses or dies, but starts right back on its on. I did find the sylinoid cable (battery side) slightly loose. I didnt think it was loose enough to kill power to the car and draining the battery didn't make sense. While I was looking over the engine bay, I noticed the control module was leaking all over the fenderwell... idk, it probably needs to be replaced anyways, but could it cause those issues? Thanks in advance guys, Northern
There's you clue, lights and ignition both lost power simultaneously... It's either a ground to body/engine issue, or the main power feed connected from solenoid is loose or maybe has a faulty repair(should be a fuse link in this lead)... Possibility could be failing at the main bulkhead connector... The charging system should also be checked out, but any sudden loss of power is almost always wiring related... For ign module the potting(resin) is deteriorating... It's function is seal unit so moisture can't damage the electronics, not your problem but would be a good idea to soon replace it...
I did have some semi-loose wires on the solenoid, but they didn't seem that loose. I tightened them, charged the battery, and the next day it was dead again. I agree there is most likely a dead short somewhere, but I suck at tracing wires (and dont like it very much either). I would rather change a head gasket than track down an electrical short... I suggested the ICM because it is getting hot enough to melt the goo, so something must be faulty there...and could possible be the power drain, but I dont know. Sinse this line is about the ICM... is that the module that would be replaced with an aftermarket ignition system...such as MSD? I dont want to buy a replacement part only to replace it again in a month or two...but it isnt that expensive.
Module is only powered when ignition is on, not possible to discharge battery unless there's a problem with ign switch or maybe there has been some creative wiring performed in the past(be sure coil or module isn't continually powered)... Reread my first post a couple times, should put you in the ball park... BTW a dead short creates smoke, generally easy to find(assuming the car isn't ashes)...
had something similar to that with my 69 cobra ..ran fine to school ..parked it..came back after class..complete power loss ..couldnt figure anything out..called a buddy over...checked some things then unplugged the harness to VR ..was corroded ..cleaned it up plugged it in ...vroom like a champ.....about 3 weeks later ..came out dead again..hmm i've seen this movie before..did the VR harness thing again..nothing?? wtf? checked and checked..found the bolt holding the fuse block together had backed out breaking contact at the fuse box .. weird things i tell you
Thats what I'm I'm talking about spxer... I hate chasing grimlens... So, the voltage regulator... it looks like the newest part under the hood, but I would bet the previous owner bought the cheapest one he could find. I'm not sure, but in view of other "repairs" he accomplished, I really dont see him sacrificing price for quality. Is a cheap VR a typical failure? Btw, i charged the battery and attempted to start again so i could start troubleshooting. Now it wont even fire. Fuel is good, but it just turns over with no fire.
Well if the battery is charged you can toss the voltage regulator off a cliff and it'll still run... If there is power to the ign module and coil, probably time to repl the module, I wouldn't be trusting in one that's loosing the resin... On the two wire plug, the red should be hot while cranking and white hot with ign on & crank...
I'm currently waiting on the ICM in the mail. Now the car wont start at all. Couple days ago I cranked on it for a while and it finally fired and ran like crap for about a minute, like it lost prime in the fuel... now I sprayed starter fuel down the carb to fire quick, but nothing happens. It ran ok with the battery disconnected. It has a new coil, so i measures voltage accross the posts. 5.5V-ish with ignition on, 7.5V during starting, 0V with key off. What is the input voltage suppose to be? I would think more than 5.5VDC... The car just turns over, but not firing now.
Ford says there should be between 4.9 & 7.9v to coil with ignition on... Nothing mentioned about power into module when cranking, but should be approx battery voltage, or around 8-10v(red/blue wire)... I'd think white/ Lt Blue would have 12v with switch on...
Pulled the coil wire off the distributer, held it near ground and cranked it. During cranking, nothing...except right as I released the key, then it sparked. USPS will be here in a day or two...
Mail ran today...got the control module installed, fired right up. Thanks for the help and inputs. Next up...a decent carb.
