‘93 comes alive, but runs trashy

[zoomlater]

Ignition module sounds like what we call the DIS. Can you check to see if there is any heat sink paste on the back side of the DIS? Heat kills the DIS if you don't use something like arctic silver heat sink paste to transfer the heat from the DIS to the crossover tube. And don't use dielectric grease.

 

[ScotSHO]

I second the DIS warming up and going faulty. They aren't cheap ($200-300) but worth a shot. As mentioned, apply the CPU the heat paste to the back to keep the new one from overheating and going bad.

 

[Zpak]

Really appreciate the responses. I’ll keep you posted on what I find. Heat sink paste was not on my bingo card.

 

[luigisho]

To be clear if you go back to stock tune (which takes a good variable off the table) you need an oem MAF. The car will run clunky with most aftermarket or upsized Ford MAFs.
As far as the Ted B chip, these things were used in the 90's-00's. Ted moved on to making Absinthe around that time.

Now maybe someone got him to tinker with a few tunes after he stepped back, but I don't know. Maybe someone just uses the name to describe the style of chip he/we were using at the time. The chip or the pcm, or just the interface part, could have failed at any time this far from vehicle production date. Watching to see what comes from it. THe electronics are really showing up at this age. Made me give away my '93 recently. No time or patience to probe and dig really deep lately.

 

[Zpak]

To be clear if you go back to stock tune (which takes a good variable off the table) you need an oem MAF. The car will run clunky with most aftermarket or upsized Ford MAFs.
As far as the Ted B chip, these things were used in the 90's-00's. Ted moved on to making Absinthe around that time.

Now maybe someone got him to tinker with a few tunes after he stepped back, but I don't know. Maybe someone just uses the name to describe the style of chip he/we were using at the time. The chip or the pcm, or just the interface part, could have failed at any time this far from vehicle production date. Watching to see what comes from it. THe electronics are really showing up at this age. Made me give away my '93 recently. No time or patience to probe and dig really deep lately.

Yes, I’m fortunate enough to have a stock MAF and piping sitting in the car next to it I intended to swap for the test.

 

[Zpak]

I’m assuming so but can someone confirm, is this where the chip would be plugged in?

 

[Zpak]

If so, it’s been removed and this car is trying to run with the 80mm MAF.

 

[zoomlater]

I’m assuming so but can someone confirm, is this where the chip would be plugged in?
View attachment 95983

Yes

 

[luigisho]

Yes that is the port. No chip or removed? You can see that hex head screw above was used to secure a small plastic bracket that provided extra stability to the back side of the pcm case. You have ot remove it (along with the sticker that covered the port opening from the factory) to get enough room to accommodate a chip in the rear port.

 

[SHOMON]

Hey Zpak. I was looking back through your original introduction post. About the parts that got stolen during transport.
In the pictures The extra PCM had that LPM chip plugged into it.
So I would swap those stock style parts back into it and see how it runs.

 

[Zpak]

Hey Zpak. I was looking back through your original introduction post. About the parts that got stolen during transport.
In the pictures The extra PCM had that LPM chip plugged into it.
So I would swap those stock style parts back into it and see how it runs.

Yeah good eye. I noticed that this morning after I discovered the chip was missing yesterday. That’s my plan now. I’m assuming that photo was the cars original PCM and was swapped for some reason. Very confusing situation.

 

[luigisho]

The chip programming might be version specific. Like only for X2J or only for L0S etc. You can swap oem pcms between the manual cars but I am not sure the programming for the chip is able to swap between PCM model

 

[Zpak]

Gotcha, well I guess I don't have one now so the theft made that moot. Still quite the mystery why he had it out in the pictured PCM.

 

[Zpak]

The whole larger bore MAF seems silly to me anyway. If it’s getting shoved into the same throttle body what are you gaining?
…other than looks.

 

[zoomlater]

The whole larger bore MAF seems silly to me anyway. If it’s getting shoved into the same throttle body what are you gaining?
…other than looks.

Here is the old Shoshop catalog, if you go to page 24 and 31, it has some info on the 80mm MAF (and it says you need the LPM)

 

[Zpak]

That’s awesome! Thank you for digging that up. That may not be all my problems, burning up coils and whatnot, but it’s most certainly A problem. You guy’s are the best!

 

[Zpak]

Man it all makes sense now. The way it was running I knew it was either starving for fuel or air. Now I know, poor thing is lean. It’s exactly like trying to run an ecoboost with stock tune and a 3 bar MAP… don’t work. Ask me how I know.

I really want to go mess with it now but unfortunately I’m in for 11” of lake effect snow tonight thru tomorrow.

 

[BaySHO Performance]

Starting with the LPM. Why is it there? larger MAF, maybe? They can work loose from the PCM, causing all sorts of problems. Make sure it's fully seated.

Of all the codes, the 217 is the one to go after. Usually the DIS not the coil pack. So test out the DIS, and make sure that there's plenty of heat sink grease on the back. Arctic silver is good for that.

 

[Zpak]

Starting with the LPM. Why is it there? larger MAF, maybe? They can work loose from the PCM, causing all sorts of problems. Make sure it's fully seated.

Of all the codes, the 217 is the one to go after. Usually the DIS not the coil pack. So test out the DIS, and make sure that there's plenty of heat sink grease on the back. Arctic silver is good for that.View attachment 96006View attachment 96007

Thank you for that. I knew I’ve seen somewhere before there was a method to test the DIS but I couldn’t remember where I saw it.

So yeah, the car has a 80mm MAF and I was told had a LPM. Lo and behold I popped the glove box and there was no chip, and the former owner doesn’t know anything about it. It’s on the stock tune with the 80mm MAF. That’s 100% the poor running condition problem. It’s acting exactly as described by SHOshop.

As for the reported back and forth in the shop with the DIS/coil/2&6 misfire problem with the previous owner I don’t know. When it’s not 24° and a foot of snow I’ll be able to dig back in. I’m actually hoping to find no heat sink paste under the DIS. That would be a simple “ah ha.”

 

[Zpak]

Little update:

Bingo! They used dielectric grease under the DIS and not heat sink compound. So that, on top of the engine running lean because the stock tune doesn’t recognize the 80mm MAF, fingers crossed, problem solved.
So I think all that’s left is the work to straighten it out and she should be good to go. I’ll still test the DIS in hopes it survived if not I’ll swap it with the other ‘93 and hit up SHOsource for a replacement.

Gotcha SHO!!!