DIS module blown

[SHObill]

The ford mechanics blamed it on no dielectric grease, ....

Ha! I find that funny! Typical
-paste/grease has nothing to do with your problem! What IS IMPORTANT is the 2 lower DIS mounts to be clean & corrosion free to provide a proper GROUND! Along with the cross-over tube brkts & bolts & the flat black ground wire running off the rear right intake support brkt to the firewall. I think you may have wire issues from the first DIS being broken & the other PCM ground/battery ground wire you found.
I always add my own DIS ground wire right to the strut tower.

 

[SHObill]

i do believe thats the ground for the computer. Muy importante

very!

 

[Mark_s]

Alright, that is important, I'm going to fix it right now, I think solder and heat shrink should do the trick!

Now, do you think this could have caused the problems? Oh, and thanks for the help!

 

[Mark_s]

Alright, new symptom, I charged the battery today, and got it running. I re-learned the idle, and it was fine idling for about 10 minutes, and I occasionally revved it in between. Now out of nowhere, it starts to try to die, tach is bouncing between 0 and 1k, and if I give it gas, sometimes it will rev a bit higher, but still try to die, or it will cut out. It does this for a little bit, then goes back to being fine, and then does it again.

Now, when in drive/reverse, it doesn't do it at all, when driving, it does it the same when idling. Now, could this be a DIS problem, or something to do with the computer lead I patched? Or, could it be the Cam sensor like St. Louis SHO was saying?

 

[CademiaX]

are you those aftermarket DIS modules are any good? As many problems as I have had, none of them have blown the DIS, few for sale on here. Try that, don't ignore your check engine light.

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

It could be a DIS problem, ground problem, corroded battery cables, or cam sensor. I'm still inclined to say it's the DIS. I have a known good spare if you're interested.

I can't stress enough how important the grounding of the DIS is.

 

[Mark_s]

Alright, I cleaned the IAB a little, and reset the computer, and after a little bit, idles how it should, the codes I got before were 411, 412, and 212, so I think that me giving the computer a better ground messed up its settings.

The battery cables look pretty good, I went over them with a wire brush to be sure though, but it didn't make a difference. Also, I think I'm alright on the DIS, it has more than enough dielectric, and I see absolutely no signs of corrosion, on the DIS or the screws, so I think it should be grounding fine. If this one blows, I will definitely hit you up for that spare though.

Oh, is there a way to check for a bad cam sensor? If that would cause it to run badly, then I doubt that would be it, it runs great, but could I check it with a multimeter or something?

 

[93rev2sev]

pay special attention to the cam sensor section posted by gmorrel. It rules out the cam sensor as the problem.

It almost sounds like your problem could be a dying A/C compressor, boggin down the engine when it kicks on. If you think that might be a possibility, unplug the flat connector going to the front of the compressor, behind the belt. That will keep the A/C from coming on. If your problems vanish, bingo.

The A/C compressor will kick on if you have the EATC set to defrost/automatic (you don't need to turn on the A/C to run the compressor).

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I agree that a diagnosis of multiple DIS module failures is suspect.

I would be more inclined to look at other ignition components, starting with the basics -- plugs and wires -- and then looking at the ignition coil and cam and crank sensors.

Because you found a stored code for coil #3, replacing the ignition coil with a known good one would be the first step that I would take and then look at plugs and wires.

 

[Mark_s]

Big 'Ol Bump

Well, I finally got to drive the car for a while, and besides the terrible gas mileage, was fine, until the ignition module "Died" again, along with the glowing red cats. I figured I should go to the junk yard, and a module up, along with some other parts. The car was stripped of the I/M, so I took the alternator, as I didn't think it was charging right, and the coil at Mr. Anonymous's suggestion.

I installed both, and when I first started it up, it tried to die again, but after I let it charge for a while, it stopped trying to die, and runs great, but smells a bit rich. I took it for a 10 mile drive, and it did great, and had way better throttle response than before.

Now, if I did fix, or partially fix the problem, is there a reason why it is running so rich right now? Before the car died, I went 40 miles on 1/4 of a tank, but now it seems better, could the 02 sensors be clogged, and just need to clear up? Thanks for the help so far, I'm just sorry I haven't had a chance to use the advice until now.

:thankyou: