Need help with DIS no spark from first coil

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j95695

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I lost spark to cylinders 1 and 5 on my 1992 so i replaced the DIS, but it did not change. I plugged in a code reader and it says DIS faulty ignition system coil #1 and SPOUT signal defaulted to 10 degrees BTDC. What could be causing this?
 

oneqwicksho

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Sounds like your coil is possible shot. If you can swap coil, and dis from known good running sho and see if it fixes your problem
 

rubydist

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It appears you need to change the coil pack.
 

j95695

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I replaced the coil i think, where the plug wires plug in? and still im having problems getting spark to # 1 and 5 cylinders. Is it possible the new one is bag, i got it from autozone.
 

turbo79

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I replaced the coil i think, where the plug wires plug in? and still im having problems getting spark to # 1 and 5 cylinders. Is it possible the new one is bad, i got it from autozone.


Was it a new DIS?
Did you use dielectric grease on the back of the replacement DIS?
Did you check the wires to #'s 1 and 5 for integrity and spark?
Did you check the plugs in those cylinders?

Not likely that another DIS or coil pack would be defective on the same two cylinders...
 

SHOspazz92

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If you got the Coil-Pack from Autozone, Take it back and get a new one for ***** and giggles.

Then, Change your Plugs and Wires. The car will run fine.

-Sam
 

j95695

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No i didn't use any grease but it has new wires and plugs. Could it be the ignition module?
 

oneqwicksho

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If you put new a new dis on and did not di-electric grease it pull it off put a thin layer of grease on it and put it back on. If that don't help hopefully a SHO GOD on here can figure it out
 

deercrusher

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like the above poster said - you NEED di-electric grease - or even heat-sink paste. The function of that is that the metal surfaces mating do not mate 100 percent against each other - that's what the paste is for - to facilitate the path of electricity perfectly. Also double check to see if your firing order is correct. And as you asked it is possible to get a bad part brand new - they are telling you to get a new coil pack to see because the coil pack actually has 3 coils and when 1 coil goes bad you lose spark to 2 cylinders.
 

tompumped

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Not being a dik, but I doubt the module having heat sink compound on would cause this or even a no start.
I took my module off my car just to check if there was any paste left, and there was practically none. I had no issues at all in the 10k that I drove it like that with no grease. I thought it was just used to keep the module cooler? I dont' know.
I didn't know that about the coil, thanks.

If you have an ohm meter you can test the coil.
 

deercrusher

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its not about having alot - only need a THIN layer - if you look VERY closely at the metal surace on the back of the DIS and the mounting surface the metal is not as smooth as glass - the little bit of paste fills in the crevices to provide excellent electrical conductivity and as you stated - heat transfer ability.
 

deercrusher

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and i didn't think you were being a dik - i'd hope that someone would be correcting me if i'm wrong.
 

tompumped

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On mine it was one small dot that's it, i'm surprised it didn't overheat or cause issues. I dont know what happened to the rest of it.
I applied it like the shop manual said. I can't believe they go into detail about the procedure for applying, with weight too.
 

hawkeye18

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Oh my god, I'm starting to feel like Mr. Anonymous...

The paste on the back of the DIS is to conduct HEAT, not electricity. The heat paste/dielectric grease thing has been debated a peskillion times, but according to this:

Untitled

you need heat sink paste. Yes, others will argue. I don't care.

And no, not having heat sink paste will not cause the DIS to immediately fail. You can run it for at least a few hundred miles with no paste whatsoever before something inside melts.

For ***** and grins, swap the plug wires between cylinders 4 and 5 on both the coil pack and the engine. Does cylinder 5 still misfire? If so, then you know for absolute sure it's not the wires. Make sure you have the plug wires on in the correct order; 5 and 6 are reversed on the coil pack.

Once you check these things, let us know what the deal is and we'll go from there.
 

tompumped

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True it has been posted a ton of times I read some of them. I just got the cheap stuff from radioshack.
Doesn't it ground itself through the lower module bolts?
 

shoon

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The back metal portion of the DIS needs to come into contact with the surge tank; As most of us found out the hard way, if you have a bad connection or remove the ground strap to the surge tank the DIS will not function. I have read a crapload of threads regarding people who remove their intakes and then their car wont start after.

Dielectric grease is an electrical insulator. It does not conduct electricity, and is not the greatest thermal compound making it a very poor choice to use on the DIS module.

Metal based thermal compounds contain metal particles (usually silver) making them excellent conductors. If you ever need to replace your DIS module, a metal based thermal compound would be the best option. Not only is it designed to conduct heat, but it also makes an excellent conductive path for the back of the module to the surge tank.

For people that use dielectric grease, the only reason your DIS is probably working is because its grounded through the 4 mounting screws.
 

deercrusher

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I said if i was wrong i'd home someone would tell me - I kind of meant like in a PM where nobody else would see:evilgrin: No really though - sorry for giving you the wrong advice good luck with the repair.
 

hawkeye18

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lol it's ok. There is a lot of misinformation about the DIS... a lot of myths and rumors. The DIS grounds solely through the bottom two screws. If you look on the back of the DIS you'll notice two metal rings around the edge of the screw holes. The DIS is packed with a silicone conformal coating on the top of it; that's why if you aim an IR temp gun at the front of the DIS it'll always read pretty low. The electronics in the DIS will reach a couple hundred degrees easy if it isn't heat sunk; the intake is only 140ish. 140 is an acceptable temperature for power electronics; CPUs often have a thermal cutoff around that, and CPUs are way more sensitive than the stuff in a DIS. So it doesn't really matter what kind of heat sink paste you use - as long as you use some.
 

j95695

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alright guys thanks for the help its fixed. The DIS module went bad.
 

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