Actually I have yet to graduate because of my being one credit behind, But the better thing is i am enrolled and taking classes at Chattahoochee Tech College too. I only attend HS 2 hours a day
What makes a DIS pop?
- Thread starter zach44102
- Start date
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Actually I have yet to graduate because of my being one credit behind, But the better thing is i am enrolled and taking classes at Chattahoochee Tech College too. I only attend HS 2 hours a day
SHObill
'The Collector'
-sorry---NO, any paste or no paste will not cause DIS failure. The DIS just MUST be well grounded.
- again, NO. The cross-over tube can be more of a heat source than a heat sink. The DIS does not generate much heat at all & sitting above all the belts & pulleys, it get lots of air circulation. All my SHO's have no paste on the DIS & are actually spaced 2-3mm away from the cross-over tube. BUT the DIS is well grounded. If you look at the schematic for the DIS, the bottom 2 mounting holes are the ground path. I run a separate wire from those mounts to a new ground screw on the strut tower. Some of my intakes are either polished, painted or powercoated so I don't have to worry about a good ground path for the DIS. Even stock, the factory complicated ground path on a 20 yr old car gets compromised.
SHOspazz92
Banned
I still say you need to run heat sink, not electric grease. I HAVE seen a DIS fail because of this. And yes, while a ground is important, a bad one will not fry a DIS or only cause it to work sometimes. It would will either not be grounded good enough (No start), or be have a good ground (Causing it to work).
-Sam
-Sam
Off Road SHO
Moderator
I don't think the grease was there so much as a heat sink as much as it was there to keep water from between the two aluminum plates. Water between the plate will cause corrosion in short order.
Clean it, stick any kind of grease in there and ground it (the DIS that is; the only reason the intake is grounded is for the DIS AND to get all the static buildup the intake gets from the electricity from a running engine, back to ground).
Static buildup causes a lot of problems in electronic circuits, so it's better to throw up a grounding net to channel it back to ground rather than the charge finding its own way through sensor circuits.
Tom
Clean it, stick any kind of grease in there and ground it (the DIS that is; the only reason the intake is grounded is for the DIS AND to get all the static buildup the intake gets from the electricity from a running engine, back to ground).
Static buildup causes a lot of problems in electronic circuits, so it's better to throw up a grounding net to channel it back to ground rather than the charge finding its own way through sensor circuits.
Tom
So as long as i have a good ground from the manifold to the firewall or a good grounding surface the DIS should be fine. Right now i have the ground strap on the crossover tube braket. Its pinched between the rear of the manifold and the braket with the 12mm bolt. Im thinking of making a new ground strap and grounding it where the stock position was just to for a extra insurance.
Bill, you have been very lucky. I have seen dis fail for both people using dielectric grease and no grease, although they were well grounded.
Ford tells you that heat sink grease is required because it is required.
Mr Anonymous
Tire Wall
Ok, by "pop" are these DIS modules exploding on you? If so, you have a serious electrical problem that you need to isolate before continuing any further.
A string of "bad" DIS's tested at AutoZone makes me more suspect of their "tester" than that many bad DIS modules.
A string of "bad" DIS's tested at AutoZone makes me more suspect of their "tester" than that many bad DIS modules.
No not literally pop, just fail. Their testing is correct. The latest DIS that failed tested good a week before, took in in yesterday and it failed, completly failed.
Mr Anonymous
Tire Wall
Then maybe fail would be a better word to use.
I still have little confidence in their testing, and if you're having DIS's test OK and then bad after putting them in your car, again you could very well have an electrical issue that you should resolve before cooking brand new DIS's.
Having more than one bad DIS in a row is far less likely than a wiring or electrical problem.
Bob Gervais
Wut?
I'm also kind of wary about chain auto parts store testing. It all depends on the employee doing the testing. All of that aside....
It IS very weird that you're ruining DIS modules like this. As the others have suggested, check all of your grounds. Check for proper installation, good contact surfaces, frayed wiring or poor connections, etc.
I've gotten into the habit, after working on a few V6 cars that had ignition/random no start issues, of attaching the ground strap from the firewall to the crossover tube bracket, as opposed to the factory stud location. There were really only two cars that this solved a problem for, but it's one of those things with me, once I run into it once it's always on my mind as a possible problem.
Aside from that, the normal DIS stuff. Heatsink paste as mentioned, make sure all 4 screws are in, in good condition, and secure.
If all of that stuff checks out, I'd start looking, again, for pinched/frayed/shorted wiring somewhere. Perhaps there's a temporary short that only occurs with the normal movement of the drivetrain?
I'm not going to beat a dead horse, but I will say that I think if there were a "SHOForum most improved" award, you'd be on the top of the list, Zach.
It IS very weird that you're ruining DIS modules like this. As the others have suggested, check all of your grounds. Check for proper installation, good contact surfaces, frayed wiring or poor connections, etc.
I've gotten into the habit, after working on a few V6 cars that had ignition/random no start issues, of attaching the ground strap from the firewall to the crossover tube bracket, as opposed to the factory stud location. There were really only two cars that this solved a problem for, but it's one of those things with me, once I run into it once it's always on my mind as a possible problem.
Aside from that, the normal DIS stuff. Heatsink paste as mentioned, make sure all 4 screws are in, in good condition, and secure.
If all of that stuff checks out, I'd start looking, again, for pinched/frayed/shorted wiring somewhere. Perhaps there's a temporary short that only occurs with the normal movement of the drivetrain?
I'm not going to beat a dead horse, but I will say that I think if there were a "SHOForum most improved" award, you'd be on the top of the list, Zach.
SHOtime2511
CGP
I'd be checking the engine harness for a cut or pinch.
shoon
cliTaurus
If you can get it to run again id check how much voltage the alternator is putting out. A bad regulator can put out 18+ volts-ish which can wreak havoc on the electronics.
93rev2sev
SHO Member
Zach, Bob mentioned in a very early post that you've possibly piched a wire between the bellhousing and the engine block. This is much more likely when the engine is mated to the trans while the engine is in the car. If the engine was mated to the trans on a bench, then it's not likely, but worth checking. If the engine was mated to the trans while the engine was in the car, run out and check right now.
There's a wire that hangs down between the throttle body and the master cylinder that A. isn't used. and B. likes to dangle right in between the bellhousing and the block.
Edit: you can probably search for "what is this wire" and it would hit a hundred threads with that mentioned...looking for a picture.
Edit: here's the one I was thinking of, in particular:
http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=112227&highlight=plug
There's a wire that hangs down between the throttle body and the master cylinder that A. isn't used. and B. likes to dangle right in between the bellhousing and the block.
Edit: you can probably search for "what is this wire" and it would hit a hundred threads with that mentioned...looking for a picture.
Edit: here's the one I was thinking of, in particular:
http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=112227&highlight=plug
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I mated the engine and trans together outside of the vehicle so this is not the problem. I am quite curious on the Voltage regulator cause this seems like a possible answer to my problems.
Bob, I too have re grounded my DIS on the bracket instead of the original location. I plan on making a new ground strap and attaching it to the original location with a self tapping screw. I noticed today that the ground strap bolt will not tighten cause of it being stripped (it is snug though).
Also i appreciate the complement, I think i have improved quite a bit too, And honestly I dont try to act this way. Reading threads on this forum and educating myself is what gave me the motivation to work on these cars. 2 years ago i could barely change my own oil, Now 2 years later I have completed my first engine swap and engine build, and soon will be starting my project to put me into the mid-low 13's. But i promise now, here within a month you will see me on that top ten list of fastest N/A SHO's.
Bob, I too have re grounded my DIS on the bracket instead of the original location. I plan on making a new ground strap and attaching it to the original location with a self tapping screw. I noticed today that the ground strap bolt will not tighten cause of it being stripped (it is snug though).
Also i appreciate the complement, I think i have improved quite a bit too, And honestly I dont try to act this way. Reading threads on this forum and educating myself is what gave me the motivation to work on these cars. 2 years ago i could barely change my own oil, Now 2 years later I have completed my first engine swap and engine build, and soon will be starting my project to put me into the mid-low 13's. But i promise now, here within a month you will see me on that top ten list of fastest N/A SHO's.
93rev2sev
SHO Member
Zach...the BOTTOM 2 screws on the DIS are the important ones. If you've only got 2 screws holding it in they NEED to be the bottom ones. Just thought I'd throw that out there. The DIS is NOT grounded unless those bottom 2 screws are tight.
All four screws where in and snug. Something is telling me the dielectric grease is messing with it, Im just going to take everyones advice and do everything.
1.Heat sink grease
2. resecure ground strap
3. Test the alt to see if the voltage regulator is bad.
Bob Gervais
Wut?
Sounds like a good plan. Not sure if the PCM will fry a DIS or not.
Need moar acronymz!
Need moar acronymz!
Off Road SHO
Moderator
I've joined OFASAA; Old Farts Against Stupid A$$ Acronyms
They kicked me out of D.A.M. Mothers Against Dyslexia
Tom
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