Engine Turns but no spark

[saleen355]

1988 Ford Bronco XLT. I'm currently trying to troubleshoot an issue I'm having with the engine not starting. Engine will turn, but no spark. A while back, I had an alarm already installed when I purchased the vehicle, but later on it would drain the battery, which had no problem after uninstalling. The engine ran beautifully at first, then a week later no luck. The battery is fully charged, the ignition switch is fine, and other basic maintenance has been done. We've done a bit of electrical tests and troubleshooting, and so far we know the following:

+Starter Relay gets power

+Out of the 6 wires on the distributor harness, only two get power and thats from the ignition coil

+There is no spark to the distributor (cap and rotor are in good shape)

A possible guess is that the gear selection switch needs power being sent to the distributor. Any suggestions? or further questions?

 

[Yardape]

The module inside the dist is a common problem on here, I'd check that if I were you

 

[saleen355]

What would cause the module to fail?

 

[snowman74]

Don't know what causes Electronic Ignition Control Modules to fail, besides age...but fail they do. My guess is heat wears them out after so long. If you replace it, make sure to use the grease that goes on the contacting side. If you buy a new module, it should come with a little packet of grease.

Snowman74

 

[saleen355]

Well I guess I'm another example about an ignition module going bad. I went to the local Autozone, they tested my ignition module, and the good news - I guess - was that the ignition module failed. So besides paying the $35 for a new ignition module (lifetime warranty - not bad at all) and $5 for another special socket, I was happy that the engine started beautifully right after turning the key to the start position.

 

[Yardape]

Congrats