no spark August 07, 2009, 01:47:16 PM So, I came out of a friend's place the day before yesterday and my '86 cougar refuses to start. The bf came and looked at and said there was no spark coming from the coil. Yeserday he replaced the voltage regulator,distributor cap and rotor. Still no spark. He thinks the problem is the distributor. Is there anything else he can check before I go and buy a new distributor? He made it sound like it will be a pain to fix.Everybody keeps telling me how bad it is for a car to sit as long as mine did, (15 years, so I'm told) is there anything else in particular I should expect to go wrong now that I'm driving it? Quote Selected
no spark Reply #1 – August 07, 2009, 02:08:02 PM Yes, 15 years is a very long time for a car to sit. Hoses get soft, fluids go bad or get contaminated, and seals dry up and start to leak. Once its running again, I would have someone throughly check the brake system with special attention paid to the flex lines. Then I would have all the fluids changed (brakes, transmission, rear diff, coolant, engine, power steering).It sounds like hes shotgunning parts as replacing the cap/rotor will have no effect on a lack of spark coming from the coil. The voltage regulator would be a problem with the charging system, not the ignition. I would recommend he do some troubleshooting before throwing more parts at it. Is it a V8 or a V6? There are lots of people on this board who are very good at helping him troubleshoot it. Quote Selected
no spark Reply #2 – August 07, 2009, 02:24:43 PM The PIP (inside the distributor), the TFI module (mounted on the side of the distributor), and the ignition switch come to mind right off the bat. Quote Selected
no spark Reply #3 – August 07, 2009, 02:57:37 PM I have the 2.3 litre turbo engine. Yes, he realized later that the voltage regulator wouldn't be the problem. It was a mechanic from a starter place that suggested it might be a build up of corrosion on the cap/rotor. It's not the bf buying the parts, it's me and I don't know the first thing about cars so I'm at the mercy of other people's opinions. He wouldn't intentionally have me throw money away but I appreciate the experience of you guys here. I'll tell him what you suggested about the distributor parts.The car has been running great up until now and is turning over with no problem. Quote Selected
no spark Reply #5 – August 07, 2009, 09:44:17 PM TFI moudule, PIP (in distributor but best bet may be replace distributor)Before buying parts run codes. The faulty TFI or PIP usually throw codes (14 & 18 IIRC)I am no 2.3 expert but be sure the distributor is turning when you crank it over or it could be a timing belt. Quote Selected
no spark Reply #6 – August 10, 2009, 07:23:53 PM no need to guesstimate what is wrong here, let the car tell you what is not working.pull codes. Quote Selected
no spark Reply #7 – August 29, 2009, 09:40:01 PM Well, I just got back into town today and picked up my car from the repair shop. It turns out it was the timing belt. It was missing a bunch of teeth so the rotor wasn't turning. $235, pretty reasonable. He put on a new fan belt, too. He wants me to come back in a week to have the belt tightened. I'm happy my car is running. Now if I could only get paint on it so my eyes will quit bleeding when I look at it. Quote Selected
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