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Topic: possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside. (Read 3278 times) previous topic - next topic

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

i need some input... I changed my tfi that was taking a . It would just totally cut out then come back, and sometimes it would just die altogether. So i let it cool then it would restart. So changed the tfi and all was good till today....  Went to lunch then come out and car wouldn't start:mad:. So i wait till it cooled like last time and still no fire. And when i scanned the engine comp i got code 14 irratic (sp) pip. And that was the only part i never changed. So i changed it today got the engine retimed and it did fire but stalled so i turnd the dizzy twards the engine to give it a little more and i got nothing. It will crank all day long just won't start. So i thought timing was screwy so i got the timing mark on the balencer at 0, and got the cam marks lined up so it was at tdc got the rotor button pointing at #1 plug wire on the cap. and still nothing. Now i replaced the coil, pip, tfi, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and ign switch. So im lost here guys... Please help the car still sits where it quit. So is there anything i missed?
2001 Buick Regal LS (DD):hick:

Got that fox rash again!

-Resident smartass! :ies:

- Don't listen to the naysayers. For every person who actually helps with your project there will be 10 who will discourage you all the while thinking that they are helping. 99% of all people have good intentions. That doesn't make them right.- XR7 Dave - SCCOA.Com

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #1
Is it getting fuel????

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #2
Is the timing 180 degrees out, meaning are you TDC exhaust stroke instead of compression?
Mike

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #3
My TC did this and it was the fuel pump...the first time.  The second time the PIP (Profile Ignition Pickup) in the distributor went out.  I pulled the distributor and replaced the PIP and the hall affect sensor as both require the distributor to be completely torn down.  Be sure you are using the white goo (thermal paste) between the TFI module and the body of the distributor as this is what allow the heat transfer from the TFI to the aluminum body of the distributor.  Without the paste they die early deaths.  If you do not have any Radio Shack carries some as it is the same stuff used between the processor and cooling fan in computers.

A way to check the distributor function is to pull it out of the engine, reattach the cap, and TFI wiring harness.  Turn the ignition to the "run" position and spin the distributor by hand.  You should be able to hear the injectors pulse.  This is how I determined the fuel pump was shot on my car.  It would prime but not build any pressure.

Another thing I have heard of is the little piece of fuel line between the pump and the pickup assembly getting old and cracking.  With the engine off the pump may be able to produce enough pressure on a gauge to appear to be good but will not be able to provide enough volume or pressure under cranking or running conditions.

Good luck!

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #4
i hear the pump run when i tuen the key and after a few seconds of cranking i do smell gas so i would say yes... and as for 180 out no its on tdc. i pulled #1 plug to find compression.
2001 Buick Regal LS (DD):hick:

Got that fox rash again!

-Resident smartass! :ies:

- Don't listen to the naysayers. For every person who actually helps with your project there will be 10 who will discourage you all the while thinking that they are helping. 99% of all people have good intentions. That doesn't make them right.- XR7 Dave - SCCOA.Com

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #5
was the rotor at the right spot when you were at TDC on #1?
did you disconnect the spout connector before you started playing with the timing?
was the car warm when you did this?
i had to do mine without a timing gun when i replaced the PIP sensor.
basically played with it untill i could get it to run smooth, start fully retarded and work your way up.
"Beating the hell out of other peoples cars since 1999"
1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage
1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
2015 Ford Focus SE 1.0 EcoBoost


possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #7
Quote from: Ductape91;319022
was the rotor at the right spot when you were at TDC on #1?
did you disconnect the spout connector before you started playing with the timing?
was the car warm when you did this?
i had to do mine without a timing gun when i replaced the PIP sensor.
basically played with it untill i could get it to run smooth, start fully retarded and work your way up.


"Never go full retard!" (Tropic thunder)
:hick:
You got spark at the plugs?
If you put some gas in the TB will it kick over and run?
My car is a gravity hybrid.  The gasoline engine gets me up the hills, and gravity gets me down.

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #8
how many miles you got on that motor? could it be the timing chain?
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possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #9
remove #1 spark plug
stuff hole with slightly damp paper towel
bump engine just barely until you hear the paper shoot out
verify your crank is coming around to 0 on the timing pointer
rotate engine the rest of the way to zero
stuff a small hose in number 1 plug hole and blow
if you can not blow air in, both valves are closed , therefore your on tdc #1

now..........
take off rotor cap and peek under and verify rotor pointing to number1 plug post.
if not, re-drop dizzy.

also.........
when your crank is on zero to the pointer, rotate the crank cw or ccw to the point when you just feel it bind but go no further.
the pointer will now be pointing at a degree on the harmonic.

convert that amount of degrees to inches and you now have your total slack in your timing chain.


your problem with setting the dizzy in is that you may have a little too much slack in the chain which is allowing the cam to lag the crank by a tooth and therefore your forward or backward on tooth on your dizzy.

thats why its always best to set the dizzy in a condition you create in the engines normal rotation *and* if you need to adjust the crank to let the dizzy drop, you rotate the crank the **opposite** direction to allow the dizzy to fall in the correct tooth.

with all the above babble being said, the root cause of a bad dizzy drop typically falls back to the oil pump shaft.  Its fighting you when you drop the dizzy because its not in line with everything else.
when you know for a fact the dizzy is correct but you have managed to compensate by rotating the rotor button a little, its time to stop.
you must use your oil pump shaft to slightly rotate the oil pump cw or ccw a little bit to help things drop in.

when you drop the dizzy, there are three things getting lined up
crank to cam with repect to number 1 cyl
rotor button orientation
oil pump shaft orintantion to the hex shaped hole in the pump itself.
find a socket that fits the oil pump shaft.
find a long extention
just drop the oil pump shaft down in the pump by stuffing one end of it into a vac hose which should be atleast 12'' long.
make sure the hose is not on real tight as you need to sort of rotate the hose off the pump shaft in order to get it off.
simply use your socket to rotate the oil pump shaft cw or  ccw and test your new location by dropping the dizzy.

dont forget though, if you think things are not lined up perfect, your probably right.


hope that helps.

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #10
I think you better get a dry erase board so you can list all the things to check!  This is some great tech guys!!!

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #11
yeah ive got her all fixed up! It was my new wires that had the issue more like the coil wire. So changed the wire and boom she starts. but thanks guys! oh and its a timing belt not chain.
2001 Buick Regal LS (DD):hick:

Got that fox rash again!

-Resident smartass! :ies:

- Don't listen to the naysayers. For every person who actually helps with your project there will be 10 who will discourage you all the while thinking that they are helping. 99% of all people have good intentions. That doesn't make them right.- XR7 Dave - SCCOA.Com

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #12
Did you replace all of the stuff mentioned in the first post at the same time you replace the TFI or after you started to have problems?  The way I read it I thought all of that was done after you put the new TFI on.  Not saying I would have said "Oh, its the plug wires" but more for clarification.

Anyhow, that is great news!  I guess new parts can still fail out of the box...sucks though.

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #13
yeah the tfi did. but with all the new parts it should run awsome right?..... Well not so.... It will start and run good till bout 3000 rpm then it feels like it runs out of steam. and i can only muster bout 5 lbs of boost. before it would run beautiful when i changed the plug wires. i could get 10 lbs of boost and i loved it. But now its like someone flipped a switch and now i can't even go 55 with it. what would cause this?
2001 Buick Regal LS (DD):hick:

Got that fox rash again!

-Resident smartass! :ies:

- Don't listen to the naysayers. For every person who actually helps with your project there will be 10 who will discourage you all the while thinking that they are helping. 99% of all people have good intentions. That doesn't make them right.- XR7 Dave - SCCOA.Com

possible tfi falure again....SOLVED!!! Somewhat.. New development inside.

Reply #14
I am not sure what you mean by "yeah the tfi did."

What kind of fuel pressure does the car have when you start coming up on boost?  Are you sure the timing belt has not slipped a tooth?

Darren

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp