79 Ford TRUCK won't start
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jaotguy
Veteran Member
dura spark module on that beast ? ... pull a plug wire and hook it into the coil tower, put a spark plug on the other end , rest the plug on bare metal ... the with the ignition ON and the wires disconnected from the dura spark unit , connect a wire to the green wire from the coil and strike it on the bare metal ... you should get sparks from the HT coil to ground thru the spark plug good spark = coil is good
next reconnect all the low voltage wiring to the standard hook up and connect the red and white wire together ( push a pin thru them to connect 'em) try again for spark by cranking... got spark now ? .. then put the HT wires back to standard and try starting
red and white are power to the unit ... sometimes one wire goes bad .... ( white is start and red is run )
power goes to the coil and out on the green wire to the module to be shorted to ground as the reluctor signals ...
purple / black and orange all go to the reluctor / dist ... pulse is on orange and purple ... the BLACK IS GROUND FOR THE WHOLE SYSTEM ... so make sure it's good and clean to bare metal ( or the module won't fire the coil )
next reconnect all the low voltage wiring to the standard hook up and connect the red and white wire together ( push a pin thru them to connect 'em) try again for spark by cranking... got spark now ? .. then put the HT wires back to standard and try starting
red and white are power to the unit ... sometimes one wire goes bad .... ( white is start and red is run )
power goes to the coil and out on the green wire to the module to be shorted to ground as the reluctor signals ...
purple / black and orange all go to the reluctor / dist ... pulse is on orange and purple ... the BLACK IS GROUND FOR THE WHOLE SYSTEM ... so make sure it's good and clean to bare metal ( or the module won't fire the coil )
skyhook
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I didn't do it myself, the mechanic did, he had to pull the distributor out.
Bought the truck that way, probably why the previous owner sold it, but this old timer mechanic new exactly what it was without even taking the dist cap off.
drajj5
Gold Member
Spot on!! Exactly how I do it as well. Love how simple these are!! Although since I was young I called that module a (brain box). Keep a spare behind the seat...
OP
farm boy00
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Love them to. Now his post makes since. Around here I've even see auto part stores call it a brain. Got 2band new ones mounted on where there supposed to be. One in case as a spare
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farm boy00
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Well update. Truck still not running. Moved in September and just finally got the truck into the garage. Also got a tester that plugs into the spark plug wires.
Got power going from coil to distributer but no power from distributer to spark plug. Talked to the local mechanic and he said coil. Couldn't say anything more because there was a million people in there. Any more thoughts on this? ?
Got power going from coil to distributer but no power from distributer to spark plug. Talked to the local mechanic and he said coil. Couldn't say anything more because there was a million people in there. Any more thoughts on this? ?
Zebrafive
Super Member
So you are saying you have spark out of the coil, but not any spark after that?
How are the spark plug wires? Distributor cap? Rotor?
Which coil did mechanic say was bad? Ignition coil or the pickup coil?
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farm boy00
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Was getting spark from the ignition coil.
All wires look good. Mechanic only said that the coil was bad. Tried again and got no spark from the ignition coil now.
I'm thinking of doing the pickup coil next.
Would this truck have points. The motor is a straight 6
sd455dan
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The pick up coil and reluctor are what replace the points in the dura spark and other newer electronic ignitions although unlike the points- the signal needs to be amplified before it can directly trigger the ignition coil by opening the circuit.
I would Make absolutely sure the black ground mentioned earlier is clean and securely grounded- had this same problem at times with some of my old AMC/jeeps- uses their version of the early dura spark and the ground is critical.
It sounds like it could be the pick up coil , seen a few go bad in Amcs and (GMs) to and they are great for driving a long and stranding a vehicle- then the engine cools down and will start right back up like there is no problem - till the next time you get a few miles from home...
Pick up coils produce a weak signal , have always used an oscilloscope to check for output.
Also can't speak for the Ford dura spark- but gms generally require removing the entire distributor and then driving the roll pin out of the drive gear to remove the shaft from the distributor housing before the pick up coil can be removed...
Ps. if the distributor does need removed mark the distributor cap position with something on the engine block and also the rotors position to the housing -( Before removal.) otherwise you will have to find #1 TDC compression and re time the engine.
One other thing as i mentioned earlier some of my AMCs had the early dura spark - but when they failed it has become cheaper to buy a new HEI conversion instead - last one i bought for my 401 v8 was like $50 and came with a high output module and coil with a performance cap and vacuum advance-
the best part- 1 wire + 12 volt hot and you are in business. but not sure if they are available for Fords?
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Degolyerent
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Ignition module
