Engine stalled and won't start - please help!

[lithdoc]

Hello folks,

I am writing you to ask you about the issue that occurred today with my 89 Grand Marquis. The car has server flawlessly for the last 2.5 years until today.

I started the car, drove about 200 feet and it stalled. Engine will crank, but will not start. I think I have spark (used a ghetto method - took the boot off the plug and cranked - spark was there).

For some reason fuel pump issue comes to my mind, but I don't even know how to start troubleshooting that.

Please help! I am moderately mechanically inclined and would rather do the work myself, if I can. Please offer me leads as to where I could begin. Thank you.

[Bigbullitt]

While putting in water pump this weekend, I accidentally broke the ignition control module on my car. Car would crank, but wouldn't start. Replaced it and it started right up. They get brittle with age and maybe yours cracked. I would think fuel pump if it sputtered to a stop. If it died as if someone just pulled a switch, it sounds electrical.

[Lincolnmania]

when you cycle the key to ignition on do you hear the fuel pump running?
if not
first check the fuel pump relay, they are aging and starting to fail.
if the relay is good, try tapping on the bottom of the fuel tank with a mallet alot of times it will temporarilly make a dead fuel pump run again.

[lithdoc]

Thanks for a quick reply.

Tough to say whether it was sputtering, but cranking fails to provide results.

I'll check the fuel pressure valve to see whether fuel system is pressurized. I'm thinking of just pressing the valve down with a Philips screwdriver, or do you advise to get the gauge instead? When I put the car in ignition mode, I do hear the pump priming the system (not sure if that means it is working).

Where is the ignition control module located? Everything under the hood looks brittle-ish and outdated, somewhat old Nintendo or Atari looking

[gadget73]

Gauge is better, but if you get pressure by opening the thing thats a good sign. Listen for the pump too. You should hear it for 2 seconds when you turn the key to On before cranking the engine.

Ignition module is on the side of the distrubutor. Its the grey thing with the connector, right in the front of the engine. Its called a TFI module, and requires a special cheap tool to remove it. Unscrew, and slide it down to take it off the distributor. Pull the distributor cap off too. I had a pickup come apart once and the bits were visible inside the distributor. Someone on another forum had the same problem recently and it reminded me about that.

[jaywish]

he did say he had spark at the wire end. Does the tfi fail completely or can it produce weak spark?

[lithdoc]

he did say he had spark at the wire end. Does the tfi fail completely or can it produce weak spark?

I'm not 100% about the spark...

Like I said, I do hear the pump prime for 2 seconds, but I'll check to see if system is getting pressurized.

Is there any nice reliable way to check spark?

[85crownHPP]

You can buy spark tester doo-dads from parts stores that usually work pretty good. Spark should be strong enough to jump from the boot to something metal near it, but you can try sticking a screwdriver in the distributor end of the coil wire and laying that near anything metal. Spark is definitely obvious when its there, you should see a strong arc and hear a "SNAP" each time it fires.

[gadget73]

should be able to do 1/2" and be white or blue-white. If it barely makes it or its orange, the coil is weak.

[lithdoc]

should be able to do 1/2" and be white or blue-white. If it barely makes it or its orange, the coil is weak.

Thank you very much for your input guys.

1. Check pressure in the fuel line

2. Check sparkplug arc.

If arc is poor, is it safe to assume it is the coil? Can the coil just fail suddenly like this without any warning signs prior?

[Piece-it pete]

When my ignition module failed I was getting power to the coil in 'start' but not in 'run'.

Pete

[lithdoc]

So long and behold I go to start my car this morning and bam - starts without a glitch.

This makes me believe that electrical issue was very likely the culprit. The weather in Michigan for the past few days has been very warm (50-60), rainy, and humid. Today it cooled off again to mid teens, so some sort of condensation causing this is a probable cause.

While I am happy to have a running car, this makes me anxious because this issue can, and likely will, reoccur unexpectedly, but this time it can happen far away from home, where I cannot simply push it back into my driveway and wait for a better day.

Is there any way to troubleshoot and diagnose this? I'd rather have something done before next time I go to the grocery store.

[sly]

check the coil housing for cracks. that's typically the issue when wet weather causes it to not start.

[gadget73]

TFI modules have been known to work when cold and die when warm. Don't believe for a minute that its actually fixed as its very likely to die on you somewhere annoying.

[lithdoc]

Someone asked me whether the car stalled at idle or when running, but the post has disappeared (I think the forum had a temporary server issue). The car stalled after driving some 200 ft at around 10 mph.

Thank you for your input guys. What I will do tomorrow is pull up the car next to my garage and let it run for a healthy amount of time, trying to replicate the issue.

So the possible culprits are either TFI, coil, coil housing, or something else... I'll let you know what my primitive and limited diagnosis will yield, as it is wonderful 10 degrees here. Thanks again!