Engine stalled and won't start - please help!

[86VickyLX]

If I look and everything looks good on the surface, is there any way to troubleshoot your way through these, i.e., narrowing down to the culprit? I'd hate to replace all 3 and still be potentially stuck without a fix...

In the meantime, I think I'll get roadside assistance insurance.

Mine exploded. You could see the insulation all cracked up on the pickup. It used to be white now it was yellow/burned

[gadget73]

When my pickup failed, the magnet fell out of it. It wasn't visible, but when I tried to spin the distributor with it out, it wouldn't turn freely. Once I took it apart and removed the shaft, the magnet was stuck to the bottom of the reluctor wheel and a couple of other bits fell out on the floor. I actually thought it was a TFI module when it failed. John was nice enough to bring me a loaner distributor (it died while driving) and got me going again. I bought a new TFI module before noticing that the distributor wouldn't spin. Its back in the car with a new pickup and TFI, but the original 240k mile TFI is still serviceable.

[VicCrownVic]

Disconnect negative battery terminal... BAH

lol, so I'm not the only one who didn't bother with that step.

...haven't seen that many boxes around here, except the one that was parked on Walton and Old Perch with a "For Sale" sign on it...

I need to check this out, not that I can afford another one or even need one.
I forgot there also was another one that looked a lot like my '89 that I used to see on Auburn between John R. and Rochester Road, it was my 89's doppelganger.

Anyway, these guys on here are very knowledgeable so I know you'll get some good advice here. I've got another busy day tomorrow but I might have some free time next Satruday, send me a pm I'm not sure if I would be able to accurately diagnose the issue but another set of eyes and someone to bounce ideas off of never hurts.

[lithdoc]

I need to check this out, not that I can afford another one or even need one.
I forgot there also was another one that looked a lot like my '89 that I used to see on Auburn between John R. and Rochester Road, it was my 89's doppelganger.

Anyway, these guys on here are very knowledgeable so I know you'll get some good advice here. I've got another busy day tomorrow but I might have some free time next Satruday, send me a pm I'm not sure if I would be able to accurately diagnose the issue but another set of eyes and someone to bounce ideas off of never hurts.

That would be great, PM sent!

Yeah, the one "For Sale" was a real good looker - nice, shiny, excellent chrome, deep navy paint. Even my mail carrier commented on it, said they were asking $2k for it. A bit steep in my book, but it was very tempting nonetheless.

[lithdoc]

So the car starts and runs no problem. Drove around quite a bit yesterday without issues.

Did some looking around. The coil looks rusty, but solid. The ICM looks good too. However, I took off the wire plug off the coil (one that goes to the distributor) and saw that it was all oxidized, almost rusted. I took a file, shaved it off, added some dielectric goop on it. Maybe because of the prolonged humidity there the moisture prevented electricity from running, who knows...

I uploaded a picture, I hope you can see it. In the meantime, replacement coil and ICM should arrive on Saturday. I'm anxiously driving the car...

[marquisman]

Honestly, for what its worth, carry spare parts. Anything that can be changed out quick, carry it. I carry spare coil, complete distributor and ignition module. These are very easy to replace and can limp you home just in case. Since you have an SEFI engine, I would never leave home with out a complete spare dissy,given the history with TFI modules. Andplus, the dissy is very simple to swap out and set close enough to get you home.

[lithdoc]

Yep, given this history, I do not feel as safe as I did before. I thought the car the most reliable car in the world, until this happened. Yesterday I had the car running for over an hour before I dared to step out of my home safety zone, and I returned home safely.

Like I said, spare ICM and coil are coming with FedEx this Saturday. I will probably swap those for the new ones when they arrive, but given the inconclusive diagnosis I still do not feel 100% safe. I will keep the old ones in the trunk.

By the way, what is a dissy? I'm not aware of the term and I dont think I have one...

[85crownHPP]

'dissy' or 'dizzy' = distributor

[VicCrownVic]

Honestly, for what its worth, carry spare parts. Anything that can be changed out quick, carry it. I carry spare coil, complete distributor and ignition module. These are very easy to replace and can limp you home just in case. Since you have an SEFI engine, I would never leave home with out a complete spare dissy,given the history with TFI modules. Andplus, the dissy is very simple to swap out and set close enough to get you home.

That's along the same lines of advice my Mother-in-law's mechanic/friend gave me when my TFI module went bad. Although having a dwindling stock of odds and end parts at my dads place helps since most people don't just buy new parts for spares.