I was bringing my red 89 Shelby Dakota back from being painted when it just stopped running. Fortunately my sone was with me and we had by daily driver truck so we pulled it home. When I got home I discovered that I am getting no spark at the plugs. I am getting power at the coil wire, but it is not making it to the plugs. I have changed the cap, rotor and hall effect today and still nothing. Distributor is turning as it should. I am stumped.
Did you replace the coil?
Any codes?
Crank sensor died.
No crank sensor on that truck. Does it have an orange box? If not then the spark is controlled by the smec.
Sounds like the crank sensor to me, didn't know that version didn't have one. I spent a summer in 2003 swapping those things....
highly unlikely that there is a crank sensor on that truck.
did you check to see if the coil is firing by putting a spark plug in the cap end of the coil wire and looking for spark?
it's a long shot, but is the distributor turning? if not, probably a broken timing chain..
In reply to turboswede:
Coil is new and I am geting power at the coil wire.
No codes. That usually means Hall Effect, but that apparently isn't it.
In reply to moparman76_69:
Spark controlled by SMEC. Thinking that died. The way it died, I thought timing chain, but I am not getting spark so I went in that direction.
In reply to novaderrik:
Distributor turns fine. Spark at coil is confirmed. I am at a loss.
When you say spark at coil, what do you mean?
The way this thing works is that during 'fuel pump prime' and thereafter whenever the computer sees engine rpm via the pickup in the distributor, it will turn on the ASD relay which provides power to the fuel pump, injectors, and coil.
But power doesnt make the coil spark. The computer switches the ground side on and off, and that's what makes it spark. So really you would be looking for a switching ground at the coil. You could do this by hooking a test light up to battery positive and touching the negative terminal on coil while cranking.
But you say you have spark at coil, so im guessing you took the coil wire off and saw the coil sparking to the wire or to a ground?
In reply to Vigo:
Yes. I had my son crank the engine and I grounded the wire, which runs from the coil to the cap, to the engine and got a spark.
Massive timing jump?
So if the coil is firing, then the distributor isn't turning or the rotor has failed.
Unless the timing has jumped somehow.
Distributor is turning. I pulled the cap and watched it turn while my son cranking it. What timing jump? Cam timing? I would still have spark. Ignition timing? I have tried to adjust timing. Still nothing. I am going to look for an old coild I have somewhere. I know that coil worked when I boxed it up. If that doesn't work, I am guessing it is the ECU
if you're getting spark from the coil but it's not making it to the individual plug wires, then the problem is in the cap or rotor.
In reply to turboswede:
Watched rotor turn and tried three different rotors, including a brand new rotor. Also tried three caps.
In reply to novaderrik:
Or Hall effect, but I just replaced that. I tried three different caps (1 new) and three different rotors (1 new) and I get nothing. Thinking computer.
In reply to Moparman:
Did the shop (or others) do any welding on the truck w/o pulling the ground? Mighta fried something.
Precaution, myth, whatever
There is a crank sensor and it is on top of the bell housing on the passenger side, just behind the cylinder head. Check the connection, and if needed, they are about $70 bucks new at Autozone.
No welding. I will check the sensor.
what purpose does a crank sensor serve on an engine with a distributor and throttle body injection?
i don't know much about how Dodge went about putting electronic controls on their V8 engines, but i'm pretty sure no Chevy V8 had a crank sensor until the LS engines came out. my 84 Regal T Type has a crank sensor, but that's only because of the distributorless ignition system they used on those engines.
if the coil is firing, then that means it's getting a signal from the distributor, which means the distributor is doing it's job of triggering a spark but it's not "distributing" the spark for some reason.
Definitely no crank sensor. The first chrysler engine with a crank sensor was the TIII 2.2. The V8s didn't have one until the 4.7. I have a 88 dakota with a 3.9 and a 90 Ram with a 5.2 and neither have a crank sensor. It is a distributor engine.
In reply to moparman76_69:
Did not think so but Advance auto lists a part. I am stumped
I'd bring up TDC on #1 and check that the rotor is pointing towards number one plug. If it is way off then the timing jumped, probably due to a stretched timing chain.
You'll need to log in to post.
