Bad Ford Ignition Module Symptoms?

Question

Year: 1988
Make: Lincoln (Ford 302 engine)
Model: Towncar

Sporadically, when driving, my check engine light will turn on and I will lose power from the engine (it feels like the RPM drops significantly, to nothing, or almost nothing) for 2 or 3 seconds, and then everything will be fine again. This happens at any speed between 45 and 75. At first I thought it might be a compression problem in one of the cylinders, but that doesn't make any sence since it is intermittant and I can take the car up to 90, 95 (I'm afraid to take it higher, ;] ).

Anyway, I am thinking it is a bad ignition module (ford is known for those), and it HAS been getting worse since its been getting hotter (it was around 110 today).

However, I have had no problems starting the car (yet).

Do you think my assumption is correct?

Thanks.

Stored Codes:

None, since there is no computer.

One of the people at autozone claimed that the car had no computer, or that it wasn't compatible with their error reading machine.

I did some research and I'm taking it somewhere else to get the codes pulled. Right now, I'm leaning towards the MAP sensor.

I took it to a mechanic, who kindly scanned the computer for free. No error codes were stored in the computer, and the computer came out clean in all of the tests, meaning that it wasn't a sensor or module.

The mechanic told me that I should replace the fuel filter, the distib cap (it had quite a bit of deposits inside), as well as putting in an anti-moisture treatment into my gas tank. Hopefully that clears it up. I'm currently having trouble getting the fuel filter out (yes, I depressurized the line), but I only had about half an hour to work on it. Hopefully I can swap them this weekend.

Thanks for the answers!

Seems like moisture remover seems to have fixed the problem. Don't know how moisture could have gotten in there though (always use 89 from Chevron). I'm gonna replace the fuel filter this weekend as well.

Answer 1

try a tune up including feul and air filters usually when those modules go they just go,car won't start,and I've never had one go bad while driving only when I try to start the car.

and GM modules where WAY more famous for going out,one of the reasons I'm a ford man now

Answer 2

A bad ignition module will cause your car to stall..trust me I've been there. It will die and you will have to pull over and let it set 10 - 20 minutes before it will start again.
But an 1988Lincoln should be computerized, and won't even have an ignition module...I assume. I have a 1988 Chrysler, and it is computer controlled, and has fuel injection.
If you have fuel injection, your car does have a computer.
You have to get a regular mechanic to scan it...I know it costs, but Auto Zone can only scan 1995 and up, or so they told me.
I would believe it's the map sensor as well...but you may want a mechanic scan it, because you will run yourself crazy buying sensors, and that not be the one...I've been there, done that!! lol
And it can get a little pricey too...I would give in and let a mechanic run the scan, then give you the print out of the scan...then you can go to Auto Zone, buy the part, and fix it yourself

Answer 3

Beside a drop in fuel pressure (pump dying) this sounds like a reoccuring parasitic drain on the electrical system.

It only takes one wire touching the block or exhaust manifold where the insulation has worn through to create this type of problem. It could be a plug wire or another wire where the wire loom (plastic cover) has worn through and exposed the wire bundle to a part of the motor somewhere.

I bought a truck off the city of Indy where this had happened and it was the hot wire running from the alternator touching the passenger side cylinder head/intake manifold area. A little electrical tape and a new piece of wire loom and shazaam! Fixed for less than $1.00.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

water and dirt in the tank, replace the filter and keep the tank full. it is just as ease to top off you tank as putting 10 bucks in an emty tank every day, temp, changes in day and night cause moisture out the air to condensate on the empty parts of the gastank wall and over the years it becomes enough to be sucked into your system, some pure alcohole in the tank will help too, water mixes with alcohol and that way it gets burned by the engine. but do not put whisky or beer in the tank rubbing alcohol will work a small bottel into an nearly emty tank before fill up, the mapsensor mappes (rgulates fuelflow but it if bad it will cause bad erratic idle no bad performance under load but they are expensive, and yes, if the module goes out its OUT Preventif if you still got the ome i would change it to a high performance aftermarked unit, becurse it can let you stranded usually 4 pm in rushour traffic

Answer 5

usually a bad ignition module will just go out when they get hot and not start back sometimes they never start back at all until their replaced,i have seen a few cases where they did act up like yours is doing ,but not that many ,most just go dead and never start back,you might also have a fuel problem with it since it has gotten hot weather it could be vapor locking,this is caused by a pocket of air that gets in the gas line,and forms a blockage,usually when they do this you can get out ,and loosen the gas cap,then the will start back,but since yours doesn't ever really die out,i would suspect it being a gas problem rather than a ignition module,that's one of those things that it just about has to go out before you can actually find it,good luck ,hope this helps.

Answer 6

One thing the scanner he was using was for an OBDll system it will not work. Next if you are still having the problem it might be somewhere in the fuel tank. pump/filter or pick-up for the gas.Also make sure you check the ignition switch this can cause the same problem.

Answer 7

I worked at a rental agency that had ford products with the same model years. We where always changing ignition modules . Nine times out of ten this would solve the problem . Keep your old one .as a backup . These modules were problematic. We would separate the ones we took off by the color code and when another car had the same problem we would install one of the ones we took of another car , and for some reason it would work with the used module we took of the other car with know problems. We would leave a spare module with every car we rented out if possible in case it happened to a customer. Nine out of ten times if a customer had a problem we would talk them threw installing the other module that we would put in the trunk. We would give them a discount on the rental if they were able to change the module. nine out of ten times this worked .

Answer 8

from the symptoms you describe, you just might have the same problem my old grand marquis had, a clogged fuel line. mine was an 83 model that had the cfi fuel injection system. i replaced that system with a carb thinking that would fix the problem, and it did for a while. the problem did not go away for long though. i ultimately replaced the car with something smaller, otherwise i would have replaced the fuel line.

Answer 9

Stored Codes?

Answer 10

either a bad icm or possibly junk from the tank is clogging your fuel filter would change the filter first