Problems!!! Help!!!

[alpinestar]

last week my truck randomly started running like total crap. so i looked it over and found that the cap and rotor were completely fried up. so i got a new one, assuming that the lady at shucks gave me the right one. i put it in and it ran a TON better, but ever so often it would cut out or sound like its bogging down like it did before, until finally it worked its way back to as shitty as it was before i replaced the cap and rotor, that took about a day to happen. so its basically running like it took on a bunch of water and it sucks up all my fuel along the way. so my ford buddy wire wheeled a hair bit off of the rotor cuz it was thicker than the one he had in his B2 and it ran fantastically... for about two days, now its back to its same deal again. and i just took it for a drive a minute ago and it barely has enough power to go down the road... what is its problem? i was told by one guy that i need a new computer... i just hope that isnt true cuz their expensive...

 

[93greenbomb]

have you pulled the distributor out and checked the gear
?

 

[86ford]

I am leaning towards IAC BUT the IAC will only have an effect on idle or close to idle speeds.

My 2nd choice is the VAC advance system if it does it while driving.

In reality I dont have enough facts to make a educated guess.



86

 

[alpinestar]

no i havent but the distributor is nice and tight so i saw no reason to. and ya its happens all they way through all of the rpms. and its definitly connected in the spark or electrical area cuz it was improved twice by messing with the cap and rotor so... now what? i need a permanent fix...

thanks for the help guys

 

[Shran]

I don't think it's even ECU related. Tell that guy hes a tard.

If it's running better with a new or known good cap and rotor, but burns up after a while, it's gotta be a bad cap or rotor or both, or something else in the distributor. My guess is it's arcing off multiple spots inside the cap.

 

[alpinestar]

so how do i fix that? you think its possible the chick at shucks gave me the wrong cap and rotor? and 2 people told me that it could be the ECU and i trust them but hell im not sure. i was gonna go have someone with a 2.9 plug their ECU into my truck and see if that fixes it.

 

[Shran]

Someone who is more familiar with the 2.9 distributor can probably give a better answer than I would. I'd guess something electrically wrong with the distributor, or maybe the coil. Are the contacts on your cap and rotor clean or do they look burnt or ground down?

 

[alpinestar]

no their clean, the first time i took it off after i replaced it they were grooved on one side and smooth on the other, so thats why my buddy took alittle of the contact on the rotor. should i do that again? do you think its the wrong rotor or something?

and if so, should i buy a whole new cap and rotor again or just the rotor? trying to save money as well, im sooo effing broke right now...

 

[Shran]

That would indicate to me that the distributor is wobbling slightly, allowing the rotor to touch the cap as it spins. So if that's the case even a new cap and rotor wouldn't fix the problem.

 

[93greenbomb]

i highly doubt its the ecu and if i remember correctly the 2.9 has a set botl/srecw that holds the distributor tight my 3.0 distributor gear was wearing out and it ran like blah and burnt up the button and melted the cap

 

[alpinestar]

alright then. i guess i'll go find a 2.9 distributor at the junk yard, see if that wont fix the problem... thanks for the help!

and if anyone has any other ideas, let me know!

 

[alpinestar]

i still havent gotten a distributor. and yesterday morning my truck ran really good for about 20 mins. does that mean anything? after those 20 mins it just went to shit again. also i can(atleast i think this is what i hear) hear zapping from what sounds like the distributor cap, while im driving down the road. it only happens every once in a while and its like a rapid zapping like its mis firing or something. it doesnt seem to have a direct effect to the way it runs though. it just continues doing whatever the whole time.

 

[Jarhead]

I'm no duty expert but the same thing happend to a 88 ranger I owned years back. Turned out to be the TFI Modual on the side of the distributer so you may want to check that. Only 2 screws and diaelectric grease. Figured it out after I broke down and had it towed to a shop. Would run great then like crap. Park it for a while then same same.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TFI_Diagnostic.html

 

[odie1969]

Any chance you looked at your plug wires. you might have one or more grounding out.

 

[alpinestar]

Any chance you looked at your plug wires. you might have one or more grounding out.

lol nope, im a soccer mom with 3 kids and a gran daughter on the way.







yes i checked the plug wires...

 

[CraigK]

Y'Know, this is gonna sound weird, but . . . .

When I first started having bogging problems with my BII, it would very temporarily be "fixed" if I messed with my distributor. Which was one of the (MANY) things I replaced chasing down the real culprit - which turned out to be the O2 sensor. I have NO idea how the two could possibly be related, but that's what happened, and it threw me off-course in diagnosing the problem for quite awhile.

Just a thought . . . and because it's so darn easy (and cheap!) to do, I'd suggest you simply unplug your O2 sensor for a day. See what happens. If no difference, just plug it back in. No loss no foul.

CraigK

 

[Area 52]

I think Odie is on the right track. The zapping is high voltage...spark plug or coil secondary wire(s) grounding out causing misfire. If these have never been changed, time to invest in a custom fit set. Try kingsborne.com...great product at a decent price.

 

[alpinestar]

I will give the O2 sensor a try today. and the zapping i believe is it mis firing inside the cap cause its firing uneven on the points inside there. does that tell you anything?

 

[BLUE "B"]

no i havent but the distributor is nice and tight so i saw no reason to. and ya its happens all they way through all of the rpms. and its definitly connected in the spark or electrical area cuz it was improved twice by messing with the cap and rotor so... now what? i need a permanent fix...

thanks for the help guys

Does the shaft on the rotor have any play in it? If it does replace the whole distributer, that would cause it to do alot of the problems you are talking about especially if it is running good for a short time after the cap is removed and replaced. :icon_thumby:

 

[alpinestar]

alright im at school at the moment. i'll check it before i go anywhere today. thanks