My wifes 89 RS died on her on Friday.On a bridge!We got it towed home, now I'm trying to troubleshoot it.It is an 89 RS with a 2.8L.It turns over but won't start.I tried testing for spark by pulling off a spark plug lead and holding it to a ground but no spark.I used a nail to extend the conducter because of the rubber boot but still no spark.When I turn the key to the ON position I can hear the fuel pump go on for a few secs then turn off,so I know that works,although I don't know the pressure.BTW the fuel pump,fuel filter,spark plugs,cap and rotor were all replaced within 3 years.I know anything could happen but just thought I'd mention it.Where do I go from here besides the repair shop?

 

check to make sure there is 12 volts to dizzy/coil if so u have a bad ignition module. it costs about 30$'s and u can replace it without taking the dizzy out of the car

 

By "dizzy" I assume you mean distributor?And is the ignition module under the dizzy cap?

 

yes

 

Could be as simple as a broken rotor under the distributor, maybe build up on the cap.

Bad coil, bad coil wire, fouled plug, bad plug wires. Maybe you picked the 1 plug that has a bad wire.

A better way to test for spark is use a new plug, stick that plug into the boot and hold the ground electrode to a metal part on the engine. Have your wife crank it and watch for a spark.

Using the nail method is a good way to shock the bejesus out of yourself if it does happen to fire up You'll know right away when it happens though LOL. Also its difficult to get the gap small enough to actually make the spark happen that way. Its gotta be like 1 mm from ground to actually spark.

Ignition module is a little bit further down than just under the cap, you gotta take off the rotor first. Its a (usually) black crescent moon shaped dealie with a connector on it. You'll need to put dielectric grease on the underside if you take it up (even if you put it right back in.)

 

I checked the coil with a multimeter and got readings of 0,8 and no reading.That did'nt jive with what the Haynes manual says.It says it should be 0,very high and infinite.So went and picked up a new coil and got readings of 0,11 and again no reading.Am I doing something wrong?I am measuring according to the diagram in the manual.

 

That all depends on how your testing, (from what terminal to what terminal.) On a coil your primary should generally have a lower resistance than your secondary, primary very near 0 ohms (like 0.5-20 ohms), secondary can be up to a few kohms.

I don't know how your testing it so I couldn't tell you if its correct or not. It won't hurt anything to plug in the new coil just to see. It probably needs it anyways.

Believe it or not autozone.com has a nice set of "repair guides" that are pretty good for stuff like this, their ignition coil test is pretty in depth. I think a faster way is to just plug it in and see.

 

The primary resistance readings on both coils were 0.The secondary readings on the old coil was 8 and on the new coil was 11.The coil windings reading did'nt seem to work on either of them.I'd hate to waste $50 if I don't have to.

 

Nods, with that resistance I don't see a problem with the old coil. What usually happens is the primary or secondary OPENS and you get infinite ohms across those coils.

Just as an aside, I do believe there is a fuse for the ignition system in the fuse panel you can check. Is the cap and rotor still in one piece?

 

The fuse is good.The cap and rotor look alright.The contacts in the cap are a little corroded so I think I'll switch that anyway.I also think I'll take out the ignition module and have it tested.Thanks for the help.

 

replace the ign module i had the same problem when i bought my 89 rs, dam thing only cost 15-30 bucks, coils like never go bad, if the fuse blew u have other problems, and if its not the ign module u have a broken wire somewere

 

Did all the tests and turns out it was the ICM.Fired up right away.Nobody around here could test the old one.Thanks guys.