My 2.8 is acting up again. There is a spark and the engine spins but won't fire up. It smells badly of petrol if I run the starter too long. The plugs get wet so fuel is getting through. I've just gotten another MAF so it's not that.
Can anyone tell me if I can test the imobiliser and where the Ignition Control Module is?
Or should I look elsewhere? It's been off the road for a month now and I can't stand it much longer.
Cheers

 

88 doesn't have VATS, if that's what you're asking, which controls the starter solenoid so the engine can't even crank. Your best bet is to pull the module, which is the big black thing bolted to the plate at the bottom of the distributor (under the rotor), and have it tested. I'll bet it's fried.

Either that, or you have a bad cap/rotor, plug wires, or a bad coil, but my best bet is that your module is fried.

 

have you check for spark yet? the whole screw driver at the end of the plug wirre bit???

 

Cap. rotor etc were all changed last year when I had other problems with this.
I did pull a plug out and saw that I had a spark.
I'm confused as if I have a spark and fuel then how come it won't spark? The engine is spinning freely, the starter has been changed too.
I did have to drive over some rather large speed hunps recently, very slowly, but about an hour after that it simply cut out whilst driving. Not good as you can guess.
I'll have a look for that black box and see if I can get at it.

 

what is fuel pressure? just trying to check things off.

fule, air, spark: needed to run the engine.

 

Here's a rule of thumb when dealing with electronic fuel injection: No spark, no squirt. Meaning, if your ECM doesn't know the engine is turning over (bad pickup coil, ignition module, or the crank and cam sensors on newer cars), you won't get any fuel injection. However, your plugs are wet, meaning your ECM is (or may be) getting a signal.
Wet plugs means no (or very weak) spark, so I would start with some problem with the secondary ignition system (cap/rotor, coil, wires, plugs themselves). However, you could also have a bad module, which is most often the case with the HEI distributor-type electronic ignition system, which is why most guys I know carry spare modules in their glove boxes. You're looking for a bright white spark. Anything but isn't good, especially if it's intermittent.

 

Thanks guys. I've had another look. The spark is very weak and the plugs are still getting wet. So that'll be that ignition module then. Is that under the distributor? Nice and easy to get too! I might change the cap and rotor too as they were a little burnt on the contacts. How long does a cap normally last??

 

No, no, no. Just to save you some pennies, your ignition module is good, but it won't hurt to have it tested anyways. I'd look at your wireset, plugs, and coil before I did anything else. Is the coil all rusted to crap? If it is, get a new one and clean up the bracket before you install it. If you have a volt-ohm meter, test your wires. Your wires should have no more than 20,000 ohms of resistance, or 10,000 per foot. It sounds as though you have a resistance problem somewhere that is killing your spark.

 

Changed the cap, rotor and ICM, not that costly, but it turns out it was the coil. Pop rivited in place so lovely to get out. However, done now.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys. It was a great help. cheers.