raised up the dis with computer heatsinks, now hard to start and no tach

beedogg91

Registered User
hey guys i put two computer heatsinks under my dis and then put the artic silver stuff on between. i bought 50mm screws so it raised it up enough to fit the heatsinks under the module. i grounded the module from the top left screw. this alows it to start once and a while but not all the time, and my tach is not working at all. any input??? thanx brian
 
The grounds are in the lower two holes. The ones closest to the front of the car.

Intermittant start is usually a sign of a bad CAM sensor. But re-ground that thing and try again.


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well i checked the grounds they are fine. i got the car to start, and it drove fine, but when i got home it wouldnt re start. still no tach. would the cam sensor cause a tach signal loss?
 
beedogg91 said:
it wouldnt re start. still no tach. would the cam sensor cause a tach signal loss?
Yes. It could cause no-start and loss of tach signal, but problem could still be with the DIS. You might try to pull codes to see if there's any hints from the EEC.
 
the symptoms i was trying to fix buy keeping the dis cooler was that the car stubles and hesitates when it is on long trips. the dis is a crappy autozone one that i have replaced two times thinking that everytime i get a bad one, no one around here can test them. even if i an keep this one cool from the heatsinks i made, it might have already burned out. i guess ill pick up a cam sensor. as for the dis should i just sac it up and buy the ford one or should i just get another free one from autozone? this loss of tach only cam after i did this mod to the dis. but i checked and the dis is deffinetly grounded.
 
I don't know the track history of the Autozone DISs. But, you probably know that Azone doesn't actually make parts, just takes bids from and then buys bulk lots from suppliers. So an Azone DIS might actually be made by Wells or Borg-Warner, or some other company at any given time. This is one of the reasons that Azone has a reputation as a low grade or marginal quality parts provider.

I suspect that if you have a cheap one from there, then it might be the problem. If you have an old one that was working sort of OK, you might try using it to see if the problem goes away at least temporarily.

IMO, heat extraction is not the biggest reason for DIS failures. It certainly doesn't hurt and can only help extend the life of the part, but the OEM part can go for years w/o a problem in the stock location on the A/C bracket.

Do you know the brand(s) of your Azone DISs so that we can avoid buying them?
 
beedogg91 said:
i guess ill pick up a cam sensor.

Why on earth would you just go and get a cam sensor?

You need to calm down, work the problem, and quit changing things. Thousands of SC cars did just fine with the DIS mounted like it was for many years. If you're having a problem, simply adding a heat sink isn't going to remove the problem.

If the DIS is getting too hot, look at why it's getting too hot. Don't try and just make it cooler. That's like putting ice on a light bulb to cool it down when all you had to do was turn the light off and wait a minute.
 
Check your plug gap on ALL the plugs. Also, what voltage is your alternator putting out?
 
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