no fire, no pump

Torino Cobra

Registered User
hey yall i need help! my 90 sc wont start sometimes. I got no fuel pressure and no spark. I can get pressure by jumpin the eec test to ground, but still cant get spark. Im thinkin it that darned ol ircm. can i get one from any year,and does a regular t bird have one, sc's are hard to find in the yards here. it could be my crank senser maybe? help!!
 
come on guys, i need some help! the upshift light stays on sometimes, goes off sometimes. could it be the eec relay in that ol ircm? can i jump the power wire to the eec?
 
ok thanks, u mean where the key goes? my remote start doesent work either, i think it by passes the key. is there a separate switch like my old fords?
 
There is an electrical part on the passenger side of the steering column further down. It has a habit of seperating.
 
thanks, can u see it without removing anything? I got it to start and it runs fine untill i turn it off, then it wouldnt start back. I will check that switch in the morning and let u know!
 
no spark!!

ok, changed switch, but still no spark! fuel pump seems to be working now. occaisionaly the engine starts right up, and runs fine. when you turn it off it may or may not start right back up, mostly not. i pulled the codes and the system passes koeo and koer. this is gettin old. im just gonna staRT DRIVIN MY TORINO COBRA again. at least i can tell whats wrong with it when it wont start. help guys!! if the crank sensor was bad it would throw a code, right? same for the DIS module? could the eec not be gettin power from the ircm? what would be the symptoms of no power to the eec? HELP PLEASE!
 
Did you check all the fueses in the black fuse box under the hood next to the battery? The Ignition fuse, or coil fuse would be a no start with no fuel pump situation. Now that it's running sometimes, that makes it wierd. Like a loose wire or partial connection somewhere.
 
When it dies, is the fuel pump still running? Try using a jumper across the fuel pump relay and see if the dying problem continues. If it is solved, you may have a bad relay.
 
ok guys, i am 46 years old and have been drivin and buildin fords for 30 years, of course i checked the fuses. I also said that i jumped the eec test connector to run the fuel pump. its not the cam sensor as it would crank and run about every third time u tried to start it. it will start up fine a few times in a row then not start for days. I have no tach when it runs, the upshift light stays on some time when turning it over, and goes off other times when turing it over. i swapped in a different dis, changed the ignition switch, and pulled the codes, which was 11. this is an intermitant problem that is more no start than start. I want to know if the crank sensor could be intermitant, and could the eec not be getting power? HELP!!!!!
 
No tach and upshift light while cranking, and your hard starting issues point to the cam sensor. That was my next suggestion after checking the ignition switch.
 
its not the cam sensor as it would crank and run about every third time u tried to start it. it will start up fine a few times in a row then not start for days. I have no tach when it runs,

This is most likely a bad cam sensor....the computer WILL start the car on about every 3rd time IF you have a bad cam sensor due to the way the EEC fires the injectors/ provides spark. Not having a tach signal also points to a cam sensor.
 
Well, I thought that the upshift light staying on was more likely due to a bad crank sensor than a bad cam sensor.

Also, the no tach could be related to the ignition module. Mine used to die randomly, and the tach would malfunction at the same time. I had a code for a coil pack failure, but it was really the DIS ignition module.
 
ok thanks guys! it def does not start every third time so i dont think its the cam sensor, some times it wont fire up evan if i try it dozens of times. i got a 74 code today, "brake on /off circuit open, not on during test" could this be it? Im not sure what this code means, I have never had to put on the brake to start the car before. and it doesent help to put my foot on the brake now. i already tried the DIS module from my 91, still no start. im gonna try the crank sensor from the 91, if i cant find one at the junk yards tommorow. would the crank sensor throw a code if it was not working? please someone answer this last question about the CPS failure giving a code.i dont see a code for crank sensor in my book. and if anyone knows what a "74" code is about, please clue me in.
 
The code 74 is not the problem. If you run a EEC self-test, there is a point at which you are supposed to do a few actions (step on the brake, goose the throttle, etc.). If you don't do them, it will set a code just to let you know that that portion of the test was not performed. So I wouldn't worry about code 74.
 
this might sound really dumb but did you ever look at the spark plug and make sure they were not toasted? I just go from the easy stuff to the hard stuff and if it was the fuel pump.... turn the car to the on position and if you dont hear a buzz and a click noise then your pump might be going out ... then again another easy way is just to take a air gauge and push down the valve core on the fuel rail under the hood...

Hope it helps man all else fails drop it off at the nearest shop
 
Crank sensor has never thrown a code in the 3 times I've had to replace them in my SC's.

Upshift light, usually crank sensor. No tach is usually DIS or Cam sensor.

How far do you drive the car? Usually a bad cranksensor will make it where the car will run fine for a while, then it will just stall. You won't be able to restart it for 15-30 minutes no matter how many times you crank it over. Once it cools down it will start back up.

I had problems of stalling, randomly losing tach, and random rough running (like it was losing spark to multiple cylinders).

I changed the cam sensor, crank sensor, and DIS module. Cost a little over $200 for all the parts new (not from a dealer, I got at Auto Zone).

Car fired right up and ran great after that.

The crank sensor is a pain in the ~~~ to change out. I have a BHJ balancer and I don't have the plastic splash guards around the balancer. I am able to change the crank sensor from beneath with a small 5.5mm Craftsman ignition wrench. Takes about 2 hours because you can only turn the screws a little bit at a time but it can be done. I did it in a driveway of a fellow SC owner in VA when I was on leave to pick up my car and had no tools.

Cam sensor is easy once you take the SC belt off and out of the way. I think it's 2 11mm bolts holding it down.

I want to say the Cam Sensor was around $37.00 and the Crank Sensor was like $75. I think I paid $110 or so for the DIS.
 
ok, changed the switch, crank sensor, dis module, all to no avail! But the thing finally threw a 19 code, bad CID input, then I installed a cam sensor and it runs fine now! thanks for all the help guys!!
 
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