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i have no spark

Car: Mercury, Capri, 1991, 1.6     -    Back to Fix-It

Q.i have a 91 mercury capri with a 2.4. i have no spark. i replaced the coil and the ignition control module.

I already checked/done: igniton control module, ignition coil.

More Info required There appears to be some conflicting information from what I have.. The only engine available in the 1991 Mercury Capri is a 1.6L, and there are turbo and non-turbo versions.
But, I am in American market. Is it possible that your car is not manufactured for use in America?

Addition It does have a 1.6 i'm sorry i typed it wrong. It also is non turbo.

More Info required One thing that comes to mind is.. how did the problem come about?
I mean, did it die on you and not crank back up, or did it just not start one morning?

Addition it just died and hasn't started since.

Answer And it doesn't have spark.. Hmmm.
This engine has a timing belt.. and it is possible that it could have messed up on you, from the circumstances, so go ahead and take off the distrubutor cap, and try to crank the engine..
Does the igntion rotor turn while the engine is being cranked??

Addition I tried that and it turns.

Answer OK, Good news..
Now we need to know if there is pulse to the injectors. I'm going to assume you don't have any special tools for this, so..You can use a screwdriver, and put it to one of the injectors, and put your ear to the handle.. and you should be able to hear/feel it 'tick' while the engine is being cranked.
This will decide if we look into the control system, or the ignition system.

Addition It doesn't seem to me that they are. I couldn't hear anything ticking. I know it is getting fuel to the fuel rail but not sure about the injectors.

Answer No spark and no injector pulse.. correct?
You say there is also fuel pressure, so that rules out a few things.
OK.. Power across the ignition coil should be good That is from the lower part of the diagram.. It should have power with the key on.
The upper part goes to the distributor (it should pulse as the engine is being cranked).
You can use a testlight for this.

Addition it does have power to the y/black wire with the key on, but the bk/w wire does not pulse when the engine is cranked over.

Answer OK.. that brings us a little closer, then..
There is a fuse to check, also..

Addition fuse is good.

Answer OK.. and there is power to it, correct? Porbably so..
Another possibility, though is a bad spot in the ignition system's circuit in and from the main relay.
That brings us to the control module, the ignition module.. or the wiring that connects them.. In the diagram is the pin numbers of the wires on the computer.
I wasn;;t trying to avoid you.. I was looking for a diagram of the connector that would show which is hots and grounds, etc.. but there isn't anything like that available for this vehicle.. So you will have to 'play it by ear' with the test light, and inspect the wiring very closely making sure there is no damaged spots, or loose connectors, etc..

Addition so you are thinking its the wiring to the ignition control module.

Answer Either that or the computer.
There is also a possibility that the ignition system circuit from the main relay is malfunctioning.. .which I have also looked for and there are no pictures of.
There just isn't very much info available on this vehicle.

Addition there is power and ground to the control module and there is a 5 volt reference there also.

More Info required Same thing at the distributor?

Addition yes same at the distributor.

Answer OK.. Also check the 15 amp engine fuse.. That is the BK/W wire at the distributor, it should have 12 volts.
The Y/BL wire should be the one that pulses.. at the distributor.

Addition bk/w wire has 12 volts but the y/bl is grounded with the key off and doesn't do anything when you crank it over.

Answer Looks like you have a brand new bad ignition module, then.. .
It is getting power, and not putting out any signal.

Addition k thanks i will let you know if works or not.

Answer You should have it tested to verify, though.. they can do it at the auto parts store.
I tried to find a pickup coil, but I can't find any information on any of that stuff on this engine, but that would cause it, also. Usually the test for something like that is replace with a known good one, but it often requires completely disassembling the distributor to change, and most people just change the distributor in this case.

Addition that ignition control module was good i had it checked. How about a cam or crank sensor would that do this?

Answer Cam/crank sensor is triggered by the wheel inside the distributor.. that is being pulled off:

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