89 GT with no spark from the coil???

[2point3turbo]

I have searched this forum and didn't really find any helpful answers. I have a 1.9 GT that turns over fine but wont get spark from the coil. The timing belt is fine and marks lined up. Where do I go from here? Haynes manual not so helpful at this point. I have power to both wires to the coil when ignition is on and I have traded out coils but still no spark.

[2point3turbo]

It was the ignition module!!!! Hope this helps others out since nobody had the answer on any other forum. There was a few people who suggested the ignition module but no real answer was given. And by the way... a 2.3 ignition module is the same as the 1.9.

[iward]

Where is the ignition module located? Is it also called the EDIS?

[jonmark1985]

Originally Posted by iward

Where is the ignition module located? Is it also called the EDIS?

Could you give us some background on your Escort? What year, motor, and transmission it is?

[2point3turbo]

87, 1.9HO, 5 speed. Its the module that is on the distributor, it is also called the TFI. It sends a signal to the coil to produce the spark. I hope this helps others to not waste 2hrs tracing wiring down and figure out something this simple to replace. $35 and your back on the road.

[2point3turbo]

I thought it was the 89 but its the 87. I have two so when I wrote this up I thought it was the 89 I was working on. O'well... all the same anyway.

[UnexplodedCow]

Not to resurrect an old thread, but to all the old model owners out there, there have been known problems with the TFI. It was prone to overheating and causing a no spark situation because it was located on the distributor. A common modification from other Escort owners I've conversed with is to find a remote mounted module (typically from an 86 or 88 3.8 Cougar that mounts on the radiator), and run the wiring to it. I personally have a slot 1 computer heatsink on mine, with it mounted to the shock tower, and made a 3 wire harness to run to the PIP module (inside the distributor).

Also, Ford has known about this for quite a while. Here are a couple links regarding the infamous TFI module, and all the cars it affected. And EDIS wasn't in an Escort until the '91 model year, when it went to a Mazda design. I also included a link to how to troubleshoot a TFI module. It applies to all cars with it, even though it says Bronco.

COOL*CATS ::*Tech Center: Troubleshooting: TFI Module Failure
The Center for Auto Safety

Troubleshooting:
Ford Ranger/Bronco II TFI Ignition Diagnostics