1980 Ford Mustang 2.3l NA Cranks but no Spark (Fuel Ruled Out)

Divider · 09-07-2009

I have a 1980 Ford mustang sitting in my garage now, and It's depressing me to hell and back, my baby cranks but she don't go.

Specs:
2.3L
NA (non Turbo)
Single Barrel Carb
4 Speed German Manual (weird reverse)

Applied Replacement Parts:

Coil
Battery
Coil to distributor wire.

Situation:

It gets fuel, cause boy you can smell it and see it, throttle linkage is good, I don't believe the distributor has been replaced, I believe I just replaced the cap and rotor, but I'm not very savvy with Car Electrical works.

She will crank like no tomorrow, but no spark on the wires or plugs, The coil is getting all 12v, multimeter and test lighted.

Distributor?

GTchris · 09-07-2009

Maybe the distributor. Is it getting spark at all? If so it could just be out of timing.

Divider · 09-07-2009

No spark at all.

TOM RENZO · 09-08-2009

1980 that is the old system with the huge controll box on the fender right??? Let me know if i am right and we can go further. If its a TFI and i dont think it is. The TFI module could be shot. The early units had a big alluminum box on the fender well. Let me know.

b_chandler · 09-08-2009

Tom, that should be a Duraspark, not a Thin Film.

I'm with you though, I'll bet it's the box. It was easy to tell if they failed badly. The potting would melt out from underneath. I don't know that I ever saw a Duraspark car that didn't have remnants of ignition box potting where it was mounted.

TOM RENZO · 09-10-2009

YES YES chandler dura spark 1&2 that is the correct name all right. I am really getting old. They used to fry controll boxes all the time. Change it out and make shure you get the correct one?? Their are several different kinds. I would also change the pickup in the DIZZY cheap insurance. Good luck TOM

b_chandler · 09-10-2009

The Duraspark boxes are color coded referring to the color of the plug on the box. Sometimes it's good to know the plug color if you don't take the box with you.

Divider · 09-15-2009

Thanks guys for all the help, I talked to my dad who's a dodge tech, he was betting on the box being shot too. So I'm gonna give her a new one and go from there.