1990 Ford Bronco wont start

Tiny
DRAYMOND
  • MEMBER
  • 1990 FORD BRONCO
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • MANUAL
  • 200,000 MILES
The other day my car broke down on me and it wont start, we've been told to check the coil and the coil is fine it turns over but it wont start, whats wrong?
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 AT 8:16 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
RENAUDTN
  • MECHANIC
  • 636 POSTS
You need to determine what's missing:
Spark, fuel, compression.
Buy a can of starter fluid. Spray some into the throttle. Then crank the engine.
If car starts for a couple of seconds and stall, that means you have sparks but no fuel. If car doesn't start, you probably don't have sparks.
You can also buy a spark tester to check if you have a spark, and check the fuel pressure at the rail to find out if you have normal pressure or no/low pressure.
If you have fuel and spark, then your problem is probably a lack of compression. Is your car cranking unusually fast?
Do a compression test on each cylinder.

Once you're determine what's missing, reply back to me and we'll start from there.
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Monday, October 20th, 2008 AT 10:25 AM
Tiny
DRAYMOND
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Ive changed the spark plugs, and plug wires, and I know its getting fuel and a spark, so im pretty sure its the compression like you said, how do we check the compression
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 AT 10:58 AM
Tiny
RENAUDTN
  • MECHANIC
  • 636 POSTS
Okay, so you know you have spark (I assume you used a spark plug tester)and your fuel pressure is okay (I assume you did a fuel pressure test).
You could still have somethig wrong with your fuel injectors (clogged, or no pulse).

Before you do a compression test, check your timing belt. If it's broken (and it's a strong possibility), there you have your problem.
To do a compression test, you need a compression tester. You need to remove a spark plug, hook up your tester, disable your fuel system/ignition coil, and then have someone crank the engine while you check the compression. Don't crank the engine for too long otherwise you will burn your starter.
Do that for each cylinder. You should find about the same compression for each of them (no more than 10% difference in readings). If you have low compression in one cylinder you probably have a burn exhaust valve or a worn ring (if it turns out to be the case, I'll tell you how to determine which one it is). If two cylinders have low readings, that would indicate a leaky/blown headgasket.
If all the cylinders have low compression, your cylinders and rings are worn out and you need an engine overhaul. You could also have a broken camshaft.

Finally, you could also have a big vacuum leak. We can talk about that more if fuel/spark/compression check out good.
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Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 AT 2:23 PM
Tiny
TRAVIS650D
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Try replacing the ignition control module. Its bolted to the distibutor. Ive also read some are attached to the inner fender.
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Saturday, January 17th, 2009 AT 12:15 PM

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