1996 Ford Thunderbird No Start

1996 FORD F-150
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87GP
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I have a 1996 Ford T-Bird, 3.8L with 150000mi. recently while driving on the freeway there was a loud "pop" sound followed by an exhaust leak. Turned out one of the hoses on the DPFE had blown off. It ran for about 10 more miles in this condition then lost power. I had the car towed home where it sat for a couple days. Now when I try to start it just turns over, it sounds really close to starting but will not. There is a strong gas smell, i pulled the plugs (autolite platinum) and all 6 were gas fouled. I have verified spark and there are no codes. The cats have a rattiling sound when tapped. What could be the problem and the best place to start diagnosing.

Thanks,
cwjaxon
Apr 15, 2006 at 5:59 PM
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LOSONE
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Sounds like you have a bad ignition module. It is located left of the radiator on a heat sync platform.
Apr 16, 2006 at 3:20 AM
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87GP
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Thanks for the reply losone. We still have spark, so could it still be a bad ignition module? We recently did a compression test on #4 and I'm confused, it doesn't hold pressure. The guage will go up to about 130psi then immediatley drop. it sort of goes with the pulses when turning the engine over. we tried another cylinder (#5) and same result. We haven't tried the others because the fitting we were using didn't seem to fit right, or so it seemed. But it got me thinking, is it possible the timing chain could have jumped?


Thanks
CJ
Apr 25, 2006 at 7:19 AM
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LOSONE
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Hummm thats a horse of a different color. At those miles you may be looking at a timing chain and gear. Pull no 1 plug. Rotate the engine until the TDC on the harmonic balancer is aligned with the marker. Take off the distribiter cap. the rotor shoud be pointed at #1 cyl. If not--a timing chain.
Apr 25, 2006 at 7:53 AM
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Suggested Repair

Check cam and crank timing before replacing parts. Remove the No. 1 spark plug, rotate the engine until the TDC mark on the harmonic balancer aligns with the pointer, then remove the distributor cap and confirm the rotor points at cylinder No. 1. If it does not, suspect a jumped timing chain and gears. The ignition module on the heat sink left of the radiator was also suggested, but verified spark makes the timing check the better next step.

Conversation Summary

A 1996 Ford Thunderbird 3.8L lost power after a DPFE hose blew off and now cranks but will not start. The plugs are fuel-fouled, spark is present, and there are no codes; the catalytic converters rattle. Compression readings on cylinders 4 and 5 rise to about 130 psi and then drop with each cranking pulse. An expert first suggested the ignition module, then recommended checking whether the timing chain jumped by verifying that the distributor rotor points to cylinder No. 1 at TDC.

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