Good advice, I don't care that you didn't show how to remove the distributor or how to take out the gear, I think it's a very well done video.Thank you
I want to add that youre supposed to take notice of how the distributor drive gear is oriented on the shaft if that was a factory OEM distributor..The gear has 15 teeth which makes it approximately 24 degrees a tooth...If the distributor drive gear is installed 180 degrees out when installed it will result in the distributor rotor being set 12 degrees off which will result in hard to get a dead-on to #1 when using the ford 30 degree module placement and centerline chart as proper distributor location referrence..When you buy an aftermarket distributor its good to match the gears orientation as I bought a distributor from Autozone and the gears didnt totally line up 100%...I put it in anyways and the truck always labored to start when hot and when I backed off the timing to eliminate the hard start condition and the truck became powerless..I pulled the distributor and reclocked the drive gear as per the OEM distributor and everything worked correctly..............No more hardtime to set the dist on #1 exactly and get a good rotation to time the engine set in engine as per schematic issues , no more hard start issues when truck was warm or heavy fuel smell coming from the exhaust when its running plus when running more than 12 degrees of advance theres no more pinging issues either and I always run 93 octane fuel in my junk...
I also had that thought but then again, you can rotate the distributor by hand when you adjust the timing and make up for that mentioned offset in the gear teeth if you didn't fit it 100% like factory fit.
Ben, Hello. Why did you not show how to remove the distributor gear and bushing? This is what is hanging me up and has caused the most problems for me.
John Drazba ,hi John, I had to go to a buddies house to use his press. You will need a hydraulic press. Or you may be able to get a puller from the auto part store to do it. Mine was so frozen on, the puller wouldn't work. Sorry I couldn't film at my friends place.
Ben, Hello again. Thank you very much for the reply. I understand you need a puller or better yet, a press to remove the gear. However, the initial reason I also made the comment for was the thrust collar above the gear. I removed the pin, but mine is really stuck on there. It looks like a very soft material and I am afraid I am going to damage it. Worse yet, I can not find anyplace that sells the thrust collar/endplay bushing. Any comments/thoughts/advice from you would be appreciated. Thank you, Ben.
So if the pickup is bad would that make the ignition coil go bad and if not knowing the pickup was bad and just replace the ignition coil would it keep blowing the ignition coils. I get power to the plug to the ignition coil. But no spark from the coil. I have replaced 3.
I don’t think so, the pick up coil is more of a timing device. Doesn’t cause the spark, just helps regulate which ones spark. Double checking, your not talking about the ignition module are you? The ignition coil has a spark plug wire tuning from it to the distributor- but the ignition module has a wire bus with multiple wires hooking into it from the ECU. Their are some defective ignition modules being sold at the parts stores for F150
@@benthompson8450 I have a 1990 ford Taurus wagon with a 3.0. I drove the car home 5 or 6 days ago parked it and when I went out 3 days ago and it wouldn’t start like it had no spark. I have replaced the ignition coil twice. Not tried it a third time cause someone said it the pickup was bad then it would fry the ignition coil. I checked the wires to the coil and it has juice. I checked the coil once Wires were plugged back in and no spark. To distributor
In my experiment with a pick up coil. When it’s bad the vehicle will run but it will run out of timing. If the motor is turning over and no spark is in your distributor. I would think it’s the ignition module. It’s ussually located attached to the distributor in 80s fords but on a 90s it’s probably on the fender well somewhere.
Yes because when no signal comes off the distributor, the ignition control module will not command the coil to fire the spark plugs (whether efi or carb) and the ecu will not pulse the injectors either for efi applications if no "profile ignition pickup" signal occurs.
I have a 93 with the 5.0 and we replaced ours this weekend. It ended up not being the reason we weren't getting fire so we replaced the coil and the PIP as well. Now we have fire while the starter is engaged but as soon as I let do of the key she dies. Any ideas what's wrong? Seems like something didn't go back together right but everything is plug and play.
Same problem here with 95 GT. I checked the TPS and IAC, they were fine. I'm going to pull out the SPOUT connector to verify. Fuel pressure is good. What was the problem with yours? Was it the ignition module? Coil?
NAPA here in town offers the complete distributor for $79 dollars. I am hesitant to buy one that is complete for so cheap. Have you heard anything about these?
Ben Thompson hopefully you don't mind if I bug you for a bit...this bronco sat for many years & I got it running after putting gas in it & jumping the fuel pump. It ran perfectly and idled fine for about 15 mins. When I moved it, it shut off & hasn't ran since, even with all of those new parts. Im thinking either the computer or some anti-theft system that I don't know about since I had to punch the ignition out to start it?
I have a ‘90 F150 XLT Lariat 5.0L EFI that’s problems have outlasted my mechanical knowledge. With that being said I have put new plugs, plug wires, ignition coil, distributor cap, rotor, ignition control module, throttle body position sensor, idle air control valve, fuel filter, new battery and front tank fuel pump (rear tank was removed for some reason before I acquired the truck). My problem is that after being driven 15 or 20 miles the truck just dies but will start back up once in neutral, switch turned off then cranked again. Not to sure what else it could be. I have bought a new distributor but truck does seem to like it and would not start. so I swapped the distributor cap, rotor from new to the original and it’s runs better than it has since I got it all besides the random engine dying out. Any recommendations on what the issue might be? Any information would be greatly appreciated
Many videos available on TH-cam on how to remove a ford distributor and reinstall. I made these because ,at the time, I didn’t find any on replacing the pick up coil. Hope it helps
Replace the distributor. Trying to remove the distributor gear can damage the distributor. A power-steering pump pulley remover can work. To install, use a socket. But lining up the gear hole is awkward. Best to replace the distributor. The shaft has wear. It'll throw off the timing.
Carl Williams its an individual call really. Mine original works great.Those “cheap” $160 distributors are junk. Be sure to get a nice $400 one. And hey might as well pay a mechanic $500 to install it and fo the timing for you.
@@benthompson8450 I got a new distributor for my car from EBAY for a 6 cyl. car. I haven't installed it. I tried removing the gear and it damaged the bottom of the shaft. Distributor bushings get worn. Grab the shaft and the body of the distributor and try to move it back and forth. It shouldn't have play. Use a oil pump primer shaft to line up the oil pump and distributor. DON'T turn the crank. Get #1 on TDC on compression stroke on 0. Point the rotor at #1 terminal on the cap. Turn the distributor way back opposite normal rotation. Then install it. Set the timing. This can be done after miles pile up and it compensates for chain wear. It causes the crank to have to turn less to fire #1. That causes an increase in power! If the chain jumps, wherever the rotor points, designate that as #1. Run that wire to #1. Then following the firing order, rotation of the rotor, and cylinder arrangement, reroute the wires if they reach. Get another set of wires so they'll reach. Wire connectors at the plug come off and end up on the plug tip. Then you need a wire. Use dielectric grease on the wire boots. Check cylinder balance by pulling wires off one at a time to check RPM drop. Pull them off at the cap. Use a timing light to check for consistent spark at each wire.
Can sume out there help me i have a 95 ford f150 that has a new fule pump in it and a plugs and new cole and will trun over and has spark but will not run
remove gear by driving roll pins out ,must use press ,to press of gear ,it is on there tight use heat ,same for reinstal this is a job for exp .mech good luck thank you mr Ford/
You just ruined my week BRO! Last thing I wanted to do in my old shit box 83 f150 was pull my dist. in the driveway when its 90 degrees out. My shit box has an intermittent no spark on start up. She was a very dependable starter and then boom most times it just cranks and wont start up. No spark at plug but coil is hot. So LAME! Cant wait to sell this TURD!
Thank you for this video! Why did Ford design the distributor to be such a pain in the butt? What happened to simple points? Electronics....phooy! A top of this a pain in the butt drive gear to remove? Thanks for the video. I was going to attempt to replace the coil pick up inside the distributor; I just might rethink this job now and just purchase a new distributor. I already replaced the ICM, cap rotor...darn. Still thank you for your video. Electronics suck. Points and condenser so much easier to replace.
Byron Harano that in particular year is a hodgepodge of stuff too. I think Ford was using up their old supply of parts before going fuel injection and full cpu. Come on - thottle body injected? Why would anyone choose that over a carburetor. Gues it just sounded cool- thottle body “injection”. Still those engines are tough.
@@ceetwarrior my 1993 Ford F-150 has throttle body injection. Not sure why Ford did this. It sucks. Fuel injection for all F150s soon followed. Sorry my last comment may have been to general.
@@benthompson8450 that's not original then. Ford trucks except for the 460 had multi port EFI since late 80's. I've owned every single OBS Ford truck except for a lightning. I've owned many, 4.9, 5.0, 5.8, 7.5 7.3, longbed, short, ,ex cab, crew cabs, std cabs, 2x4, 4x4, manual, autos, bronco, all of them.
@@ceetwarrior look I’m know Ford historian. But this truck was purchased brand new in 1993 with less than 400 miles on it. 5.0 f150. Also I know many late 80s fords came with carburetors right out on the factory. Please don’t try to change my reality again. And what does any of this have to do with changing a bad pick up coil?
You could have made a far more useful video if you had shown how to safely remove the distributor drive gear! Removing the distributor drive gear is the difficult part, everything else is easy. I personally removed my drive gear using a 3 leg jaw puller. But it was very difficult and I was very careful not to damage a tooth on the gear. I remove and readjusted the jaw puller nearly a dozen times, tightened a little, removed again, realigned and tightened, remove again and realign the jaw puller. For me luckily it worked out well, and without damage. Once the drive gear moves about 1.5 inches its a piece of cake.
Jurek Ogórek why was it so dangerous? Because you used a puller instead of a press as I recomended? Did you make your own video to improve on mine? You could have shown everyone why a puller was the dangerous way to go.
@@benthompson8450 I have no idea what the you're talking about when you say "why was it so dangerous?" Perhaps you have reading comprehension issues along with making worthless videos. In either case the video sucked. Total waste of time. Glad I got to down vote the video.
$20 more? Where would you buy such a cheap distributor? Also youll have to reset your timing most likley. Ive never seen two distributors hold the same timing. Wow $40 distributor huh? Wonder how long that would last? $500 more and you can just have a mechanic do it all for you.
it seems a lot of cheap rebuilt distributors are rebuilt by just checking the original pick up coil and not replacing it leading to problems mere weeks after replacement....
Ben Thompson just a observation and question as I’m by no means a mechanic but what I’m seeing is they are they are like $40 bucks, and don’t you need to reset timing this way as well? I mean you pulled the full distributor so you’ll have to hope your guide marks are perfect during reinstall but even so that’s going to need double checking with a timing light right?
Only person on youtube that thoroughly explained how to remove the center piece"
Glad it helped
Good advice, I don't care that you didn't show how to remove the distributor or how to take out the gear, I think it's a very well done video.Thank you
Got a 93 cougar with a 3.8 I need to do this to . Thanks for making this video
I want to add that youre supposed to take notice of how the distributor drive gear is oriented on the shaft if that was a factory OEM distributor..The gear has 15 teeth which makes it approximately 24 degrees a tooth...If the distributor drive gear is installed 180 degrees out when installed it will result in the distributor rotor being set 12 degrees off which will result in hard to get a dead-on to #1 when using the ford 30 degree module placement and centerline chart as proper distributor location referrence..When you buy an aftermarket distributor its good to match the gears orientation as I bought a distributor from Autozone and the gears didnt totally line up 100%...I put it in anyways and the truck always labored to start when hot and when I backed off the timing to eliminate the hard start condition and the truck became powerless..I pulled the distributor and reclocked the drive gear as per the OEM distributor and everything worked correctly..............No more hardtime to set the dist on #1 exactly and get a good rotation to time the engine set in engine as per schematic issues , no more hard start issues when truck was warm or heavy fuel smell coming from the exhaust when its running plus when running more than 12 degrees of advance theres no more pinging issues either and I always run 93 octane fuel in my junk...
I also had that thought but then again, you can rotate the distributor by hand when you adjust the timing and make up for that mentioned offset in the gear teeth if you didn't fit it 100% like factory fit.
Ben,
Hello. Why did you not show how to remove the distributor gear and bushing? This is what is hanging me up and has caused the most problems for me.
John Drazba ,hi John, I had to go to a buddies house to use his press. You will need a hydraulic press. Or you may be able to get a puller from the auto part store to do it. Mine was so frozen on, the puller wouldn't work. Sorry I couldn't film at my friends place.
Ben,
Hello again. Thank you very much for the reply. I understand you need a puller or better yet, a press to remove the gear. However, the initial reason I also made the comment for was the thrust collar above the gear. I removed the pin, but mine is really stuck on there. It looks like a very soft material and I am afraid I am going to damage it. Worse yet, I can not find anyplace that sells the thrust collar/endplay bushing. Any comments/thoughts/advice from you would be appreciated. Thank you, Ben.
To remove it from the car do I have to mark the engine timing?
So if the pickup is bad would that make the ignition coil go bad and if not knowing the pickup was bad and just replace the ignition coil would it keep blowing the ignition coils. I get power to the plug to the ignition coil. But no spark from the coil. I have replaced 3.
I don’t think so, the pick up coil is more of a timing device. Doesn’t cause the spark, just helps regulate which ones spark.
Double checking, your not talking about the ignition module are you?
The ignition coil has a spark plug wire tuning from it to the distributor- but the ignition module has a wire bus with multiple wires hooking into it from the ECU.
Their are some defective ignition modules being sold at the parts stores for F150
@@benthompson8450 I have a 1990 ford Taurus wagon with a 3.0. I drove the car home 5 or 6 days ago parked it and when I went out 3 days ago and it wouldn’t start like it had no spark. I have replaced the ignition coil twice. Not tried it a third time cause someone said it the pickup was bad then it would fry the ignition coil. I checked the wires to the coil and it has juice. I checked the coil once Wires were plugged back in and no spark. To distributor
In my experiment with a pick up coil. When it’s bad the vehicle will run but it will run out of timing. If the motor is turning over and no spark is in your distributor. I would think it’s the ignition module. It’s ussually located attached to the distributor in 80s fords but on a 90s it’s probably on the fender well somewhere.
@@benthompson8450 ok what about a starter relay cause it is a ford it has one close to the battery
My distributor doesn't have a top plate over the pick up coil
would a pickup coil causes a no spark to the spark plugs wires even though u have spark from the ignition coil ?
Yes because when no signal comes off the distributor, the ignition control module will not command the coil to fire the spark plugs (whether efi or carb) and the ecu will not pulse the injectors either for efi applications if no "profile ignition pickup" signal occurs.
Thexton may have a distributor gear tool. OTC may have it. A power steering pump pulley puller will work.
I have a 93 with the 5.0 and we replaced ours this weekend. It ended up not being the reason we weren't getting fire so we replaced the coil and the PIP as well. Now we have fire while the starter is engaged but as soon as I let do of the key she dies. Any ideas what's wrong? Seems like something didn't go back together right but everything is plug and play.
Same problem here with 95 GT. I checked the TPS and IAC, they were fine. I'm going to pull out the SPOUT connector to verify. Fuel pressure is good. What was the problem with yours? Was it the ignition module? Coil?
NAPA here in town offers the complete distributor for $79 dollars. I am hesitant to buy one that is complete for so cheap. Have you heard anything about these?
Thehoelogdog no, but that sure is cheap, hard to believe it has any quality. I always prefer repairing a factory part if i can.
Mine seems to be squeaking a lot. Could one technically take out that rod and squirt WD40 in to it?
I replaced my cap, rotor, coil, ignition module, plugs & wires on my '92 Bronco 351 & I still have no spark. Is this a common culprit of no spark?
dant387 not in my experience. With a bad pickup coil, truck runs but with an inconsistent misfiring
Ben Thompson hopefully you don't mind if I bug you for a bit...this bronco sat for many years & I got it running after putting gas in it & jumping the fuel pump. It ran perfectly and idled fine for about 15 mins. When I moved it, it shut off & hasn't ran since, even with all of those new parts. Im thinking either the computer or some anti-theft system that I don't know about since I had to punch the ignition out to start it?
dant387 why are you sure there is no spark? How did you rest that?
Ben Thompson I used a spark tester, one with the light in the middle of it. I got no pulse when I cranked it
dant387 where does the ignition module mount? On the distributor or on the front driver fender wall? There are two types
I have a ‘90 F150 XLT Lariat 5.0L EFI that’s problems have outlasted my mechanical knowledge. With that being said I have put new plugs, plug wires, ignition coil, distributor cap, rotor, ignition control module, throttle body position sensor, idle air control valve, fuel filter, new battery and front tank fuel pump (rear tank was removed for some reason before I acquired the truck). My problem is that after being driven 15 or 20 miles the truck just dies but will start back up once in neutral, switch turned off then cranked again. Not to sure what else it could be. I have bought a new distributor but truck does seem to like it and would not start. so I swapped the distributor cap, rotor from new to the original and it’s runs better than it has since I got it all besides the random engine dying out. Any recommendations on what the issue might be? Any information would be greatly appreciated
Just change the engine
So how do you get that out of the truck
Many videos available on TH-cam on how to remove a ford distributor and reinstall. I made these because ,at the time, I didn’t find any on replacing the pick up coil. Hope it helps
Replace the distributor. Trying to remove the distributor gear can damage the distributor. A power-steering pump pulley remover can work. To install, use a socket. But lining up the gear hole is awkward. Best to replace the distributor. The shaft has wear. It'll throw off the timing.
Carl Williams its an individual call really. Mine original works great.Those “cheap” $160 distributors are junk. Be sure to get a nice $400 one. And hey might as well pay a mechanic $500 to install it and fo the timing for you.
@@benthompson8450 I got a new distributor for my car from EBAY for a 6 cyl. car. I haven't installed it. I tried removing the gear and it damaged the bottom of the shaft. Distributor bushings get worn. Grab the shaft and the body of the distributor and try to move it back and forth. It shouldn't have play. Use a oil pump primer shaft to line up the oil pump and distributor. DON'T turn the crank. Get #1 on TDC on compression stroke on 0. Point the rotor at #1 terminal on the cap. Turn the distributor way back opposite normal rotation. Then install it. Set the timing. This can be done after miles pile up and it compensates for chain wear. It causes the crank to have to turn less to fire #1. That causes an increase in power! If the chain jumps, wherever the rotor points, designate that as #1. Run that wire to #1. Then following the firing order, rotation of the rotor, and cylinder arrangement, reroute the wires if they reach. Get another set of wires so they'll reach. Wire connectors at the plug come off and end up on the plug tip. Then you need a wire. Use dielectric grease on the wire boots. Check cylinder balance by pulling wires off one at a time to check RPM drop. Pull them off at the cap. Use a timing light to check for consistent spark at each wire.
Are call Ford distributors the same procedure. What about a 1996 4.9L in line 6?
K Stewart sorry never worked on the post 96 trucks
Can sume out there help me i have a 95 ford f150 that has a new fule pump in it and a plugs and new cole and will trun over and has spark but will not run
How did you get the gear off
mammothglint87 tap the pins out and use a press
remove gear by driving roll pins out ,must use press ,to press of gear ,it is on
there tight use heat ,same for reinstal this is a job for exp .mech good luck
thank you mr Ford/
Do the tfi have a pick coil
THANK YOU!!!!!!
You just ruined my week BRO! Last thing I wanted to do in my old shit box 83 f150 was pull my dist. in the driveway when its 90 degrees out. My shit box has an intermittent no spark on start up. She was a very dependable starter and then boom most times it just cranks and wont start up. No spark at plug but coil is hot. So LAME! Cant wait to sell this TURD!
I apologize ben, i did watch pt 1 thru 5, and i can donate something if i can.
Jaime Sustaita no problem. Hope it helped. Been through the frustratiion my self.
Thank you for this video! Why did Ford design the distributor to be such a pain in the butt? What happened to simple points? Electronics....phooy!
A top of this a pain in the butt drive gear to remove? Thanks for the video. I was going to attempt to replace the coil pick up inside the distributor; I just might rethink this job now and just purchase a new distributor. I already replaced the ICM, cap rotor...darn.
Still thank you for your video. Electronics suck. Points and condenser so much easier to replace.
Byron Harano that in particular year is a hodgepodge of stuff too. I think Ford was using up their old supply of parts before going fuel injection and full cpu. Come on - thottle body injected? Why would anyone choose that over a carburetor. Gues it just sounded cool- thottle body “injection”. Still those engines are tough.
@@benthompson8450 throttle body injection? You mean Chevy? Cause ford EFI have been multiport injection since 1986. In the mustangs.
@@ceetwarrior my 1993 Ford F-150 has throttle body injection. Not sure why Ford did this. It sucks. Fuel injection for all F150s soon followed. Sorry my last comment may have been to general.
@@benthompson8450 that's not original then. Ford trucks except for the 460 had multi port EFI since late 80's. I've owned every single OBS Ford truck except for a lightning. I've owned many, 4.9, 5.0, 5.8, 7.5 7.3, longbed, short, ,ex cab, crew cabs, std cabs, 2x4, 4x4, manual, autos, bronco, all of them.
@@ceetwarrior look I’m know Ford historian. But this truck was purchased brand new in 1993 with less than 400 miles on it. 5.0 f150. Also I know many late 80s fords came with carburetors right out on the factory. Please don’t try to change my reality again. And what does any of this have to do with changing a bad pick up coil?
You could have made a far more useful video if you had shown how to safely remove the distributor drive gear! Removing the distributor drive gear is the difficult part, everything else is easy. I personally removed my drive gear using a 3 leg jaw puller. But it was very difficult and I was very careful not to damage a tooth on the gear. I remove and readjusted the jaw puller nearly a dozen times, tightened a little, removed again, realigned and tightened, remove again and realign the jaw puller. For me luckily it worked out well, and without damage. Once the drive gear moves about 1.5 inches its a piece of cake.
Jurek Ogórek why was it so dangerous? Because you used a puller instead of a press as I recomended? Did you make your own video to improve on mine? You could have shown everyone why a puller was the dangerous way to go.
@@benthompson8450 I have no idea what the you're talking about when you say "why was it so dangerous?" Perhaps you have reading comprehension issues along with making worthless videos. In either case the video sucked. Total waste of time. Glad I got to down vote the video.
Jurek Ogórek wow, thanks. Have a nice day
$20 more replace the whole thing
$20 more? Where would you buy such a cheap distributor? Also youll have to reset your timing most likley. Ive never seen two distributors hold the same timing. Wow $40 distributor huh? Wonder how long that would last? $500 more and you can just have a mechanic do it all for you.
@@benthompson8450 well right you are. Looks as tho I greatly under researched this product. Egg on my face! 😖
it seems a lot of cheap rebuilt distributors are rebuilt by just checking the original pick up coil and not replacing it leading to problems mere weeks after replacement....
Ben Thompson just a observation and question as I’m by no means a mechanic but what I’m seeing is they are they are like $40 bucks, and don’t you need to reset timing this way as well? I mean you pulled the full distributor so you’ll have to hope your guide marks are perfect during reinstall but even so that’s going to need double checking with a timing light right?
In my experience an ad pickup coil just caused misses in the firing but the truck still ran- it just ran like crap at times and at times ran ok.
U really didnt show us how to do hommie, wassup with that
Jaime Sustaita show how to what?
How to replace the pick up coil, duh,
Jaime Sustaita did you watch part 2? Part 3? No need to show me disrespect "Homie" your not paying me. Made these vids out of kindness.
And 1 more reason I drive a Chevy.....