truck dieing problems

2 questions and opinions;
1988 f250 302
1. all of a sudden the thing is running better than ever then just over the past few days she has been wanting to shut down on me after the engine is warm/hot but only does it when im sitting still for a few mins and does not want to fire back up for a bit. changed the pumps back sept. 2010 just replaced coil and pump relay and another relay right by the pump. SOME ONE SAID MAYBE THE IGNITION MODULE (209K ON ORIGINAL ENGINE)

any help be great

2. Just picked up a core 302 H.O. i know it will bolt right in to the truck just dont know what ill have to replace during the conversion it came out of a 1988 Mark VII LSC the same engine as the Mustang i know i got to use my intake and possibly oil pan but not sure what else other than the front end of the engine

any help be great

thanks for any advice in advance

Your dieing problem is most likely the stator inside the distributor. You have to remove the distributor from the engine and disassemble it to replace the stator. You could install a rebuilt distributor, but a lot of them are junk, ie a bad stator just like you probably have now.

There is a slight possibility your ignition module is causing your problem. But nearly all the time when the ignition module goes dead it's dead, and doesn't come back alive and allow the engine to restart.

You said just replaced coil. I assume you meant the ignition coil? That is another thing that could cause the problem you're having. Good luck fixing your problem.

Those year trucks don't have a replaceable stator as they did in the old days of rebuilding a distributor with points style ignition. It is common for the TFI module that is bolted to the side of the distributor to go bad especially is subject to heat, I've seen this issue a dozen times in the past.

Those year trucks don't have a replaceable stator as they did in the old days of rebuilding a distributor with points style ignition. It is common for the TFI module that is bolted to the side of the distributor to go bad especially is subject to heat, I've seen this issue a dozen times in the past.

it was the ignition control module that bolts the to distributor found out when i pored any liquid fluid such as water on it, it started right back up guess it was time after 209k original miles on it

I just posted a message about the distributor mounted TFI module in the Ford Escort section the other day. My first module would allow the car to start up again after it cooled down. The last one I had just died and would not start up. This week, I re-located a new TFI module to a heat sink on the right strut tower. It stays much cooler and the car runs better after it warms up. My Escort used to ping in the summer because even though the TFI module still worked, the timing was wrong after it heated up. I got poor gas mileage also. Here is the write up. Unfortunately, I don't know why the pictures didn't work. Hope this helps.
Frank

1990 Escort EEC-IV 1.9L CFI - TFI Module Re - Location
I finally got around to re-locating my distributor mounted TFI module today. It was a little more work than I thought it would be but I think it will be worth it. Even though my last TFI module, made by Wells, lasted almost six years, the car never actually ran correctly after warm up. The engine would ping after warm up especially with the A/C on. It started up fine when it was cold but was very difficult to start once it warmed up. I had to keep my foot on the gas just a little, to get it to start. The failing TFI module probably had a lot to do with the bad gas mileage I was getting. Then, one day, it just died while I was waiting on line to get my oil changed. That is what prompted me to move the module to a cooler location. I purchased the TFI Module Re-Location kit from Mc Cully Racing online. They send you the heat sink with Artic Silver 5 on it and a three wire harness. Here is the link. http://www.mccullyracingmotors.com/i...es/tfikits.htm
After the TFI module died, I connected my OBD 1 FORD code reader and ran diagnostics. I didn’t receive any failure codes. I checked the module cold with my digital ohm meter and then, checked it with 12 volts on it. I cross checked it cold on the bench with another known good module and it the readings were all the same. Go figure. Finally, I just swapped it out with a good module I carry in my trunk and the car started right up.
Without going into too much detail since it has already been done a few times before, I have listed the 12 steps I took to re-locate the TFI module from the distributor to a heat sink. I have also included some pictures at the bottom.
I hope this message helps somebody. I was lucky twice because both of my modules died when I was not in a bad location or in the fast lane on the highway where it could have been dangerous. A stock Escort with a 1.9 L engine doesn’t generate any real heat but just the same, it gets hot enough to destroy the TFI module on the distributor. Also, my driving habits don’t submit the car to any abuse at all which is why the module lasted so long in the first place.
1. Remove the six pin connector from the TFI module. (see picture 1)
2. Disconnect the engine ground in the front of the engine.
3. Move the engine ground to the back of the engine. (see picture 2)
(This step may not be necessary on all engines but was convenient for me)
4. Open up the wiring harness and separate the TFI connector and associated wires.
5. Position the six pin TFI connector to reach the heat sink located on the right strut tower.
6. Reposition the rest of the wiring harness so that all of the other connectors reach freely in their
new position without touching anything. (i.e.: linkage or hot engine points)
7. Remove the TFI module from the distributor. (7/32 socket made by Excelite)
8. Clean and prepare the surface of the TFI module to receive Artic Silver 5 compound.
Applying Artic Silver 5 properly is extremely important if you want to dissipate heat from
the TFI module to the heat sink. Their web site posts many ways to apply the compound and
many warnings. One important warning was NOT to use your finger to apply the compound. You
will contaminate the compound. I contacted them by email and told them I was using the
compound for something other than a CPU or processor and they sent me instructions.
9. Install the TFI module on the heat sink located on the right strut tower. (see picture 3)
10. Connect one end of the three wires (PWR, GND, and PIP), to the stator or pick up coil in the
distributor.
11. Seal the back of the distributor where the PWR, GND, and PIP wires connect to keep out dirt and
moisture. I used black silicone.
12. Connect the other end of the three wires (PWR, GND, and PIP), to the TFI module located on
the heat sink. (be sure not to mix the three wires up)


Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
The heat sink gets very hot. That’s a good indication that the Artic Silver 5 compound is transferring heat from the TFI module to the heat sink. After a few minutes, the heat sink is too hot to hold your hand on it. I realize that the class action lawsuit against Ford for mounting the TFI module on the distributor as a cost saving measure is now fading into history but I felt I would share my experience in case there is someone else out there who has had the same experience I had with my Escort. I hope this helps. Thanks.



it was the ignition control module that bolts the to distributor found out when i pored any liquid fluid such as water on it, it started right back up guess it was time after 209k original miles on it