1989 Ford Probe Not starting

Hello and thanks for donating!


Is there an aftermarket anti theft system on the vehicle? If so it may have messed up from the battery change and need reprogrammed.

Why did mechanic replace all of that stuff without testing? A fuel pressure test and spark check should have been performed before replacing any of that. Do you know if mechanic found it to have good fuel pressure and healthy spark?

Check the fuses and in-line fuses, sometimes they tend to blow during battery replacement.

The car does not have an anti theft devise. Is there a way to test whether a distributor and ignition coil is good or bad since they were purchase at a junk yard? The mechanic did the fuel test and spark and there is no spark at this time.

yes you can test distributor

remove distributor. Remove circuit opening relay and disconnect connector from distributor. This will prevent coil sparking. Turn ignition on.

Using a voltmeter, backprobe power wire adn ground wire at distributor. Voltmeter should display 12 volts. If voltage is not as specified, check ignition and ground circuits. Backprobe sensor wire at distributor.

Red/black-power

purple -sensor

light green-sensor

Black/red ground

Slowly rotate distributor shaft one turn. Voltmeter should pulse 0-5 volts 4times(4 cyl) or 6 times(V6)



Backprobe wire on at distributor. (use color chart above). Slowly rotate distributor shaft one turn. Voltmeter should pulse 0-5 volts one time. If either sensor does not work as described, turn ignition off. Disconnect 4-pin or 6-pin connector at distributor.

Turn ignition on. Ensure 5 volts are present at same wires which were checked in steps 2 and 3. If 5 volts are not present, check wiring and PCM. If 5 volts are present, replace distributor assembly.