Flames, intermittant spark, missing

SPEJEA

MEMBER
1988 FORD BRONCO
2.9L
6 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
200,000 MILES

Have replaced many parts already but cannot get a mechanic to fix the flaming tailpipe, electrical problem? Missing (while driving it the spark falls on its face, then comes back on). Parts I have replaced; distributor, wires, rotor cap, map sensor, ECM, spark plugs. Changed the oil, all fuel injectors (6), bigger radiator.

1 Reply

BMDOUBLE

MECHANIC
1,139 POSTS

How does the ground wire at the battery look? Does it have an aftermarket terminal? The reason I ask is because this gets overlooked quite often. Get a voltmeter and put the positive lead on the engine block and the negative lead at the battery negative cable end, now while someone cranks the engine look to see how many volts register. Anything over 1 volt is excessive and will not allow the ignition pick-up to properly ground and charge the coil for the next ignition cycle and can cause no starts, loss of power, intermittent loss of power, etc. On these older vehicles, and newer ones for that matter, I always verify the integrity of the grounds and proper voltage as well.