Timing is not advancing/retarding with spout in

[cmexlr8]

This is a 88 TC to a 92 stang swap. It runs and cranks. It breaks up when the rpms rise either driving or in nuetral. I set the timing with the spout connector unplugged. When I put the plug back in, the car still cranks and runs, but the timing stays where it was set with the connector our - for example 13 degrees. I can rev the engine with the timing light on and the mark never moves.

I have ohmed the wire with the connector plugged in and did continuity test from the distributor to the spout pin on the ecm and there are no open circuits.

Any ideas?

[Stinger]

Messed up the ignition wiring most likely.

[cmexlr8]

The plug going into the side of the distributor is wired exactly like the pic that Dr_elusive posted on stang net and everything is wired like your guide.

I ohmed the spout wire from the distributor all the way to the ecm and its fine - not open. I am thinking that if the spout wire is the one that the ecm uses to tell the distributor to advance or retard and it is fine, then there are only two possibilities - the ecm or the TFI module. Does that sound correct? Am I missing something?

[cmexlr8]

I had the TFI Module tested and it passed. He tested it three times in a row to make sure it was good and warm during the test.

I did notice that the second prong on where the wire connector plugs in had what appeared to be soot on it. I am going to check the plug to see if the socket is engaging the module all the way or is it loose.

[Stinger]

I still say it is a wiring issue.

[cmexlr8]

That may be, but can you help narrow it down a little? If it is not advancing, I would think it has to do with the spout or pip wiring. Though if it was a pip issue, I would think it would not even crank. It is acting as if it is in limp home(i.e., no spout) mode.

[Stinger]

Just verify all TFI wires are correct, there are only 6 of them. When one or more is wrong, it does weird things.

[cmexlr8]

The only wire really in question is the blue/tan(it looks blue orange to me) wire from the black DIS connector. When we wire it the way the guides says - 'put a ring terminal on it and place it on the top small post on the starter solenoid', the car will not even turn over. When the ignition switch is in the start position, there is no voltage - that to me is why it will not turn over. So why is that happening? The guide says Blue/tan and though the wire is blue with an orange stripe it is in the same position as what the guide is calling blue/tan. We checked the blue orange wire and it is the one that goes to pin five on the ecm, and that pin was removed based on the pinout page in the guide - so that is what is confusing us - why doesn't it have 12v at cranking and why does it go to a connector on the ecm that we removed(CID terminal on the mustang ECM/ blank on the TC ECM)

[Stinger]

red/light blue (or blue/tan)-->(crank 12v) this wire needs to be run to the location of the small wire on the top of the starter solenoid, just put a small ring terminal on the end of it and slide it onto the small post on the solenoid

This wire gets 12v during cranking FROM the solenoid. It should go from the TFI to the solenoid, not to the ecu.

[cmexlr8]

Found the problem - dead or dying ECM. Before I got involved in the project, the air meter was hooked up with 12 volts on the signal return or one of the wires, not sure, but our theory is that the 12 volts killed the ecm. What puzzles me is how the car still ran?

We put a known good LA3 ecm in this morning and the car immediately acted different. The fuel pump actually primed and then shutoff - it had been just staying on. It fired on the first hit and ran at fast idle and then eventually bumped down. It now boosts fine without breaking up and the timing is advancing when its supposed too.

[Stinger]

Good to hear!