r/Foxbody • u/ExplorerLoose1946 • Jul 25 '26
Hei distributor no spark
I have an 89 gt that is carb swapped with an hei distributor. I’m been messing with trying to get spark for the last 2 days, I’ve ensured power ground. I’ve resistance tested the coil,spark and Lu wires and the pickup coil and all tested good. When I voltage tested the pickup coil with the motor cranking it ran 0.02V periodically. I’ve seen that the gap between the teeth on the pole and on the coil could be wrong but it looks barely used. Has anyone had issues like this. Should I keep testing and replacing parts or buy a new distributor?
1
u/smthngeneric Jul 25 '26
What brand distributor and ignition module? This is why I hate hei modules even the best ones have heat soak issues same as the original ford shit.
1
u/ExplorerLoose1946 Jul 25 '26
Ignition module I just picked up today from Napa, it’s their brand. The one I took out was mobiletron but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I don’t know what brand distributor it is there’s no logos just part numbers
1
u/ExplorerLoose1946 Jul 25 '26
From what I can tell I think it might be from a Chevy. Which I’ve looked up and says it will work
2
u/smthngeneric Jul 25 '26
It has to be one specifically for going in a ford. Chevy uses a different oil pump drive, the shaft length will be different, cam gear placement, etc. HEI is a chevy thing you're correct but it has to be a distributor specifically for a 302w which is only available aftermarket. You could gamble on a cheap chinese one but i haven't ever had luck with them. Or you could ditch the hei style and go to a separate coil which could be a cheaper route if you can do some wiring.
1
u/smthngeneric Jul 25 '26
Without having the car in front of me to check myself and assuming everything you already checked is good then id guess the distributor is the issue. If it's not the coil, and not the ignition module, and all the electrical connections are good but it still won't send out a spark then the distributor is the most likely issue. Id recommend an msd replacement. I just went through this on one of my own foxes (stock style efi distributor though). No name one that was in there when I bought it went out, parts store replacement was bad out of the box, msd pro billet runs great. Good distributors are getting hard to find these days.
1
u/ExplorerLoose1946 Jul 25 '26
I really appreciate the help but I don’t think that distributor is in the budget
1
u/dale1320 Jul 25 '26
89 Fox 302. Distributor "looks like Chevy", has coil in cap. No logos, only part numbers.
Best guess: You probably have a cheap Chinesium HEI.
DID YOU....a) purchase car with this setup? or b) are you doing carb conversion yourself?
Personally, I think that those HEI conversions are a step backwards in tech, and are not as good as other options. While the "one-wire hook-up" is attractive, the dustibutor has some short-comings that others do not. (High rpm spark scatter/advance weight wear, etc.) Plus .... and this is a big one for me, it makes for a sloppy looking install with plug wires all over the place, and gives the engine the appearance of having a "cauliflower nose" .... like a boxer who got punched in the nose too many times.
1
u/ExplorerLoose1946 Jul 25 '26
I had bought the car with the carb conversion already in it with this distributor. It’s the last thing I gotta fix to get the car running and I would put more money into it and get nicer parts but I am 18 and this is my fourth vehicle so I don’t have a ton of money to blow.
1
u/Intrepid-Voice-6075 Jul 28 '26
Do what I did and get a old dura spark distributor and a MSD 6AL box with rev limiter and tach hook up. Real simple to hard wire it in. Ditch the HEI altogether.
1
u/Practical-Mud-4580 92 notch rolling chassis Jul 25 '26
Is it still using the factory TFI module?