My manual ea falcon has a ef engine in it but still uses the log manifold, it has been running fine but every now and then I noticed it cuts out while driving but kicks back in and all is fine. Up until last night when it cut out while driving for 5 minutes and wouldn't kick back in or even start. So I tried it today and it started and idled fine but 5 minutes later it cut out so I pulled over and let it sit for a couple of minutes and then it ran fine for 10 minutes then cut out, do again I waited and then it ran perfect and hasn't done it since, I don't want to drive it incase it happens again,
Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? Maybe something to do with dizzy? Or tps?
Thanks in advance, Brandon

If it's running a dizzy with TFI then you describe classic symptoms of dieing TFI Module - no guarantee, but it's fitting that issue.

The two times I've had the TFI die, on the first occasion the car just wouldn't restart after being shut down for a few minutes - was really embarassing because it was in the loading bay of a hospital drivethru while my wife was dropping off some books. She called a tow truck and then tried it again and it started fine - so she had just finished recalling and cancelling the truck while the car was idling and it quit just as she was about to drive off and wouldn't start again - so back on with the truck. Had it taken to mech shop - they ended up taking a day and changing the TFI and HAll Effect gizmo in the dizzy - but in the meantime it had started and ran fine initially for them - but quit when they were test driving it - so they'd had to get it towed back to their shop again They didn't charge us for that second tow - total cost was about $300. Point is that the TFI can be very intermittant (tho definitely temperature related) which is a bas tard!

Second time - several years later - the engine just died at 80kph on the highway - after about 5 mins it started again but only ran for 30 seconds or so - so I got it collected by a towtruck - had to decide whether to have it taken home or to a workshop - decided I didn't feel like messing with it so had it taken to the local RACQ workshop (had been running so well for so long at that stage that I was out of the whole swing of messing about with it). That time the F-wit mekanix took ages to discover it was the TFI - evidently because of the intermittant nature of the fault - so a week and $800 later our car was running again. Those clowns also couldn't cope with the concept that the driver side central locking wasn't working - ie. all three other doors operated fine thru the central lock system but driver door had to be locked and unlocked manually (apparently they were frustrated with how difficult it was to get it unlocked - err, yeah like sticking the f-ing key in the f-ing door is really difficult to do - from memory believe it or not I think they said they were having to reach thru from the passenger side to open the driver's door ) - and also they didn't believe me about the fact that the engine would NOT idle well on a std ECU - the cam needed the XR6 ECU - ie. I had dropped off my spare std ECU to them for troubleshooting and warned them that the engine would not like to idle with it (to which they pretty much rolled their eyes). So when we picked it up they told me the spare ecu was still in it and that I should consider replacing the cam because it was idling really really badly - which it was. I should have popped the cover and put the XR6 one in before even driving away, but didn't and sure enoug it was &^%$ evil - so round the corner I flipped the XR6 ECU into it and bingo rock steady idle and she was all good...

First of all is it dizzy or coil pack.
If coil pack setup, the coil packs are s**t house and are prone to failure. First of all check fault codes. there a tech docs on here about how to retrieve them.
An LED test light or very low voltage globe is best to read the Codes.

What ECU are you running?

Cheers Joel

im running a distributor, my car has a rebuilt ef engine in it,witha bpr tune to suit. i didnt replace the whole distributor i only replaced the worn rotor button and cap. so what your telling me is i need to put a brand new dizzy in? which if thats the case it wont be a problem as i have to pull the engine out again anyway

The whole dizzy won't be necessary unless the rotor shaft feels flogged out OR it's about the same price for whole dizzy etc. as buying a hall effect device and TFI module only (which I have heard of) - the TFI Module is the oblong black doodad that hangs off the side and has the connector plugged into it. The Hall Effect device is fitted in the dizzy - u take the cap off, pull the rotor off and take the shield out that sits under the rotor - u'll then see the hall effect device in there.

You should replace the Hall Effect Device at the same time as the TFI but I guess it might not be absolutely essential.

The TFI module is held in place by 2 screws and has heatsink compound underneath it - a new Bosch module will have a sachet of compound in the box. The module has 3 (or 4 ? ) small spade type terminals that prong up into the Hall Effect device receptacles - ie. to remove it you take out the two screws and then slide it down keeping it more or less flat against the dizzy and level - installing the new one is opposite way round - you can hold it out slightly so you dont bugger up the heatsink compound too much as you slide it up.

Memory is foggy about exactly how it all looks with the cap and shield off etc. and I only ever replaced the TFI myself - so I can't say whether it's essential to have the Hall Effect Device solidly mounted before fitting the TFI or if you can put the Hall Effect Device in after the new TFI is fitted in place.

BPT sell a performance TFI Module

I can get a new dizzy off the shelf for around $100. Sounds easier just to replace and be done with it

Absolutely!!

So I'm just hoping that's all it is, it's so temperamental I can't rely on it for work incase it decides to just stop on the way to a job

Unfortunately I can't guarantee - all I can offer is that it's consistent with that - ie. I've seen TFI failure behave very similar to what you describe.

Damn!!! - It occurs to me too that the other thing that can have similar behaviour and which I've seen happen is the fuel pump conking out - to isolate that, immediately after it conks out you need to check if the pump runs when you turn the ignition to off and then back on - ie. to ign only, not start. You should be able to hear the pump run for a few seconds - ideal proof is if it doesn't run immediately but cuts in if you thump the pump cover.

And then of course if you DO hear the pump run for that few seconds then crank the engine but it won't start then that's pointing to the TFI.

Not easy to do tho if it's very random about when it quits

Those are a couple of the likely possibilities, but it can also be a number of other things - I hope I haven't led u up the path, but all I can do is offer ideas from experience...

Last edited by Greenmachine on Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

- when you say "wouldn't kick back in or even start." - do you mean wouldn't even crank??

Would wind over but not fire, the fuel pump runs fine it has been replaced when I got it as it was on gas so barely used fuel and ended up being stuffed. Also What are the other few possibilities, Ive replaced a lot in my car so it couldn't hurt to rule them out

Things I can think of are:

Dodgy connector somewhere - try wriggling the engine loom connectors with it running and see if it conks out ("wiggle test").

Ignition switch (ie. the base plate part of the barrel) - wiggle key with it running and see if that affects it.

Fuel Pump - I've had a NEW Ripco "Fuel Miser" pump crap out on me within a couple of months of being fitted... Always use VDO!!! - so regardless of it being a new pump, that test to ensure it's still functional when the car has conked out is worthwhile.

Fuel Pump Relay - if that's dodgy I guess it could drop the pump out - again do the pump running check when the car conks out.

Getting the codes pulled out is a good idea as that might point right to the issue - but that means driving it somewhere to get it done unless you're knowledgeable enough to do it yourself.

To be honest, considering the intermittent nature of it about the only SAFE way to deal with it is hand the car over to a mechanic to sort out. The problem is locating a reliable one.

The most recent issue I had to sort out was that Ripco Fuel Miser pump conking out. After I had to get towed for the second time I had no choice but park it until I could sort the issue - and the only way I was able to do it was let it run in the shed until it conked again - which took more than an hour. Sounds simple I know, but an hour is an awful long time to wait when you're not sure the bastar d is even going to do it! And it was pure logic that took me back to the pump - after all, it couldn't be that as it was new!

If you do need to fix it yourself, then being able to see the fault occur - even if that means doing circuits of your home block or running it in the driveway for hours - is essential to help pin it down - and more importantly so you can confirm with reasonable certainty that you've fixed it eventually.

I can get the codes myself, Ill be able to fix it just needed idea, the dizzy is out of a eb series 2 so it has some age

No worries - also with regard to the fuel pump, I found that thumping on the cover definitely made mine run when it had conked out - but to KEEP it running after it had conked out meant continually thumping the cover - ie. it wouldn't run by itself again once it had conked out unless left for several hours.

That's why altho there's no guarantee, I'm leaning toward the TFI - because on those two occasions I had TFI issues, the car would start anywhere from immediately to with 5 or 10 minutes and then run for random amounts of time - like I say the mechs on the first occasion got stuck several blocks away from their workshop (and i suspect it was doing similar things to the second lot of mechs too).

I won't be replacing it for a few weeks but when I do I'll let you know how it goes