Sorry, yet another Duraspark thread

[serial car restorer]

The 3 pin at the dizzy goes directly to the 4 pin at the module. Here's a pic and wiring from Painless. Note that the 2 connectors on the left are easy to find. But I'll need the one on the right also.

 

[Oldtimer]

DuraSpark II BLUE grommet module connectors

DuraSpark 2/3-pin Ignition Control Module;
ECH EC72
UMP Connector – CON-115

DuraSpark 4-Pin Ignition Control Module;
ECH EC127
UMP Connector – CON-134

 

[bmc69]

I wouldn't install a Duraspark unless you use an ACTUAL Motorcraft blue module.

That..or a NOS Standard Blue Streak module. Both are realizable as a hammer....and I would never run anything else. I still have my catalog rack in the shop, so I look up Standard Ignition part numbers and then go find NOS on eBay. There is still a lot of it out there.

 

[ntsqd]

An idiosyncrasy that I have run into with the two wire connector at the module. The Painless diagram has it wrong, which is understandable. The wires swap connections. The red wire from the module is connected to the white wire in the plug, and vice versa. I can't swear that they are all like that, but every one of them that I can recall specifically was like that.

 

[DirtDonk]

That might stem from the discrepancies I have found in the actual manuals over the years.
In some they show one wire color as the ON 12 V signal and the other is the START signal wire.
In others diagrams they show them reversed.

I can’t say that’s the same for FORD corporate manuals, but aftermarket representations have the discrepancy.
I’ll see if I can find my Dura Spark technical guide from Ford and see if they show them being consistent for all the models.

Pretty sure I’ve hooked it up both ways and it will still run. But if your module retards spark while cranking (which the blue grommet modules are either supposed to do, or not supposed to do, depending on who you talk to), you may have to tweak your timing.
Unless it was set up that way from the beginning.

 

[ntsqd]

I can only report what I've physically encountered. No idea what the manuals said.

I have connected them both ways and not seen any difference. I have not ever checked the timing one way, connected it in the opposite way, and then re-checked the timing.

 

[serial car restorer]

DuraSpark 2/3-pin Ignition Control Module;
ECH EC72
UMP Connector – CON-115

OK, that's good confirmation that the CON-115 3 pin will plug into the 2 pin male on the module. I figured that might be true.

So what are people doing for the 3 pin that plugs into the distributor pigtail? I guess I can snip that one off the distributor and use most any 3-pin male-female pair there, since the dizzy and the harness are both one time items. It's just the module plugs I need to keep standard to simplify future replacements. The picture above of the Painless DS harness shows the 3 pin dizzy plug with different indexes than the module plug.

 

[ntsqd]

You may want to keep the dist connector OEM as well. Rare, but not unheard of to have a pick-up coil go bad.

 

[serial car restorer]

You may want to keep the dist connector OEM as well. Rare, but not unheard of to have a pick-up coil go bad.

That's my preference, but I haven't found a source for that one yet.

 

[ntsqd]

I guess I don't understand what you're trying to do. It looks to me like the Painless kit has all that is needed, even if their picture isn't the greatest. It's $88 to find out. Buy it from someone who will take it back if it doesn't. If you were paying me alone to respond you'd have already spent more than that.

 

[serial car restorer]

I guess I don't understand what you're trying to do. It looks to me like the Painless kit has all that is needed, even if their picture isn't the greatest. It's $88 to find out. Buy it from someone who will take it back if it doesn't. If you were paying me alone to respond you'd have already spent more than that.

Pretty simple, I thought. I'm trying not to spend $90 + shipping for something that I might be able to do myself with $15-20 of connectors. I already have all the wire and resistor. I'm sorry you've wasted your time reading my thread. Feel free to ignore me now.

 

[ntsqd]

My point was that you've spent more than $88 in your time trying to work out a different solution. Can always make more money, time is finite. Now if the Painless assembly is sub-standard, well then it's worth pursuing. I'm not fond of Painless, but it isn't due to theirs being a poor product.

 

[DirtDonk]

What is the discrepancy in pin orientation that you’re referring to?
The Painless harness should attach directly to the distributor without trouble. Because every Dura Spark distributor used exactly the same connector during its entire production run, any replacement harness that is supposed to connect to distributor should fit without trouble.
You shouldn’t have to replace an end. Which is good, because as said, you may have an opportunity in the future to replace magnetic pick up assembly with it’s connector.
Given the state of modern parts, this is more likely than ever.

 

[ntsqd]

I am convinced that the picture that Painless shows has an error in it, and it does not represent what the kit actually contains.

 

[serial car restorer]

What is the discrepancy in pin orientation that you’re referring to?

Note that the two 3 pin connectors have indexed blades on the sides that slide into the lock tabs on the plugs on the module and distributor. The indexes on the module plug are oriented horizontally, on the distributor plug they are oriented vertically.

It looks like I can use a second 3 pin module connector for the distributor if I remove the blades from one. It won't lock in place, but with connectors like this I doubt that would be an issue.

 

[ntsqd]

I think that you're looking at the Painless jpg from their instructions, right? I'm almost positive that it shows the wrong parts. I do not think that any qualitative decision can be based off that picture.

 

[nvrstuk]

Don't worry about the lock tabs not being there... heck, by the mid '80's we were using tape or zip ties or whatever to hold the plugs together because the tabs had already broken off!

Were zip ties even invented back in the '80's?? lol (just looked it up)

 

[serial car restorer]

I think that you're looking at the Painless jpg from their instructions, right?

I've looked there, yes. But I'm mostly basing this on pictures of the actual plugs on the module and distributors, since those are what I need to mate with.