what does an ignition control module actually do?

20

Asked by warrior_016 Feb 18, 2015 at 02:01 PM about the 1985 Ford Thunderbird Elan RWD

Question type: General

I have an 85 Ford Thunderbird-5.0 v8 that I just bought, and it appears to not be charging after I start the car and drive it for awhile. If I stop it and try to restart- no juice to start it. There is an added button on the dash (someone added next to antenna button). If you look at the charging display on the dashboard, you can see that once the car is started, the charge goes down, unless you push the added button. Then the charge goes up to where it should be. Not sure what the ignition control module actually does. Need advise

2 Answers

85

It controls th ignition coil's firing time. The ignition control module is the heart of an automobile's ignition system. It regulates spark generation within the engine. The ignition control module relies on the car battery to provide the 'spark' that sets the ignition system in motion. The ignition control module is normally located inside or near the car's distributor and is usually coated with insulating compounds to protect its internal electronic components.

8 people found this helpful.
20

Ok so the ignition control module has absolutely nothing to do with the charging system. Understood. I have replaced Alternator, starter relay, and battery. I think this was a problem before that the only solution was to route a wire from the button to the ignition module, to make it charge. So here I am clueless in Seattle, thinking WTF.

2 people found this helpful.

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