Do I need a new distributor on 92 Econoline?

Question

Died while driving. There is no spark at the wires(I checked it by using screwdriver grounded to motor)

My dad says it needs a distributor, what do you think?

It has a 4.9 litre straight six cyl. engine with 220 k miles.

Answer 1

Sounds like Double R has your answer.

Answer 2

thats the 300cid 6-cylinder (good engine).. and you are sure there is no spark? before you spend money on a new distributor you should check the ignition coil, the ignition coil wire, rotor inside the distributor, the distributor cap for cracks..  these things are inexpensive. make sure those things are good before you get a new distributor.  

Answer 3

Let's check a couple of things first before you replace the distributor.

First, with 220K miles, I am concerned about the timing gears. The 4.9 does not use a timing chain. It is gear to gear drive and the factory gears are a composite material to reduce noise. Remove the distributor cap and watch the rotor while cranking the engine. Does the rotor turn? If not, I would suspect you may have stripped the timing gears.

If the rotor did turn, let's try another test. Using a 12 volt test light, ground the alligator clip to a good ground. With the coil plugged in, touch the probe end of the test lamp to the red and green wire at the coil. turn the engine over with the key. Does the test lamp light up? If it doesn't, you need to find out why. If it does light up then touch the test light to the other side of the coil (tan and yellow wires). Turn the engine over with the key. Does the test light pulse off and on while cranking the engine? If it does not pulse but stays on then you have a bad TFI module on the distributor. This can be replaced without replacing the whole distributor. If the the test lamp doesn't light up at all on that side, then you have a bad coil. If it did pulse but you are not getting any spark, I would be looking at secondary ignition components (cap, rotor, coil wire)

Easy enough to diagnose this system.