OK!!!......I'll start.
I don't have FI butt I've had all kindza poop happen to me concerning electrical. (Like at the last MSBB!)
One thing that stumped me really bad in the past was.....there is an electrical plug on the firewall(driverside)...if that ain't mak'in good connection.....a lot of nuth'in happens!!
CXheck that.
Jumper around everything and insure you have voltage to the starter.....
kinda work backwards from the battery until you come to a spot where there is NO spark.
"Just-the-basics-'mam" as Joe Friday would say.
Got power to the ignition switch?
Headlights work?
Interior lights work?
All these little things can provide a pathway to solving this.
I find it hard to believe something just "KILLED " everything.
Gotta be some little something/or two
How bout grounds?!!(BIG-BIG problem with these old ponys)
6s6
PS........Let us know how it comes out!! 

Verify that there is power to the coil with the engine cranking.  If not then you have to troubleshoot that back through the wiring.  You could also jump the coil to the battery so you know its getting power and see if it will start then. 

Then I would go to the TFI module first too.  Its easy enough to swap, and not terribly expensive.  Obviously, a known good one is the best way to test because you don't have to buy anything.  The factory modules were always troublesome.  They would quit without warning, and once you started improving the engine's breathing the spark would crap out above 3,500 RPM.  I'd keep a good stock one around just in case, but I'd swap over to an aftermarket module, especially if you plan performance upgrades. 

Its unlikely that this is the computer.  The old computers are very reliable and I actually can't remember ever needing to replace one in a Ford.  The technology is absurdly simple by today's standards.

Probably too simple a suspect to be the problem, but how was the inertia switch dealt with when the car was built?   Did you keep one or bypass it?   If you are still hunting a culprit, something to check.  

Thanks guys. Pops replaced the coil with new, And the TFI on the side of the distributor with new, but has not replaced the PIP. He does have the pump functioning with key. I suppose that leaves the PIP as suspect. We have not tried jumping power straight to coil yet.

Thanks, and we’ll keep you posted.

Chap enough to try a "coil swap"! If that ain't the problem take it back to the store for a refund! Simple
Keep look'in
6s6

Shade tree trick (prolly well known)  spray with starting fluid to verify you HAVE spark. If STILL nothing it must be electrical.
6s6

A coil can be easily tested with an Ohm meter.  Check primary winding by reading resistance (Ohms) between the two terminals (+ and -) on the coil.  It should show somewhere around 0.4-2.0 Ohms.  If its infinite, or off the gauge the primary winding has a break in it.  Check the secondary winding by reading resistance between the + terminal and the coil to distributor wire post.  It should have somewhere around 6,000-10,000 Ohms.  If its infinite there's a break in the secondary winding.  If it checks out then the coil is fine.

You can check the resistance on the coil to distributor wire too, as well as continuity.  If resistance is sky high, or there's no continuity the wire is bad.  You can also crank test it with a tester between the coil and the wire and look for spark.  Just be sure to hold that tester with something insulated.  These cars throw some serious voltage, even stock (around 45,000 volts) and they can really zap you pretty good.  Obviously something someone with a heart condition or pacemaker should ever do. 

When troubleshooting these cars the knowledge of how to use a good multimeter is essential.  They are too costly and complex to just start changing parts and hope something works.  These systems are simple by today's standards, but still considerably more complex than a typical carbureted engine.  Several things must happen before the computer will command spark, so you have to work your way back through those.  Things like swapping the TFI or PIP are just guesses based on experiences we've all had.  In the end, trying to troubleshoot an electrical problem via the internet is kind of like trying to give you a haircut over the phone. 

Oh, and I almost forgot, you can test if the issue is the computer by pulling the inline spout connector.  If you get spark without it then the computer is bad.  Pulling that connector disconnects the computer from the system so you can set base timing.  At that point it is just running off the distributor (no computer input into timing).  If it still doesn't have spark then the issue is not the computer. 

Lance,
Go back to the coil.  From the pic you provided, it looks like you're running the fox coil.  Check the two wire electrical plug that plugs into the coil.  Sometimes when removing that thing, a simple tug on the wire(s) can pull the wire off the connector itself.  It may look to be ok but, really take a closer look at both wires to ensure they remain attached to the connector.....

Also, check the ground for the ecm....

Last, ask Pop what, if anything, was the last thing he did to the car before experiencing this no spark situation....

 

TKOPerformance wrote:

josh-kebob wrote:

Lance,
Go back to the coil.  From the pic you provided, it looks like you're running the fox coil.  Check the two wire electrical plug that plugs into the coil.  Sometimes when removing that thing, a simple tug on the wire(s) can pull the wire off the connector itself.  It may look to be ok but, really take a closer look at both wires to ensure they remain attached to the connector.....

Also, check the ground for the ecm....

Last, ask Pop what, if anything, was the last thing he did to the car before experiencing this no spark situation....

 

That's a good call on the coil plug.  I've seen a ton of them over the years where guys removed the connector body and are just running the individual spade connectors directly on the coil terminals because of this. 

Glad you approve.......

So was it a flat top or crew cut you ended up with

Successful haircut over the phone!  josh-kebob nailed it with that coil connector.

Make sure you time the engine without the inline spout connector in place.  You can monkey with the base timing and get a little more power out of it.  You have to be vigilant for pining though because this system does not use a knock sensor.  I would start around 10 degrees and go up from there in 2 degree increments until you get pining under high load heavy acceleration (top gear pull up a hill at low RPM).  Then back it off 2 degrees.

I'd also seriously consider swapping that TFI module for an aftermarket one.  The reason the stock ones fail so often is because they have no dwell control, so they operate at like 99% dwell all the time, which creates a lot of heat.  I actually have a Dyna Module from Davis Unified Ignition for an automatic trans application (they're different manual vs. auto).  Can't remember what trans you have, but if you're interested shoot me a PM. 

The difference beween a good hair cut and a bad one is about two weeks!

TKOPerformance wrote:

How bad can it be?  Its hair; it'll grow back.  It hasn't yet, but I remain hopeful...

 
It does grow back. Ears, nose, eyebrows maybe......isn’t that where you wanted it!!