I'm helping out a guy that paid someone to put a 2.9 liter v6 and his 1985 Ranger which previously had a 4 cylinder. No idea where the incoming motor came from but I'm assuming somewhere in that Era. He was left with a non-running motor, no spark. After troubbleshooting, I determined that they ignition module was bad and have a new one in my hand.

Here is my problem: i have nothing to hook the spout up to and therefore I have nothing to control the advance. Its a simple distributor, with no mechanical or vacuum advance mechanisms. So how do we get this thing advanced properly?

 

Welcome to the site


You are missing some of the story here?


The 2.9l is fuel injected?
If so it has or needs a 2.9l fuel injection computer which needs the "timing" signal from the distributor so it can time the fuel injection based on RPM(the timing signal), thats called the PIP wire/signal.
This computer then sends back spark timing changes based on RPM and drivers input(foot on the gas pedal, TPS), on the SPOUT wire, Spark Out.
So there are two wires needed to the computer from the distributor module, TFI module, 3 wires if you count the ground wire

So if you have a computer then you have a place to connect the SPOUT wire.

TFI wiring seen here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...agnostic.shtml

EEC-IV = computer needed for fuel injection, they are specific to engine size and model year and engine options in most cases, i.e. EGR, Knock sensor, manual trans, auto

If you have a carburetor and no computer then you need a vacuum advance distributor, simple as that, and best to use an HEI module with that setup.