A new harness cured my no-start problem

April 1, 2011 | By Richard Prince

Question:

Regarding the question in the August 2010 issue from a reader with a 1995 Ford Ranger that fails to start after a short drive. I had a 1996 Ford F-150 with the inline six and I had a problem for 150,000 miles on my truck.

I’d wiggle wires and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn’t start. There were no computer diagnostic codes.

I finally bought a new harness for the distributor that goes to the coil and the computer. I replaced it and now it’s got almost 300,000 miles on it. My son-inlaw’s driving it to work and we’ve never had a problem starting it since.

Answer:

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and knowledge with your fellow Auto Restorer readers.

I couldn’t find any technical service bulletins or other information related to a faulty ignition harness so I don’t know how pervasive the problem you experienced is, but the fact that changing the harness apparently solved the riddle for you may prove to be valuable for others.