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hello yall i need some help, my 97 ford thunderbird wont start? turns over but wont start.
i dont hear the fuel pump hummb, but.. on the fuel rail push the lil button in and it has fuel come out, also, i took one of the spart plug wires off and stuck a spark plug in it.. and it wouldnt fire from it?? so i dont think its getting fire.. how this happend was.. i was driving to Indiana.. and its about an 4 1/2 hour drive.. and i stoped for directions about a mile from where i needed to be.. well i came out.. went to start it up.. and it started and died.. and now it wont start.. can somebody please tell me what is wrong with it???  

get a spark tester from local auto parts store and attach to good ground.I run a jumper from spark tester to negative battery terminal...that is the best ground.When you took a spark plug and put in plug wire and touched to a good ground?if ground is not good you will have bad results.Need to know if you have spark.When you turn key to on position not start position do you hear fuel pump run for a few seconds?Take gas cap off and have someone turn key to on position and listen at tank.Fuel coming out of schrader valve does not mean anything.You need exact fuel pressure readings.Fuel injection relies on exact fuel pressure so you have exact pressure drop at fuel injectors.What size engine do you have?let me know answers.  

well thx joe for trying to help me, my car has the 3.8 V-6 in it... no.. i just laid the spark plug on the metal of the car.. i also. pulled the wire off the coil pack and i didnt see no spark in there.. as for the fuel i dont hear it humb like i use to. it just clicks. ones.. and then a couple secs.. later clicks again..  there is a Control Module or a Ignition Module.. the local ford place told me that could be bad cause it runs alot of stuff.. like the fuel pump, they said the fuel relay is built in the box, and .. they said it runs your car basically.. its a 165 dollar part.. i dunno what do u think??  

You really should buy an aftermarket module should run around 70.00 to 90.00 depending on what parts store you deal with.   You can remove the module and take it to a parts store and have it tested, you will need a 5.5mm deep well 1/4 drive socket works the best.    It does control the fuel pump and controls the spark.  

96 started intregrating ignition control module into the pcm.Gm is doing it also.Chrsyler has been doing it for many many years.The ccrm constant control relay module includes fuel pump relay which provides power to fuel pump and also pcm.The clicking noise may mean bad connection.  

the clicking is probably coming from the ccrm.You could check voltage from ccrm if you had a dc voltmeter and also check power feed to ccrm.I can tell you wire colors.Let me know.  

i dont have a dc voltmeter.. but.. i pulled off the fuel filter and all this black goopy stuff came out of it.. so i changed it.. then the car wanted to start.. but still doesnt i dont hear the fuel pump.. but that box clicks when i turn the key on.. .. i use to hear the humb.. but not i dont.. im thinking my fuel pump is prolly bad or the box it bad.. im not sure.. the fuel rail has fuel come out of it when u push the lil button.. and when i had the fuel filter off.. i put a coffee cup where the hose comes out of the gas tank to the fuel filter.. it fulled the cup about a 1/3 of the coffee cup.. should it put out more fuel than that???  

Oh yeah.. and i found out im getting spark.. i grounded the plug.. and i did see some sparks.. thx.. but above is what im having trouble with now!  

the relay box should click once not several times or chattering.You should get about a pint of gas in 15 seconds of cranking.I use a scan tool to activate fuel pump.there is a fuel cut off switch located Left hand side lower back panel in trunk.It has a pink/black wire and a dark green/yellow wire.Make sure button is down.Take a test light hooked to ground and probe the dark green/yellow wire while someone cranks engine.Does test light light bright?Should also light for 2 seconds when key is turned to on position.  

i think the box it bad.. cause 2day i went to start it.. used some starting fluid and it wouldnt start. the box controls everything... sooo.. i think ill replace it and try again.. ill keep you updated! thx  

Try spraying starting fluid in air intake while having someone crank it, if it fires up, then you have a fuel clog or fuel pump issue.

Good luck,  
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