I recently replaced the Electronic Shift Assist Module on my 1992 OMC Cobra 5.0L Ford. It has the original BID distributor. Coil is also original to the best of my knowledge and the coil resistance measures 1.3 to 1.4 ohms. Reason for ESA replacement was the original module was completely non-functional - no rpm drop upon shifts. The replacement is a CDI P/N 123-7571 which is listed as the correct replacement for my OMC P/N 987564 for V8 Ford 5.0L. Now the problem - with the new module, engine completely stalls as soon as the shift switch is momentarily triggered, either by actual shift or by "bumping" the micro switch arm manually. This occurs no matter how high the idle speed is set. I went through the CDI troubleshooting procedure, which is to check for proper voltage drop to verify the proper ballast resistance is in circuit. This measurement was normal according to their procedure. 12.23 V battery voltage at coil positive terminal drops to 7.63 V when coil negative terminal is grounded. So....I am looking for ideas on next troubleshooting step. Is my coil suspect, based on the 1.3 to 1.4 ohm reading (the reference I have says 1.5 ohms is normal). Should I suspect the BID module? If so is there any way to check, short of buying a replacement unit? Any help appreciated.
