Mitsubishi Repair: 1990 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, mitsubishi mighty max, leaky capacitors

Question
What factors would contribute to no spark from the coil?

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Followup To
Question -
I just bought a mighty max.  When we got it home and went to start it the engine just turned over.  Then tried it again and it started.  It worked for a while and then did it again.  This time we checked for spark and there was none.  I read the notes on the ECM and replaced two leaky capacitors but saw no other damage.  I checked the resisitance on the Coil and it was within spec (Primary 1.6 ohms and Secondary 11.4K ohms).  Do you have any suggestions? Should I have the ECM sent in for repair or are there other sensors I should test first?

Answer -
Arlin,
ECM problems are not easy to diagnose.  If you just bought the car, getting it a basic tune-up would be best.  If you haven't already, replace the spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, and rotor.  Since your coil is within spec, it should be ok.  

Other items that should be replaced as regular maintenance items are the air filter, fuel filter, PCV valve, and think about replacing the transmission fluid.  Start with the basics before you spend money to have your ECM inspected.  And if one of your sensors were faulty, your Check Engine Light would most likely come on.  
Good luck!

Answer
Arlin,
Your ignition coil is controlled by your ECM.  When your ECM gets a signal from the cam/crank sensors that tell it where the valves and pistons are located, it then sends the signal to your ignition coil and fuel injector to fire.  If your ECM is malfunctioning, it will either send the signal to the coil at the wrong time or not at all; thus causing no spark.  

There is a chance your ECM is receiving a bad reading from your cam/crank sensors because your timing is off.  This can be caused but a faulty tensioner or a timing belt that has skipped a couple teeth.  You may just need to have your timing belt replaced.  If you don't know when the timing belt was last replaced on that truck when you bought it, either ask the previous owner or have a mechanic check the timing.  Getting a timing belt replaced every 60,000 miles is a good rule of thumb.
Good luck!