The 1995 Ford Aspire was produced for Ford by Kia Motors in Korea. The Aspire replaced the Ford Festiva in 1994, and lived only three years before Ford discontinued it due to declining sales. On the 1995 Aspire, the electronic control module is inside the distributor and must be replaced, along with the distributor, as a complete unit.
Locate the distributor assembly on the back side of the cylinder head. Remove the distributor cap using a screwdriver. Set the cap aside with the wires still attached. Mark reference positions of the rotor with liquid paper on the cylinder head and distributor body. Do not crank or turn the engine after this point.
Disconnect the electrical connectors at the distributor. Loosen and remove the distributor mounting bolts using a combination of the metric wrenches, ratchet, extension, and metric socket set. Remove the distributor from the cylinder head by pulling it straight out while twisting the distributor back and forth.
Notice that the drive is offset and will only fit in one direction. Clean the distributor cavity of old oil and debris, using a clean shop towel. Ensure the rubber O-ring seal is installed on the distributor. Using a small amount of clean oil, lube the seal so it does not tear or roll during installation. Duplicate the alignment marks you made on the old distributor on the replacement distributor, using the liquid paper.
Insert the distributor into the cavity and rotate the rotor until the distributor drive meshes with the camshaft in the cylinder head. When the two mesh, the distributor will push the remainder of the way into the cavity. The rotor must line up with the marks previously made on the cylinder head and distributor body. Insert and snug the distributor mounting bolts using the ratchet, extension, and metric sockets.
Connect the electrical connectors to the distributor. Inspect the distributor cap for cracks and deposits on the contacts. If you find either, replace the cap. Install the distributor cap. Start the engine and idle it to operating temperature. Shut the engine off.
Locate the diagnostic connector. This connector will be near the battery. Remove the cover and insert a jumper wire between self-test input terminal and the ground terminal. Hook up the timing light to the battery and the No.1 cylinder spark plug wire. Start the engine and verify the timing by pointing the light at the pointer near the crankshaft pulley.
Loosen the distributor mounting bolts, if necessary, and rotate the distributor until the yellow mark on the crankshaft pulley aligns with the 10 degree BTDC mark on the timing scale. The scale is numbered in 2 degree increments, starting with 2 degrees after top dead center to 18 degrees before top dead center, with the T being zero degrees. Tighten and torque the distributor mounting bolts to 19-foot pounds using the torque wrench, extension, and metric sockets. Shut the engine off, remove the jumper wire and insert the cover on the diagnostic connector.
