1994 FZJ80 Ignitor vs. NAFTA vs. Mezcal: Who Will Survive?

[dmp72]

Hey Mudders! Damon here in the mezcal-filled mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico (yup drove that beast all the way here to our new...er home here in Capulálpam de Méndez....). I’m wrestling with a 1994 FZJ80 ignitor issue that’s testing my patience and... err... my sobriety....

Quick Recap of the Chaos​

• NAFTA Fiasco: Original Toyota ignitor? Forget it—thanks to import restrictions, Toyota Mexico doesn’t carry the part, and they look at me like I’m speaking Martian whenever I ask jajaja... Well actually they just ask.. is it American...? and say sorry dude, does not exist in the system.... Well they say that in spanish... Im just translating...
• CruiserParts Attempt: Tried twice to import a used ignitor from the States, and customs said, “Nope, back you go.” Adiós ignitor.
• Dead OEM: My original ignitor produces zero spark. Stone cold.
• Two Chinese Clones and one from Chavas truck: All three do the same thing, produce spark, but it’s like they’re doing a mezcal-induced calenda—completely erratic timing.
• Mechanic Buddy: Chava (my go-to Toyota wizard) swears it’s the ignitor, but he’s also the guy who watched both knockoffs do the cha-cha spark without success.
• Suspicions: Could it be the distributor, coil, plug wires, or all of the above? Why did the OEM fail to spark while the cheapies and Chavas off his 90s Toy pickup give us a disco light show?

The (Semi)Bright Side​

• I’m not stranded—taxis run all day in our little pueblo. But it kills me to see the Cruiser collecting dust instead of conquering mountains.
• My wife Shay heads to the U.S. in April, so worst case, she’ll smuggle in a brand-new ignitor. But if I could fix it before then, I’d like to spare her that life of crime..... Off to the carcel Shay... na.. aint no rules here... jajaja...

Questions for the Hive Mind​

1. Distributor/Coil Check: I did find some threads that suggested that it could be the electonic stuff upstream from the ignitor. So thinking perhaps its time for new distributor wires, and coil..., is there a more scientific way to confirm which one’s guilty? I guess that stuff is not that expensive but I did buy all new stuff about 5 years ago and we barely drive it... So.... also they were cheap from amazon so would not be that supprised if that stuff failed...
2. Grounding the Ignitor: Could the difference between “no spark” and “erratic spark” be a mounting/grounding thing? I imagine that Chava knows, but also, I always worked on the truck until moving to Mx where there are much better mechanics than me... Well... I thought there were... Nah.. Chava is a magician! Guessin he knows, but also it is tricky to know everything and these trucks are rare here in mx.
3. Any Other Voodoo? I’ve read about Tercel ignitors and bracket wizardry, but any real-world success stories on an OBD1 80?

I appreciate any advice, jokes, or well-placed memes you can throw at me. Maybe it’s the mezcal frying my neurons, but I can’t figure why one ignitor is dead and the others are dancing like they’re at a quinceañera. Thanks in advance, and cheers from Oaxaca!

—Damon (and Shay, future ignitor smuggler)