I keep getting a code 44 (ignition problem) from the ECU! Is there a fix?

Here is an excerpt from message #7 of the December 22, 1998 Digest, where Todd Day (the 'talon mgr') summarizes this problem:

" What to do if you get a code 44? Well, it seems that no one on this list (myself included) ever got this code thrown for a legitimate reason, like the coil being blown or the drive transistors being dead. I would start with the connections that go from the ECU to the drive transistors, the connections between the drive transistors and the coils, and finally the "tachometer" feedback link from the transistor unit to the ECU. Lastly, check the ground on the transitors as well as the power lead to the coils.

Oldtimers on this list might remember that this very problem happened to me the morning of the Virginia City Hillclimb a few years back. I tried messing around with a lot of stuff, including wiggling all the coil connections. The problem magically went away and didn't come back until a few days later. I wiggled the connections again and it didn't come back until the next roadtrip I took. Again, after that, it happened on a long roadtrip. I've not since seen it in over four years. I have done nothing special to solve the problem other than wiggling the connections. Guess the last time was the charm."

Fortunately, Darrick Yezak has come up with a more specific answer to the code 44 gremlin. On his 1990 AWD, the wiring harness leading to the power transistor was short enough to actually end up pulling the wires out of the connector. After he extended the wires to eliminate the tension, his code 44 problem went away. He said he had similar success with two different cars. Aaron Litt found a similar problem - the bottom two connections on his '90 pack connector became corroded and caused a code 44 problem. Those plagued with the code 44 will want to check their harness and connector ASAP.

Code 44 CAN come up legitimately, but you will know it, because you'll suddenly be driving a 3000 lb go-kart. The power transistor is easier to change, so try it first.