# 1 coil will not fire?

[storm44442006]

1995 Ford Windstar 3.8L The # 1 spark will not fire from the igantion Coil..All plugs and wire are working..The Ignation Modual checked out good..I tryied replacing the coil pack..The new one installed coil # 3 did not fire. So spark plugs # 6 & 2 would not work..Checked both new and old coils out of the vehical and they both checked out ok to specks with a ohm meter..Replaced the new one with the old one.. Then the # 1 would not fire...Now i also have a problem with the engine not staring sometimes..It will crank but no start sometimes..Cut out and die when driving..

Norm
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[wiswind]

Your results are somewhat confusing (I am easy to confuse).
The coil pack has 3 coils.
Each coil fires 2 spark plugs.......a plug is at each end of the secondary winding.
So....1 spark is used to fire a cylinder....and the other spark is "wasted" by firing a plug during the exhaust cycle.

Now....for the original coil problem....firing on ALL but cylinder #1......
1...you could try switching the wires at the coil pack between cylinder #1 and #5.....they are directly across from each other.

2....Does the problem move to cylinder #5 and cylinder #1 now fires?.....I would be looking at the plug wire and spark plug for the problem.

3....If cylinder #5 STILL fires and cylinder #1 still does not....then I would suspect the coil pack.

Take NOTE of how the cylinder numbers match up on the coil.....easy to get mixed up.


A quick rundown on the coil pack.....this is for my '96...and I expect your '95 to match up to this.


Now, on the primary (input, or PCM side), which is the multipin connector pin #4 is at about +12 Volts whenever the key is in the RUN or START position.
Pin #4 also connects to 1 end of the primary winding for each of the 3 coils.

Then the other pin of each coil connects to the PCM....which provides a momentary ground to each of these pins to fire each coil.
Coil #1 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #3
Coil #2 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #1
Coil #3 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #2

Coil secondaries (high voltage) connect as follows
Coil #1 fires cylinders #5 and #1
Coil #2 fires cylinders #4 and #3
Coil #3 fires cylinders #6 and #2

If you hold the coil pack so that the electrical connector is on the right side...and you are looking down into the connectors....
Coil #3 is in the middle with cyinder #2 next to the electrical connector
Coil #1 would be at the top with cylinder #1 on the electrical connector side
Coil #2 would be at the bottom with cylinder #3 on the electrical connector side

At the PCM,
Coil #1 (coil pack pin 3)connects to PCM pin #26 through a Dark Blue with Light Green stripe wire
Coil #2 (coil pack pin 1) connects to PCM pin #52 through a Red with Light Blue stripe wire
Coil #3 (coil pack pin 2) connects to PCM pin #78 through a Pink with White stripe wire


The PCM pin #26....is hard to make out on the drawing.....but looks more to me like a 26 than a 28.

The +12 Volts comes into the coil pack multipin connector Pin #4 through a Red with Light green stripe wire.....through fuse #20 (25amp) in the I/P fuse panel.

[storm44442006]

I have tryied switching #1 fires and the problem moves to # 5..

I replaced the coil pack with a new one..When installed the #1 and 5 would fire..but strange enough coil # 3 the middle one would not fire cylinder # 2&6 would not fire....

I checked both the new and old coil packs with a ohm meter out of the vehical and they both cheked out the same to specks..

When i installed the old coil pack again..The car would not start..It would not start but it would crank...Then the next day it started?

Originally Posted by wiswind

Your results are somewhat confusing (I am easy to confuse).
The coil pack has 3 coils.
Each coil fires 2 spark plugs.......a plug is at each end of the secondary winding.
So....1 spark is used to fire a cylinder....and the other spark is "wasted" by firing a plug during the exhaust cycle.

Now....for the original coil problem....firing on ALL but cylinder #1......
1...you could try switching the wires at the coil pack between cylinder #1 and #5.....they are directly across from each other.



2....Does the problem move to cylinder #5 and cylinder #1 now fires?.....I would be looking at the plug wire and spark plug for the problem.

3....If cylinder #5 STILL fires and cylinder #1 still does not....then I would suspect the coil pack.


Take NOTE of how the cylinder numbers match up on the coil.....easy to get mixed up.


A quick rundown on the coil pack.....this is for my '96...and I expect your '95 to match up to this.


Now, on the primary (input, or PCM side), which is the multipin connector pin #4 is at about +12 Volts whenever the key is in the RUN or START position.
Pin #4 also connects to 1 end of the primary winding for each of the 3 coils.

Then the other pin of each coil connects to the PCM....which provides a momentary ground to each of these pins to fire each coil.
Coil #1 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #3
Coil #2 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #1
Coil #3 primary connects to the PCM through coil pack pin #2

Coil secondaries (high voltage) connect as follows
Coil #1 fires cylinders #5 and #1
Coil #2 fires cylinders #4 and #3
Coil #3 fires cylinders #6 and #2

If you hold the coil pack so that the electrical connector is on the right side...and you are looking down into the connectors....
Coil #3 is in the middle with cyinder #2 next to the electrical connector
Coil #1 would be at the top with cylinder #1 on the electrical connector side
Coil #2 would be at the bottom with cylinder #3 on the electrical connector side

At the PCM,
Coil #1 (coil pack pin 3)connects to PCM pin #26 through a Dark Blue with Light Green stripe wire
Coil #2 (coil pack pin 1) connects to PCM pin #52 through a Red with Light Blue stripe wire
Coil #3 (coil pack pin 2) connects to PCM pin #78 through a Pink with White stripe wire


The PCM pin #26....is hard to make out on the drawing.....but looks more to me like a 26 than a 28.

The +12 Volts comes into the coil pack multipin connector Pin #4 through a Red with Light green stripe wire.....through fuse #20 (25amp) in the I/P fuse panel.

[wiswind]

It sounds like you have done just what I would have done......does not make sense.
I have to wonder if there is a problem with the connector or wire harness that is causing a bad connection.
It sure sounds like a bad coil.......but then the issue with the replacement sounds like a connection issue......just that 1 pin that goes to the PCM will take out the 2 cylinders on that coil.
It is possible that you just got a defective coil.
On my '96.....it is so hard to see around the coil....I think it is easier on the '95.

There is that "radio interferance" capacitor......but that would take all cylinders out if it were bad.
Now-adays, I think the interferance capacitor is as important for keeping the electrical noise from the electronics that control the engine as it used to be for the radio.

It sure sounds like a defective replacement coil or a defective wire in the wire harness......also give the pins in the connector on the wire harness a look to see if they are making a good connection to the pins in the coil pack connector.