2.9L & 3.0L V6 Tech General discussion of 2.9L and 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger engines.

Distributor / coil pack timing

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Old Mar 24, 2024
  #1  
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Distributor / coil pack timing

"To avoid confusion, remove and tag the spark plug wires one at a time, for replacement.

If a distributor is not keyed for installation with only one orientation, it could have been removed previously and rewired. The resultant wiring would hold the correct firing order, but could change the relative placement of the plug towers in relation to the engine. For this reason it is imperative that you label all wires before disconnecting any of them. Also, before removal, compare the current wiring with the accompanying illustrations."

Highlight:
Does this mean that if I flip the coil pack in the picture 180 degrees it would still fire correctly?
I.e, 4 takes the spot of 1, 5 takes the spot of 3, and so on.

Is the firing order and orientation controlled by the coil pack / distributor or the unit underneath the coil pack / distributor?

OR does the unit underneath the coil pack/ distributor supply the same power to all coils part of the coil pack and based on how it's keyed it'll send power to the spark plugs in a certain order?

What do they mean by "keyed"?

Scratching my head.
​​​​​
thanks.

 

Last edited by Elfexia_Motors; Mar 24, 2024 at 05:41 PM.
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Old Mar 24, 2024
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No

1 and 5 need to be on the same end as they are now in relation to the 4 wire plug in

1 2 3
5 6 4

180deg rotation of coil pack

3 2 1
4 6 5

There are only 3 coils in a V6 coil pack, coil 1, coil 2 and coil 3
The Spark plugs are fired in Pairs
Coil 1 1/5
Coil 2 2/6
Coil 3 3/4

You can reverse the spark plug wires at the coil pack for each pair coil stays in same orientation

1 2 3
5 6 4
becomes
5 6 4
1 2 3

Would work exactly the same
 
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Old Mar 24, 2024
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Coil orientation

Originally Posted by RonD
No

1 and 5 need to be on the same end as they are now in relation to the 4 wire plug in

1 2 3
5 6 4

180deg rotation of coil pack

3 2 1
4 6 5

There are only 3 coils in a V6 coil pack, coil 1, coil 2 and coil 3
The Spark plugs are fired in Pairs
Coil 1 1/5
Coil 2 2/6
Coil 3 3/4

You can reverse the spark plug wires at the coil pack for each pair coil stays in same orientation

1 2 3
5 6 4
becomes
5 6 4
1 2 3

Would work exactly the same
Coil

The video I saw had them like this:
<-- front of vehicle
4 6 5
3 2 1
​​​​​​its like they took the coil pack and flipped it around

Video: https://youtu.be/yXt0edzY8mA?si=X-pacjqHMx8TnKFl
​​​
 
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Old Mar 24, 2024
  #4  
Elfexia_Motors's Avatar
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mechanic tips

A friend mechanic said that the crank sensor communicates the signal of which coil to fire. Unlike a distributor, the coil pack is independent of this. So even if I were to flip the coil pack from
<-- front of engine
1 2 3
5 6 4
to
4 6 5
3 2 1
the computer would still know 1 and 4 coil position and fire the coils in the right order
​​​​​
​​​​​


 

Last edited by Elfexia_Motors; Mar 24, 2024 at 10:23 PM.
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Old Mar 24, 2024
  #5  
Elfexia_Motors's Avatar
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Coil pack order spark

<-- Front of engine
1 2 3
5 6 4
coil 1: 1,5
coil 2: 2,6
coil 3: 3,4

​​​​fire order: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6

From what I understand
Cyl 1 will fire and cyl 5 spark will be "flying in the air" until the coil gets to it. Same with coil 2 and 3.
​​​
 
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Old Mar 25, 2024
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A V6 engine is balanced in Matched Pairs, so cylinders 1 and 5 are both at TDC(top dead center) at the same time, as are 2/6 and 3/4, 120deg a part

You can tell the Match pairs of any engine by its firing order
1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6
Put one half below the other
1, 4, 2,
5, 3, 6
Those are the Matched pairs the engine designer used to balance the engine
1/5, 4/3, 2/6

The CAM decides the firing order of a 4-stroke engine, while 1 and 5 are both at TDC, one will be on compression stroke and the other on exhaust stroke because of the Cam

Most single cylinder gasoline engines use crank shaft timing to spark the the plug, so it sparks EVERY TDC, just easier to setup, spark on compress stroke keeps it running, spark on exhaust stroke doesn't hurt anything(not its not for emissions, lol)
This was the original spark system for a gasoline engine in the 1890's, a "Waste Spark system"

With the advent of multi-cylinder engines and limited Tech at the time, a distributor with POINTS was hooked to the Cam, the points sparked the single coil, the distributor sent that spark to the correct cylinder, that was the beginning of the "Firing Order", a distributor system is less reliable than Waste Spark but there was no other option if you wanted multiple cylinders, back then

Welcome to the 1990's and distributorless spark systems, back to the more reliable Waste Spark system using crank timing and transistor to spark a coil
1 and 5 coil is sparked, so 1 spark is wasted, so back to the actual "good old days", lol, way back
So only 3 coils are needed not 6

Cam sensors were added for better sequential fuel injection which makes for lower emissions

As for why Ford did the 1 2 3 on one side I guess they though it would be easier, but in my opinion it just causes DIYers to goof up the 5 6 4 side
If they did
1 4 2
5 3 6
I think people would pay more attention, lol


 

Last edited by RonD; Mar 25, 2024 at 08:47 PM.
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Old Mar 26, 2024
  #7  
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Clarification

Originally Posted by RonD

You can reverse the spark plug wires at the coil pack for each pair coil stays in same orientation

1 2 3
5 6 4
becomes
5 6 4
1 2 3

Would work exactly the same
That explains why the person in the video had his coil pack
4 6 5
3 2 1

Rather than the original
1 2 3
5 6 4
You see what he did there? He rotated the coil pack 180 degs on it's x axis and it still works the same.
It was confusing to me at first.
So as long as the pairs match (ex. 1 same end as 5) the ignition would be ok?
The thing is that I thought that each spark was like hardwired to a certain terminal in the coil pack. So if you flipped the coil pack like above it wouldn't work cus 1 belongs where 4 now is so 1 would fire and since 4 is there now which fires after 1, you would now have the wrong firing order.
Thanks for all your help.
​​​
​​​​
 

Last edited by Elfexia_Motors; Mar 26, 2024 at 10:09 PM.
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Old Mar 26, 2024
  #8  
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ignition timing

"The ignition timing is preset and is not adjustable.

These engines utilize a Distributorless Ignition System (DIS). On this system, ignition coil packs fire the spark plugs directly through the spark plug wires. All spark timing and advance is determined by the ignition control module and engine control computer. No ignition timing adjustments are necessary or possible.

The ignition timing is preset to 10 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) and is not adjustable. "
 
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