hello everybody, I've got a 2011 ford ranger with a 4.0 sohc. the other day i was driving though town when i heard a small pop and then the truck started struggling and shaking it wasn't even two miles later the truck died and would not restart, I instantly thought it was a fuse and in fact it was f44 under the hood that had popped. I replaced the fuse and the truck started but still wasn't running right it kept popping the fuse after about 1-2 minutes of running so I fiddled with some grounds and it fixed my fuse problem but the truck was at first giving me a p0351,2,and 3 code which is for my ignition a b and c, but after messed with that ground all I was left with was a p0352 code, so I went and changed coil pack, plugs, plug wires, I went through and checked every fuse and ground I could find. I couldn't find any problems. I started the truck and started pulling plug wires to check for spark and found out number 3 and 4 are getting very little spark if any, and yes I know that 3 and 4 are on the same coil, I'm just running out of ideas before I get the PCM replaced. the truck is getting fuel in the cylinders because the plugs where wet when I pulled them to check if it was getting fuel. thanks in advance

 

Fuse 44 in engine bay should be for the coil pack, engine should have died instantly when that fuse blew

Did you also replace the noise capacitor that's hooked to the 12volt wire on the coil pack or at least leave it unplugged?
Looks like this one: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/idkAA...yu5/s-l300.jpg
Usually bolted to one of the coil pack bolts to ground it
If this part fails it would blow fuse 44, its just there to prevent Spark noise on AM radio stations

Yes, could be computer issue but check wires first
Coil pack has one 12volt wire, from fuse 44, all 3 coils share this 12volts
And 3 Ground wires, one for each coil in the coil pack
These 3 wires run back to the computer
The computer uses "transistor" like units to ground(power up) and then unground(discharge) each coil in the pack, so there are 3 of these circuits

While its not at all common for one of these circuits to fail it is possible

I would test each of these ground wires with test light or meter hooked to battery positive and the ground to be tested
When you crank the engine over light/meter should flash as computer grounds and ungrounds that wire
Should be a definitive OFF and on
In your case test coils ground for 1/5 and 2/6 first so you know what to look for when testing 3/4 coil
Unplug the 4 wire connector for testing so a no start, just cranking

If that 1 wire has shorted fully or partially to ground that could be the problem, it can't fully discharge(spark)

Next step would be to pull out the computer and have a look inside, you WILL see a damaged area if a coil transistor failed, alot of energy passes thru that circuit

 

that's what i was thinking because every time the fuse blew the truck died instantly, will go and test those grounds for power, do you know by any chance where they are grounded to?

 

No, it would be one of the computers grounds, I think there are 6 grounds but 4 use the same ground point on firewall, not sure where the other 2 are grounded, most of the grounds are not "shared" inside the computer, there is a chassis ground that is but I think that's it

The 3 coil grounds would be/should be common/shared between the 3 transistors

Almost all systems are operated by Computer grounding the device, all solenoids, all fuel injectors, most relays, so if there was a computer ground issue there should be several systems with issues