2001 2.3l RWD DOHC

I recently swapped out my plugs, wires and coil. The new coil was a motocraft. The truck ran horribly, so i reinstalled my original NGK, The truck was running perfectly, so I got a new NGK coil and installed it. The truck wouldn't even turnover or it would go to try and make kind of a stalling noise. So I inspected again and noticed the sending unit wasnt clipping in place( its wings finally broke off) and the wires appeared exposed so I replaced the sending unit. To do a test run i just twisted the correct wires together and taped them off then tried with both coils and it seemed like it would try and turnover then do its stalling thing (its not a stall it just sounds like a mini one)

I am at a total loss as to what to do.

Do the wires definitely need to be soldered to work?

Is there a way to test the things with a volt meter? The coil? Sending Unit?

How can I make sure it's getting spark or confirm it?

Thank you in advance.

 

Coil pack has just 2 coils inside and 3 wires connected(not counting the 4 spark plug wires)

Each coil spark 2 spark plugs at a time, cylinders 1 and 4 share a coil, and 3 and 4 share the other coil
So the order of the spark plug wires are important, triple check that

OK, the 3 wires
Center wire is RED, that wire should have 12volts with Key ON, if not then fuse 19 in the cab fuse box is blown
The 2 Outside wires are Grounds, controlled by the computer
You can put a test light from battery positive to either of these ground wires and crank engine over, test light should flash on and off as engine turns, that means computer is sparking the coil pack

You can use an OHM meter to test if both coils in the pack are Bad, you can't test if they are good, lol
Set OHM meter for 200 ohms
Touch one probe to center pin on coil, touch other probe to either outer pin, 0.9 to 1.6 ohms should be seen
Then test other outer pin
If either shows 0 ohms or above 10 ohms then its bad

Because these run at such low OHMS there is no way to test if they are good when they get HOT, and they do get HOT

 

Is there a way to do the ground wire test with a volt meter? I don't have a test light.

Thanks @RonD

 

Analog volt meter maybe
Digital meter would be tough to see since it sparks/grounds so fast, you would most likely just get a steady lower voltage(lower than battery volts)

 

@RonD

I did everything on this list and everything checked out.
Old and New coil (NGK) were right at 1.6
Power checked out to new sending unit at 12v after soldering.
Used a test light and grounds were both firing

Triple checked the coil pack wiring
23
41

Tried with old coil pack. No ignition, just the werring sound, pulled it and confirmed it was set at 1.6ohms.

Anything else to do? Im at a total loss.

 

@RonD ,

I think I have attached a video of the cranking if it will help.

 

Also, I pulled the #1 spark plug.

 

Does the CEL(check engine light) come on with key on, that means computer is powered up?

And does the CEL go OFF as soon as engine starts to turn, i.e. starter motor is turning engine, if so then computer is seeing a timing pulse from crank sensor, so will start spark

If CEL stays on when cranking engine then replace crank sensor, this part very rarely fails so a long shot at best, check its wiring as best you can

After that its most likely a computer problem, as that's all that's left

 

@RonD

Sorry for the delay. just got back into the garage.

CEL performs normally
we checked to make sure we are getting spark, compression, and we can hear the fuel pump and smell gas when cranking with the boot and plug out for a spark test.

Im at a loss. My battery is only reading 12.4 volts. could that be it?

Also we sprayed fluid into the intake during a crank and it back fired.
is there a way to make sure fuel injectors are working right?


Help please

 

50/50 test, spraying fuel into the engine should get engine to start up and run normally until that added fuel is used up

That's not happening so you have a Spark issue or compression issue

Check firing order on coil pack, at least 2 more times, then check it again, lol
back fire means spark.............at the wrong time

2.3l Duratec should have 150+ psi compression, it runs 9.7:1 ratio so 170psi is expected

 

@RonD ,

Ive checked the the 23/41 so many times. I had other people look at it. taken pictures. fml. :)

Spark
My buddy and I did a visual spark test. We grounded one end and capped it with the boot on the other. He confirmed spark when I cranked it. We did it for the 1 and 2 spot. Should we confirm 3 and 4?

Compression
While doing the above we a left a boot in without a plug. The compression pressure popped the boot out nicely. The only other compression test I know is to do the same but with a towel or something instead of the boot. Any way we confirmed pressure on al cylinders.

Crank Censor and CEL
I need to amend my last post. When I crank the key the CEL flickers very rapidly in sync with the crank sounds of the engine. I just replaced the crank censor and timing chain last year. Is there a more conclusive test? Is it necessary?

What can lead to spark at the wrong time?
You mentioned the computer, how can I look into this possibility?
My 12.4 volt battery really isn't the issue?
What type of spark plug should i be using? was NGK iridium the wrong approach?

Thank you so much for your time and effort. I tell stories about your greatness frequently.

 

Just reverse the spark plug wires on coil pack to test, 41/23, if no change then put them back

Also do the 50/50 test, that's the ONLY WAY to test spark timing on distributorless engines
It either starts or it doesn't
If it doesn't start then there is no spark at the right time, its the ONLY WAY to test for spark timing


Your comment about the CEL flickering while engine is turning over is trouble some, that points to a crank sensor issue, only sensor that can cause a no start
It could the sensor itself or the Tone Ring it reads
Flickering could be the sensor is too far away from tone ring, or tone ring is bent slightly or ???
Sensor must maintain the same distance from spinning tone ring to get the 35 pulses(teeth) and then the GAP(missing tooth) for TDC



Engines with low compression can't start, you need a pressure gauge to test compression, as said 170psi is expected
So you can have 90psi compression and a no start, so your "tests" are not showing that you have full compression

Using Quick Start(ether) with the 50/50 test can help to see if its a spark timing or low compression issue
Explaination
Liquid gasoline can not be ignited by a spark, yes the movie guys take liberties with this one, lol
Only gasoline Vapor can be ignited by a spark, vapor is what you smell, and cold gasoline has almost no smell so low Vapor
Engine needs a minimum of 30% Vapor to get a good ignition by spark
Cold engine and cold gasoline = hard to start because of low Vapor
That's what a Choke is for, adds more cold gasoline to try and get vapor up above 30% for start up

Compression HEATS up the air, and gasoline, inside the cylinder, the higher the compression the more it heats up the air

So when an engine is cold it can take a few cranks to get it started, each time its cranked the cylinders internal temp gets warmer and warmer from the compression stroke

Ether is a "starting fluid" because it has a lower Vapor point than gasoline and its flammable, so a spark can ignite Ether at lower temps than it could gasoline
Temp has to be VERY VERY COLD for you to not smell Ether, lol

 

@RonD

ITS RUNNING!!!!!!!

I'm embarrassed to say but I had wired the sender incorrectly. I was matching it to the one I had but I discovered that it was broken so bad it went in either way. Any way, I have the new coil and wires on but I have my original spark plugs in.

It turned on and ran fine at the beginning ( I Think it's supposed to go 1100 rpms on start before it settles down to its 800 idle), then there was some surging. I took it for a test drive and 3 things happened:

1. As I was slowing to a stop or to turn with the truck in neutral it would stall. A few times it stopped itself right before it stalled and sprang to a normal idle.

2. When turning to either side there were shimmies. From a stop it was more pronounced than at speed.

3. While in 3rd gear cruising at 1500-2500, when I would gently accelerate there would be a jerking.

Well ​​​​​@RonD, thanks so much for helping me this far, if you can help with the 3 items above it would be greatly appreciated as well.

 

Good work

Always clean MAF sensor when there is jerkyness and/or stalls

After engine is warmed up and idling, unplug the IAC Valve's 2 wires, RPMs should drop and engine might even stall, either is good, this is a test for Vacuum leaks, if RPMs do not drop you have a vacuum leak somewhere

Yes, cold idle should be 1,100 or so, the colder it is outside the higher Cold Idle will be
Warm idle for 4cyl engine with an automatic is about 800-850 in gear
For a manual its 750

4cyl engines vibrate like crazy below 750, its because they only fire every 180deg of crank rotation, V6 fires every 120deg, V8 every 90deg so these are much smoother at lower RPM
If RPMs are dropping low when foot is off the gas then that may be the "shimmy" you are feeling, just "normal" vibration but RPMs should NOT be that low, so could be part of the same "stalling" issue

Ford recommends changing the PCV Valve on these engines every Year, but that seems to frequent, but I would say to change it every 2 years, and make sure hose is clear
PCV Valve can cause issues with running, at idle and at speed both, its a "controlled" vacuum leak unless the valve starts sticking open or closed, then it becomes a "random" vacuum leak, lol
Pain to change it but should be done

 

@RonD

cleaned the MAF and it stalled during the IAC test. Everything sounded great and took it for a test drive.

Ran pretty good. The shuddering on turns seem to dissipate with time but would flare up too.

The big thing is that in gear 2-5, there is a lot of hesitation and lurching forward between 2200-3000 rpms. Sometimes I could get though it In 2-4 if I gently accelerated but if I put my foot down in any way it would hesitate. I tried 5th gear on the freeway and I could never really get over 2500 rpms. It seemed like anytime there was a load on the engine it would start to hesitate.

it felt very similar to when I swapped the coil, wires and plugs but left a sheath on a plug.

any help is as alway much appreciated

 

@RonD

It seems that the turning shudder continues to dissipate.

however the power hesitation remains.

I pulled the upstream o2 sensor today and tested it and it’s sending unit. The sender was 12.8v and the sensor was 9.7ohms.

im not sure where to look next

 

Not sure what you mean about the O2 sensor, it can't cause running issue like hesitations, just false lean or rich codes

 

@RonD ,

I read online that the upstream O2 sensor on the exhaust before the catalytic converter is bad that it can cause problems similar to what I’m having. Guess I was wrong.

Just did another test drive and the issue seems to be this:

If the truck is cold or at running temp, I can accelerate though my gear to 5th if I use gentle pressure on the pedal. If I put my foot down in any way the truck hesitates. It hesitated in neutral as well.


Another board had symptoms like that and it led me to the o2 sensor.