My 94 ranger 2.3l 2w auto had a check engine light , I scanned it and got 224 (primary ignition coil pack) checked it , replaced it the wores and plugs. Reset CEL it came back 224. What else is there to check for this problem. Happy New Year
Thanks
Lou58

 

Welcome to FTE.

P224 = EEC processor/ECA, detected coil 1-2-3 or 4 primary circuit fault. Dual plug engines, 91 on.

SO, seeing as how it's a "circuit" problem, you need to put the primary wiring to both coil packs on your suspect list.

At KOEO, using your multimeter, confirm that you have B+ voltage going to both coil packs electrical connector.
If so & you have an inductive type timing light, with the engine running, check the spark output of both coil packs, to determine which ones primary may not be getting ground switched by the computer & thus has no spark output & check that coils ground lead continuity all the way back to the computer.
If continuity checks out, maybe suspect the computers ground switching driver for that coil pack primary, has gone belly up.
A good electronic Tech should be able to open the computer up & check it out & replace it.

Let us know what you find.

 

I am by no means and electrical tech with that said here we go.
1. I will unplug both coil packs and check for 12v at the connector.
2. I do not have an inductive timing light(don't even know what it is.) is there another way to check the spark out put if so exactly where do I check it at.
3. About checking continuity where and how do I go about it.
Thanks for the the help.
Lou58

 

An inductive timing light has a clamp with a coil inside, that fits around any coil or plug secondary ignition wire & through induction from the high voltage inside the wire, produces a voltage that triggers a timing light, so it'll flash & thus we quickly & safely know we have spark output from the coil pack & on that wire.

This inductive type timing light is safer to use on todays high voltage spark systems, than the old inline/series type timing light, that had exposed electrical connections.

If you don't have or can't come by either timing light, you could disable the fuel pump, so the engine won't run or the cylinders won't get washed down, pull an easy to get to plug wire from each coil pack, hook it up to an old spark plug & ground the plug shell, then have someone crank the engine & see which plug isn't sparking & thus know which coil pack is without spark.

On the continuity test, you'd disconnect the coil pack & firewall mounted computer electrical connectors & back probe the coilpacks B+ feed wire & B- return wire to the computer, on both ends, so your meauring continuity of the wire in question, on say the X1, or X10 ohms scale of your DVOM. If you don't get a reading, the wire is open circuit somewhere in between. If you get a high resistance/high ohms number, you likely have broken wire strands, corrosion in a connection somewhere in between, a loose connection, ect, anyway the high resistance will cause a voltage drop that'll cause mischief, like no, or weak spark output from the troubled coil pack.

To determine which wires to do the continuity check on, you'll need the electrical repair manual that has the coilpack & computers electrical connectors wire color code for your year/model engine.

Do the continuity/ohms check with the ignition off, or so there isn't any B+ on the wires, so just in case you make a mistake it won't over voltage/blow your meter when it's on the ohms scale.

 

Thank You I will give it a shot

 

I used an inductive timming light on the primary coil pack wires all 4 flashed did the same to the secondary coil pack 2 wires were dead does this mean the coil pack is dead and needs to be replaced ? I did not get to the continuity test yet do I still have to?

 

OK, good trouble shooting & feedback.

On the coilpack thats not outputting spark on one secondary, with your multimeter on the 20 volt DC scale, is it getting B+/ 12 volts to that primarys electrical connector pin at KOEO????

If not, you need to find out why.

If you have 12volts to that primarys coil, then with the ignition off, measure that coils primary & secondary resistance.
Ford doesn't have a resistance value for the primary. You could measure the good primary winding & that would give you a sense of what the range should be. It's typically less than 5 ohms, maybe less than one ohm.
The secondary winding resistance should be 13K-15K ohms, again you could measure the good coils secondary resistance to verify.

If the seconary resistance checks out ok, then suspect a ground switching problem.
It could be a ground wiring problem back to the computers firewall connector, or a computer ground switching driver, as I suggested in an earlier post.

So do a continuity test on the compuers ground switching wire, between the firewall connector & the coilpack electrical connector pin for that wire. If continuity is good & the computers firewall connector pins/socket contacts & wire look ok, suspect a computer ground switching driver problem.

Let us know what you find.

 

Alright hear goes Checked B+/12v got 11.94v good
checked resistance both packs got 13.38 ohms on all pairs 1&4 - 2&3
so far I checked the B+ wire back to a connector on the fender well ( could not find the wire on the ecm connection) got 1.14 ohms.Had to stop got late.
The next wire to check is the B- wire ( is that the middle wire on the coil connection or the one on the left side?
I dont know if I can go all the way back to the ECM I had it off and had no movement at all to look for the correct wire. Should I cut off the wrap to give me more movement? Hope we are getting close to an answer because I am lost.
Thanks
Lou58

 

OK, good trouble shooting, so you have B+ to both coil primarys in the troubled coil pack, Right????
If so, then your B+ wiring & feed to the coilpack is ok.

Your B+ voltage readings are low, where did you make the readings???? If you made them across the battery posts, it indicates the battery SOC is low & at only 40-50% SOC. A full SOC would measure 12.6 volts across the battery posts.

To maybe save you some time & aggrivation, connect a 12 volt test lamp probe to the coilpack connectors B+ pin & the other lead to the coilpacks electrical connectors ground lead, that goes back to the computer & the computer ground switches to cause the coil to make spark.
Then disable the fuel pump, so the cyls don't get washed down & have someone crank the engine & see if the test lamp will flash. If it does, that ground wire & it's connections back to the computer & the computers ground switching driver are ok, so no need to do a wire resistance check.

So if the test lamp confirms that ground switching is ok for both primary windings in the troubled coilpack, you need to confirm the troubled coilpacks primary & secondary resistance readings.
I'm not clear on your coil pack resistance check.
The coilpacks primary windings resistance shouldn't be that high & the secondary resistance should be way more than that, see my previous post for expected values on both windings.

Keep us posted on your findings.

 

My manual indicates that the secondary coils two ground leads back to the computer are colored T/LG & T/LB,
That coilpacks B+ lead color is R/LG.

 

Checked the Haynes manual my coil in question is the coil pack with wires T/W & T/O B+ R/LG From the front of the truck it's the second and lower coil. The weather isn't too bad today I will see what I come up with.
Thanks
Lou58

 

OK, after re-reading your initial post I finally woke up & realised it's not the Secondary, but the Primary coilpack, with the problem.

Yes my manual also shows your above lead color code is for the Primary coil pack.

If one pair of the plugs doesn't have spark, then you don't have B+ to that coils primary winding, or the primary or secondary windings are open circuit, or the coils primary ground wire back to the computer is open circuit, or the computer ground switching driver isn't working.
So your multimeter, or 12 volt test lamp should tattle on the problem.

I'm not clear on your above coilpack resistance measurments.
The numbers you posted are too high a resistance value for the coilpacks primary winding & too low a reading for the coilpacks secondary winding!!!! See my previous post for the expected primary & secondary windings resistance values.

We also need to know where you made the B+ voltage measurement. If it was across the battery posts, it would indicate the battery is only at about a 40-50% SOC.

SO, you may have the makings of more than one problem, but for now lets stay focused on the "no spark" condition from one of the primary coilpacks windings & get that put right!!!!

 

Here is the latest information I have. It is cold as a mother outside. Had a friend who is a mechanic come over and he tested everything and came up with an ICM being no good. He checked wires going back to the computer and lost me. Since the problem is on the exhaust side of the engine I will have no problem driving , idleing , etc. with that said when I do get a new ICM and install it I will post the results.
I would like to thank you Pawpaw for all your input and patience in dealing with me. You will be the first to know how it turns out.
Thanks
Lou58

 

All Right went to the junk yard and pulled an ICM out got home installed it and the truck is back , more power and I forgot how good it ran. So ends the SAGA OF CODE 224 for me , until the next code.
Lou58

 

OK, good feedback & trouble shooting by your Tech friend & to hear all is better & your "on the road again"!!!!