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'03 E250 w/4.2L

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Old May 15, 2012 | 01:52 PM
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Unhappy '03 E250 w/4.2L

2003 E-250 with 4.2L V-6 - 222K miles

I have an intermittent misfire issue. The misfire "appears" to come when the motor is heated up and running, say after 20+ miles or so.

I scanned and it, and came up with "P0352". I changed the CoilPak with a new one, but the issue is still there.

When she runs right, it runs good and smooth. When she misfires, the power is gone (I am assuming it is running on 4 cylinders then) and gas mileage is poor.

In checking the wiring diagram there are four wires to the CoilPak. Three (3) from the PCM, and one (1) from a 12VDC source. It appears the PCM modulates the ground to each coil (which sparks two cylinders at a time). I can't see any device(s) between the PCM and the CoilPak. The possibility exists there maybe a bad wire connection (Plug or socket) on the CoilPak but, why would heat change this...???

I am open for suggestions......
 
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Old May 15, 2012 | 04:47 PM
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My 150 w/ 4.2 had about 50k on it when I bought it and did the same thing.Figured it was ignition related. Wrong. Turned out to be the ports in the intake manifold were jammed with blowby from the pcv/egr gasses. I took the intake off and cleaned them out with throttle body cleaner and also gave the whole intake a good cleaning.Ford says to replace the "isolator bolts" when doing this but at 8-9 bucks apiece i think I'll pass next time around.That was 60k ago and now I think it's coming back.I seem to feel a slight stumble at times that's similar to the original problem.It may be something else entirely.I tried pulling the brake booster hose off and sprayed about a can of cleaner into the intake and it may have helped slightly.Hope this helps.Good luck and keep us posted.
 
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Old May 15, 2012 | 11:09 PM
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While dennyo's van may seem like it was doing the same thing the P0352 points to the ignition system being the culprit. Coincidences are unlikely here considering the P0352 code occurs when there is a misfire and power loss, so that's my bet in this case.

Something that's important to remember is that when you have a trouble code it doesn't necessarily mean that the component is bad, just that the PCM is seeing something wrong. It could be a bad wiring harness or a shorted wire as well. I would check the wiring to the coil pack and go from there.

ON edit: See HERE
 
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Old May 16, 2012 | 05:50 AM
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This engine has a "CoilPak" and no COP's




The CoilPak has the four Male Tabs (and that is new). I checked the female portion of the connector and found no burnt and discolored terminals or wires.
 
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Old May 16, 2012 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by JWA
+1 on Crazy001's COP issue indication----that code is definitely related to the #2 cylinder misfiring, most likely an issue with the COP or plug.
I think you're confusing this for a P0302 which is "Cylinder 2 Misfire" with his P0352 which means "Ignition Coil B Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction". The 4.2L V6 never used COPs, those were exclusive to the Modular engines.
 
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Old May 16, 2012 | 09:41 AM
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Update........

I just pulled all the spark plugs to see if any red flags showed up. All looked good and I checked the gap (.054") per the manual. All OK.
 
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Old May 28, 2012 | 01:48 PM
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UPDATE........

Turned out to be a bad PCM driver on pin 52. PCM was under warranty and was replaced. Runs like a top now.

Thanks to all that responded.
 
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Old May 28, 2012 | 08:09 PM
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covered by warranty with those miles and age?
do tell how.
 
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Old May 29, 2012 | 05:30 AM
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Sorry, a new PCM was installed in Oct 2011.
 
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