My 2002 Escape V6 with 80,000 miles developed a miss, diagnosis code was P0351 (ignition coil A primary/secondary circuit malfunction). I replaced the COP on #1 as well as all spark plugs. The problem still persists so I swapped the COP on #1 with #4 and the code still indicates "coil A". I'm stumped any help appreciated.

 

I'm no mechanic but will the code clear by itself? So if the problem was indeed fixed would it clear itself or do you need to reset it with a scanner or disconnecting the battery for a while? I understand some newer cars disconnecting the battery won't even clear the codes. I don't have the service manual for my Escape yet so I can't be of much help. I have more experience working on trouble codes for my 87 and 89 Nissan pulsars. (way more than I ever wanted) :-)


Tom

 

I reset code with scanner, and code returns when I drive, also the persistant miss is still there and the spark plug on #1 upon inspection appears to have not been firing.

 

I broke down and took the escape to the local ford dealer, I told the service guy what I had checked and that I thought is was the ECM that was bad. Well 4 hours and $90 later they called and said the ECM was bad and for $700+ they could fix it.

I will pick it up tomorrow morning and fedex my ecm to a remanufacturer and within 3-5 days I will be up and running for less than $300. (or thats the plan anyway...)

 

Need to revive this old thread to find out if replacing the ECM fixed Firemanjonjon's problem.

I have an 01 Escape with the exact same problem. I have replaced the coil for cylender 1 and the same code still persists. P0351

Is there anyway to test the ECM before you replace it?

Also, did it work well to get it remanufactured? Who did you use?

Thanks,

 

This is somewhat common. The wiring near the pcm connector fatigues within a few inches of the connector.The constant torquing back and forth of the engine eventually breaks the wires.

 

Antony25, I got the thing pulled back apart and gave the wires a close looking over and do not see any signs of fatigue. Same symptoms as before. I did pull the plug and compared it to a few others and it seems about the same. I was a little supprised at the amount of carbon build up on the three plugs I examined, but they were consisten.
So,,I think I am back to the ECM suggestion. I still want to know if the thing can be tested before being sent in for reprograming. I dont see why the ECM would go bad for only one coil when it is sealed inside the firewall..

Any other ideas would be much appreciated..

In the mean time I can work on extracting the bolt from the intake manafold that I broke off during reassembly last time. F

Thanks

 

If the coil is new and the wiring tests good (load tested and connector pins not spread open.). The pcm is the next thing to replace.

 

mine did the same thing...but mine was coil 3.....replaced all plugs and put in a new coil......still the same problem.....the only other thing i could think of was the pcm...took it to ford, and yep that was the problem

I have a 01 escape wil 76,000 on it....Ford covers the pcm for 8 years/80,000 miles....so im getting a brand new one at no cost to me....sweetness considering they are well over 1,000......so that might be your problem

 

Hey guys thanks for the advice.

Antony, you were right, it was the wire. I gave them a look over and did not see the break. I did end up having to take it to the dealer and they load tested the wire and found that there was a break.

It was a bit of a fight to keep them from replacing the coil that I had already repaced twice.

Thanks

 

Friday AM my 2001 Ford Escape w/86,000 miles felt like it was beginning to stall and the emissions yellow light came on -- so I took it to nearest Ford dealer (I was out of town on business) --they replaced #6 coil and boot assembly and 1 spark plug; they also pronounced "carbon build up in intake" and performed "add intake decarb kit--intake cleaner" as well as performing a Fuel system flush - induction kit. Rationale: to keep the other coils from going bad also & problem repeating itself. Grand total: $566.48 I asked about a tune-up but that didn't seem to be an issue.... Runs fine now...200 miles & 1 day later....

 

New member here. I also have a misfire code for cylinder 1 coil. I replaced it and the plug as well and still get the CEL code after resetting. I found on other forum sites that this is a common problem.

As I don't have a lot of $ to replace everything, is there a colaborative step by step method to trouble shoot and fix this. I've heard PCM, ECM, replace primary coil, Replace all 6 secondary coils. My wallet is starting to hurt.

Any help from your experiences would be great.
Thanks,
Al

 

I suggest unwrapping the bundle of wires from the PCM and see if there are any broken wires. This is what was wrong with mine.

 

Thanks Perrymac. I did some fiddling around last night checking wire harnesess. Excuse my ignorance but can you tell me where the PCM is located? I found the fuse box and relay box and the OBDII under the dash.

 

The ECM Electronic Control Module and the PCM Power Control Module are different terms for the same thing. You can find it by tracing the big bundle of wires up from the top/back area of the engin to the top center of the fire wall. The PCM is the component that the bundle of wires runs into. The break on my wire occured where it enters the PCM.
Dont worry I had to look this stuff up when I was having the problem. I recomend you get at Hayes manual from your local part store.

There is a chance you got sold a bad coil. You could always swap it with another one from a cylender that is not tripping a code to check. I know this is no fun since the one you are working on is on the back of the engin.

Good luck