one side of the ignitor goes to the computer and the other...?

[callmeweezy724]

aight i figured out my problem i took a test light to my ignitor and found out that im gettin power in one plug but not the other..i kno one goes to the computer but i forgot what the other side goes to. Heres some pics.heres the working side this side goes to the computer correct??and heres the not working side where does this one go too?what do u think i should check?

[SpeedRacer1]

to the ignition coil packs.

[callmeweezy724]

ok what should i check on this side being that im not gettin power?

[SpeedRacer1]

Well they should only be giving off power when they are being fired by the ECU. Does the engine turn over? Just put the wiring all back together, pull a coil out and place a plug in it, have somebody hold the electrode close to a ground source (basically any engine/chassis metal) and turn over the engine. You should see spark from the plugs.

[callmeweezy724]

yea i did that im not gettin spark..im tryin to figure out y im not gettin any. So that side only fires when the engine is being cranked? I cranks but it wont start. I need to figure out wuts goin on!

[duffman1278]

Can you try to get a hold of someone elses ECU just to see if this still occurs? Obviously the same ECU.

[callmeweezy724]

nah no one that i kno in my area has an sr swap. Don't you think if the ecu wasnt working then i wouldnt be getting a power to the ecu side? or is that wrong? what else should i check?

[duffman1278]

Not really, I had an issue with my ECU, everything else would work, but I shorted out certain parts of it.

[callmeweezy724]

really? because wen i first hooked my lower harness i did somethin wrong and my ground was smoking and burnt the alternator out..so i changed that with my ka one and got a new alternator fuse..but i swapped out the sr lower harness and used my ka one so everything is good now you think i burnt somethin in my ecu..but i dont think i had it connected at the time. The light thats on the ecu what does that indicate? is it suppose to come on? what does it mean when its on?

[callmeweezy724]

i jus went outside n double checked everything it has to be either my ecu or bad coil packs bc im gettin power from the ignitor to the computer side..power to the harness leading up to the coil pack harness..and power to the coil packs. I tested these with a test light and the light is comin on..however when i grounded the test light and put it to part on the coil pack that the spark plug goes in i get not light which means either my ecu isnt sending the signal or i have bad coil packs correct me if im wrong. I dont think that all four could be no good but i have no one here to turn the key for me right now while i check the other side of the ignitor to see if the computer is sending the signal sooo ill have to wait for someone to stop by..some please let me kno if im wrong

[callmeweezy724]

update i went outside and had someone crank the car while testing the other side of the ignitor wit the test light and it didnt light up. does this mean the ecu isnt sending the signal to the coil packs?

[callmeweezy724]

im pretty sure its the ecu me n my friend opened it up and was looking at it. He spotted a burn spot heres some pics..and heres the burn spot look in the lower right corner..i hope thats the problem. I think it happen when i wired up the sr lower wire harness wrong like i said in the post above. with that said does anyone have an E5 ecu for sale? let me kno asap!
Modified by callmeweezy724 at 6:18 PM 7/6/2008

[Kalypso]

where is the burn spot?

[duffman1278]

^^^ I'm with him, where?

[Kalypso]

also no I dont have one

for sale, I have two and I need to make sure they're both dead before I replace one.

[shiversport]

here look at this might help ya it was a couple of threads down zerothread/159644 .looks like the same problem he had might help ya.

[SpeedRacer1]

That is the most common place people burn out there ECU's your definately not the first person to do it. Usually it happens when a couple of wires short that go to a sensor like the MAFS. I doubt it was anything on the lower harness. Look over the main engine harness again for problems.

When that part burns things like the fuel pump and ignition stop working because that is one of the main power sources for the ECU.

[Kalypso]

Ok i have some questions.

here look at this might help ya it was a couple of threads down

thank you, i was looking at it also.

"lazyfcker" says he soldered this spot up and his ecu started working again.

"speedracer" and "weezy" - Is this the spot you're talking about?

Usually it happens when a couple of wires short that go to a sensor like the MAFS. I doubt it was anything on the lower harness.

Look over the main engine harness again for problems.

When that part burns things like the fuel pump and ignition stop working because that is one of the main power sources for the ECU.

1- how do I check for bad wires on the main harness? 2- how I do set my ecu to display error codes?

[IDriveFords]

You blew the trace off the ECU, typically if you just run a jumper and solder it your ECU will work again. Hopefully you didn't fry and chips but from the looks of that burn mark your prolly ok. I'm an electronic repair tech by trade and that "looks" like a very very easy fix as I get burnt traces on circuit boards all the time usually due to lightning or a power surge which means you also have a short somewhere but that might have been caused that alternator issue you talked about. It can't hurt to jump that out and try it worst your gonna do is fry it again.

[callmeweezy724]

Ok i have some questions.

thank you, i was looking at it also.

"lazyfcker" says he soldered this spot up and his ecu started working again.

"speedracer" and "weezy" - Is this the spot you're talking about?

1- how do I check for bad wires on the main harness? 2- how I do set my ecu to display error codes?

yea thats the spot i was talkin about except my ecu is turned the other way in the picture...

ok so i guess i gotta go buy a soldering iron and some solder n get too it..i should also check for wires touching near my mafs right?? Would the two plugs that are unused near the mafs that you cut off be a problem?

[Hijacker]

If that's the trace I think it is, it's the main ECU power coming from the ignition switch (black/red wire) I would double check to make sure you have nothing backfeeding on that line that could have caused a power spike to fry your ECU. the ignition coils typically pull main power from that circuit.

[callmeweezy724]

aight i went and bought a soldering iron solder the burnout back together i went a tested for power. Im getting power to the ecu side of the ignitor, mafs, cas, coil pack harness the only thing, im not gettin power too are the coil packs themselves and im not seeing power to the other side of the ignitior wen i crank the car...any ideas?
Modified by callmeweezy724 at 10:03 AM 7/8/2008

[Hijacker]

There's no power at all to the coils? The + pin should have a 12v signal going into them with the key turned to 'on'.

If you're not getting power at the 12v, you're not going to get power at the ignitor either. The ECU acts as a ground out for the coil packs, and the ignitor is a resistor inline to keep the coils from frying the ECU circuitry.

Since the problem seems to be isolated to the coils and you burned out the trace for the 'on' signal to the ECU, double check that the wiring for your coils is good at the plug beside the battery. There should be a Blue/Red wire that is tapped into the Black/Red wire at that plug.

[turboboost]

maybe you just need a new ignitor?

[callmeweezy724]

There's no power at all to the coils? The + pin should have a 12v signal going into them with the key turned to 'on'.

If you're not getting power at the 12v, you're not going to get power at the ignitor either. The ECU acts as a ground out for the coil packs, and the ignitor is a resistor inline to keep the coils from frying the ECU circuitry.

Since the problem seems to be isolated to the coils and you burned out the trace for the 'on' signal to the ECU, double check that the wiring for your coils is good at the plug beside the battery. There should be a Blue/Red wire that is tapped into the Black/Red wire at that plug.

theres power to the plugs that plug into each coil pack with the key turned on..but if i ground the test light and actually put the test light inside the coil where the spark plug goes..the light doesnt come on.

[callmeweezy724]

im pretty sure my wiring is correct..when i burned out that spot on the ecu i was no longer gettin power to the mafs and the cas, but now that i fixed it with some solder im gettin power to those plugs now

[callmeweezy724]

maybe you just need a new ignitor?

i have 3 ignitors 2 of them i bought that are guaranteed to be in working order..how would i test to make sure they work multimeter?

[Hijacker]

theres power to the plugs that plug into each coil pack with the key turned on..but if i ground the test light and actually put the test light inside the coil where the spark plug goes..the light doesnt come on.

You're not going to get power to there. You should only be getting power through there when the coil arcs and there's a spark plug in place. Our coils use a phenomena caused by two tightly wound coils. The primary coil is charged with a 12v source, and when the power to it is shut off (IE the ECU breaking ground), the power jumps to the secondary coil, which in turn produces a jump in voltage (there's a scientific reason why that happens, I just don't know it). That power spike is transfered to the spark plug and you get spark.

Now, if your ignitor is busted and it's broken the continuity to the ECU, your coil won't fire. Do you have a constant 12 at the + terminal with the key in 'on' and the coil pack plug plugged in? If you don't, pull the the ignitor plug that goes to the coils and ground out the corresponding wire then retest.

I would start looking all the components that use the black/red circuit to get power and make sure nothing is backsurging. The coils are a likely culprit since they produce a lot of voltage.

[callmeweezy724]

You're not going to get power to there. You should only be getting power through there when the coil arcs and there's a spark plug in place. Our coils use a phenomena caused by two tightly wound coils. The primary coil is charged with a 12v source, and when the power to it is shut off (IE the ECU breaking ground), the power jumps to the secondary coil, which in turn produces a jump in voltage (there's a scientific reason why that happens, I just don't know it). That power spike is transfered to the spark plug and you get spark.

Now, if your ignitor is busted and it's broken the continuity to the ECU, your coil won't fire. Do you have a constant 12 at the + terminal with the key in 'on' and the coil pack plug plugged in? If you don't, pull the the ignitor plug that goes to the coils and ground out the corresponding wire then retest.

I would start looking all the components that use the black/red circuit to get power and make sure nothing is backsurging. The coils are a likely culprit since they produce a lot of voltage.

yea i figured i wouldnt get power there until the ecu tells the ignitor to fire the coilpacks.Can you explain the constant 12 at the + what do you mean by that?

[Hijacker]

you have 3 pins at the coils. labelled + - E. The + is a constant 12v source that is grounded by the ECU (E). The - is a ground for the secondary coil. The primary coil inside the pack is constantly charged until the ECU breaks the ground and forces the coil to arc to the secondary coil, which in turn generates the voltage for the spark.

If you slapped your test light inside the coil and tried to get it to pick up on the spark, it would be seeing well over 20,000 volts.