Focus Fanatics Forum banner

SVT bogging problem; CEL code P0352

14K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  239rsw 
#1 ·
Lookin' for some help on this bugger of a problem!! I know NOTHING about engine repair but determined to do this on my own. Here's the full engine code:

P0352 - Ignition Coil B Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction

Symptons:

While driving, car started bogging down suddenly, as if a plug wire popped. Had very little power. After a few minutes, car returned to normal. Thereafter, car intermittently would bog down, pop back to normal, bog down, etc. (The car is now in full 'bogging' mode - it no longer magically returns to normal.)

Attempted fixes thus far:

Replaced fuel filter, spark plugs, valve cover gasket (saw some oil on spark plug #4's threads), ignition coil, spark plug wires. Cleaned connections to ignition coil, cleaned MAF sensor.

Notes and after thoughts:

I didn't have the engine code until after I tried the fuel filter, plugs, and valve cover gasket (CEL didn't come on immediately.) After I disconnected and cleaned connector to ignition coil and MAF, the bogging started immediately on start-up and continued steadily. Prior to this, the car would start ok, idle ok...but at soon as I put it in gear and gave it a little gas, the bogging would start. I'd pop into neutral and the engine returned to normal idle. Also, I heard some popping from the exhaust after releasing a neutral rev.

If it's a problem with the wiring related to the ignition coil, not sure how to fix it. Could be wiring from coil to ECU...or even ECU? (Where is the ECU on a 2003 SVT!?) Any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help!
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Out of curiosity, have people found a fix to this? I got this dtc along with a few other and my car is doing the same thing were on nutrual it seems normal but the second i put it into gear and try to get the car moving it just start bogging and doesnt go anywere. Then it turns off... hope someone people have found a fix to this or good hint by now [mecry]
 
#4 ·
I got this dtc along with a few other...
And the others are?
From personal experience, when my car displayed this code (and it only did so after running like crap for an extended period before the CEL came on) the symptoms were as described by the OP. The code is very specific; it has only a few possible causes.

Some background: The coil is fed by a three wire black plastic electrical connector. The thicker gauge middle wire (green/blue) provides 12V to the coil. The two outer wires (black/orange and black/green) are the signal switching wires that cause the coil to fire either cylinders 1 and 4 or 2 and 3. (The Focus uses a wasted spark ignition system so the coil fires plugs in pairs.)

DTC P0351 usually means of the three wires, black/green has an intermittent or is broken. (Driver circuit A - cylinders 1 and 4)
DTC P0352 usually means of the three wires, black/orange has an intermittent or is broken. (Driver circuit B - cylinders 2 and 3)
(I think I've got the sequence/colours right - anyway you get the idea.)

Be forewarned, the wires can break within the connector itself so giving the wires a gentle but solid tug is required. (Can't just peer at them.) Cracked insulation / corrosion and brittle wires are a bad sign.

You can effect a temporary repair by pulling the connector apart (with great difficulty - ask me how I know) and joining each pin to its respective connector separately. Each pin must be properly isolated from its neighbour, obviously.

A proper complete repair requires Motorcraft part # WPT 517 (also known as Ford part # 3U2Z14S411TNA) or a good connector ("pigtail") from a scrap car.
It needs to be spliced into the wiring harness in place of the old connector. The three wires provided on the Motorcraft part are black so note the wiring order before starting the job.

Connector pics in this link:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182625

If the coil connector looks good, then the intermittent connection or break is within the coil itself and coil replacement is required. You can sometimes see cracks in the bottom of faulty coils, I'm told, but I haven't seen this for myself. You'll want to look at the connector first; it's cheaper than coil replacement (for new parts anyway.)

Failing all of the above, the wiring fault is probably within the wiring harness between the PCM and the coil connector (rare). Check for the presence of 12V at the green/blue wire and for continuity in the switching wires.
Black/green - PCM connector pin 52
Black/orange - PCM connector pin 26
 
#5 ·
yep it was one of the wires on the coil plug.. it had pulled off, so i found a plug from ford with the vct zetec engine and used that to fix it. and made sure the job was clean and it looked like nothing was ever replaced [cheers]
 
#7 ·
How often is this the problem? Mine isn't firing plugs 2 and 3. Replaced the coil already, and still have the code. I don't have any tool to check the continuity and it isn't intermittant. I'm just hoping it's not an open farther down in the wiring harness. The PCM itself is a simple swap, I just don't have the time, tools, or money at the moment to replace a large portion of the harness or take it into a dealer that will charge and arm and a leg.
 
#8 ·
How often is this the problem?
Common. Factory didn't leave enough slack in the harness, wires are thin gauge at the connector, engine heat and torque make wires brittle. You can tell by the number of threads here on FF that it's a "common" to "very common" failure point on older cars.
The fact that it's two cylinders at once and you're getting a DTC code of P0352 increases the confidence level to near 100%. (Nothing's certain without actually being there to inspect it.)

From Ford:
P0351 Through P0360 - Ignition Coil A through J Primary/ Secondary Circuit Malfunction
Each ignition primary circuit is continuously monitored. The test fails when the PCM does not receive a valid IDM pulse signal from the ignition module (integrated in PCM).
Causes:
Open or short in Ignition START/RUN circuit - car runs albeit badly so you can rule this out
Open coil driver circuit in harness
Coil driver circuit shorted to ground
Damaged coil - you've replaced it
Damaged PCM - Ford puts this in as a catch all. PCMs rarely fail and when they do they usually fail completely
Coil driver circuit shorted to PWR - would probably blow a fuse

Mine isn't firing plugs 2 and 3. Replaced the coil already, and still have the code. I don't have any tool to check the continuity and it isn't intermittant. I'm just hoping it's not an open farther down in the wiring harness.
It's unlikely. Peel back the protective plastic shroud around the coil connector wires until it goes into the main harness. That will give you an indication of the wiring integrity. Also look for chafing or burns along that short length. If you see corrosion at the coil connector end or wiring casing splits then that's a sign the problem is there. Once the wires go into the main harness and through the firewall, wiring failure is rare, imo.
The other area of concern would be the coil itself but you've exchanged it for a new one so you can rule that out (unless you're concerned with the coil quality)

The PCM itself is a simple swap, I just don't have the time, tools, or money at the moment to replace a large portion of the harness or take it into a dealer that will charge and arm and a leg.
PCM may be a simple hardware swap but getting your anti-theft system to recognise it will be a different story.
The proposed solution of coil connector repair is the cheapest, quickest and most likely correct one. Worst case scenario is it doesn't solve the problem and you are out $50.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top