Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting No spark on #2 cylinder in SE

Without any warning I got a missfire on my 96 SE. Putting timing light on each wire shows #2 is dead. I tested all ignition wires and they test the same. Spark plugs all look the same. Testing the coil pack shows it within spec. Since coil fires shared cylinders I would assume that if #2 is dead then #6 also would be dead if bad coil. Any help in diagnosing would be appreciated as I don't want to pay through the nose for a shop to fix this if I don't have to.

Are your plugs & wires due to be replaced? I would change the wires first. I'm not sure how you tested the wires, but it may not be conclusive, & if one is dead, I would definitely change them all. You mentioned just looking at plugs? That isn't going to guarantee that they are OK. I would do the plugs next. You're not wasting money here if these are things you need to replace anyway.

As I have posted previously, I had a wire die at 1000 miles - heat killed it - it was touching the intake manifold. If any of your wires are touching or too close to the manifold, I would use plastic ties & get them up & away from it. Even if no wires are touching, it's fairly common for Contours to kill wires prematurely from heat.

If new wires and plugs don't solve your problem, I would suspect the coil pack next - then the computer. But I see more coil packs go bad than computers. I believe a bad coil pack can affect just one cylinder. Go here for more info on coil packs (DIS Module):

http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/us89920.htm

And a bad wire can burn up a coil pack.

Plug wires are original, 96,000 miles. I'll replace them first. Local parts store has the coil pack for $100. Plugs have about 20,000 miles on them.

Need to get this car on the road, driving my unairconditioned Fiat spider home from work in 100 degree temp was not fun.

If #2 is not firing, then you WILL have another one not firing. You have one coil per two cyls. There is a good chance it is wires/plugs. FMS wires and make SURE you get DOUBLE PLATINUM plugs.

Not true. I just replaced the coil pack on my '95 SE two weeks ago. I also tried plugs & wires at first with no luck. The original cyl #2 plug was wet with fuel when I pulled it out...all others were not. I was figuring a bad wire. New wires & plugs did not do it. Took the car to my uncles and he checked the spark from the coil pack for each cylinder. Cyl #2 had no spark at all...cyl #6 showed a weaker spark when compared to cyl's # 1,3,4, & 5 but it was still firing. Checked the trigger voltages to the coil pack & they were okay. Replaced the coil pack & the engine ran normal again. So, in my case, cyl #2 was not firing at all while #6 was (even though a little weak). I bet you have a back coil pack too. Good luck.

Also, stay away from aftermarket wires and spark plugs. I tried Borg Warner wires and engine idled rough. Bosch Plat+4's netted the same result. My uncle suggested original Ford wires and Ford double platinum spark plugs. Guess what? They did the trick...idle returned to normal again.