The ignition coil pack on your 2.0L Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute is the heart of the ignition system —it's the part that creates the spark all four cylinders need for the engine to start and keep running.
In this tutorial, I'll break down how the system works, which signals and circuits control spark to which cylinders, and why this matters when you're troubleshooting a no-start or cylinder misfire on your Escape or Tribute.
Contents of this tutorial:
APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:
- 2.0L Ford Escape: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
- 2.0L Mazda Tribute: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
IGNITION COIL PACK WIRING DIAGRAM:
IGNITION COIL PACK DIAGNOSTIC TESTS:
How The Ignition Coil Pack Works
One of the things that will supercharge your ignition coil pack diagnostic tests is understanding how it works. The key is the waste-spark system, which fires two paired cylinders at the exact same time. Keeping this in mind makes diagnosing the coil pack quicker and easier.
Here's what happens when you crank the engine:
- The CKP sensor activates. The crankshaft position (CKP) sensor starts producing its signal and sends it directly to the PCM.
- The PCM receives CKP signal (and other inputs) and begins firing the coils. The CKP signal tells the PCM the engine is cranking and it sends out two separate control (switching) signals —one for each half of the coil pack.
- How "switching" works. The coil pack has a 12-Volt feed that supplies voltage to the primary side of both of the ignition coils within it.
- The PCM switches the Ground side of each coil ON and OFF (it interrupts the Ground path). That ON/OFF switching collapses the magnetic field and makes each coil fire spark.
- Two coils inside the coil pack. The coil pack contains two individual ignition coils. Each coil has two towers and fires spark to two cylinders at the same time (waste-spark system).
- Ignition Coil A: Fires cylinders 1 and 4 (both spark plugs spark at the same instant —one is the "working" spark, the other is the "waste" spark on the exhaust stroke).
- Ignition Coil B: Fires cylinders 2 and 3 (same idea —paired, simultaneous sparks).
Coil Pack Testing Basics
The ignition coil pack can be tested with a simple spark tester to find out if it's good or bad. Before diving into the step-by-step guide, here are a few things that will help you make sense of the results:
- No spark on a paired set (cylinders 1 & 4 or 2 & 3) —each half of the coil pack fires a pair of cylinders. If one pair doesn't spark, it usually means that half of the coil pack has failed or its control signal from the PCM is missing.
- No spark on all four cylinders —if nothing fires at all, the problem usually isn't the coil pack itself.
- Most of the time it means the coil pack isn't getting its 12-Volt IGN power feed, or the PCM isn't turning it on because the crankshaft position (CKP) sensor isn't working.
- Spark at the tower but not at the wire —this means the coil is firing correctly, but the spark isn't making it through the wire. In that case, the spark plug wire is bad.
- On the other hand, no spark at the tower means the coil itself isn't firing, either because it's bad or because it isn't getting its control signal.
This step-by-step tutorial walks you through each coil pack test so you can quickly figure out if your Escape or Tribute's coil pack is good or toast —and avoid replacing good parts:
Ignition Coil Connector Pinout
There are three wires coming out of the coil pack connector, here are their circuit descriptions:
- 1 —Coil A control signal: Dark green with violet stripe (DK GRN/VIO).
- Activation signal for spark to cylinders 1 and 4.
- 2 —12-Volt IGN power feed: White with violet stripe (WHT/VIO).
- Power with the key in the RUN or START position.
- 3 —Coil B control signal: Light green with white stripe (LT GRN/WHT).
- Activation signal for spark to cylinders 2 and 3.
Spark Plug Wire Firing Order
More 2.0L Ford Escape Diagnostic Tutorials
You can find a complete list of diagnostic tutorials for the 2.0L Ford Escape (Mazda Tribute) in this index:
Here's a small sample of the tutorials you'll find:
- How To Test The Starter Motor (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
- Oxygen Sensor Heater Test -P0135 (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
- How To Test The Fuel Injectors (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
- How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).
If this info saved the day, buy me a beer!
