OK, here's the way I got codes:
PO351 came up and I changed #1 coil and it ran fine for a while then
PO357 came up and I changed #7 coil and it run good briefly then,
Codes PO352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 358 came up and I change all but the 2 I had already changed. All back to original Ford coils.


After that it ran Ok very briefly then I got the PO301 code. So far I haven't been able to get rid of it. The engine runs rough at idle and when driving it will get a full miss (jerk) you can feel fairly regularly but not constant.


I know #1 isn't firing right. I can remove either the injector wire or coil wire with no change in the engine. I know #2 will change when a wire is removed but I haven't gone down the line yet. I did try a different coil on #1 with no change.

 

A couple things I did not mention and probably have nothing to do with it but....


It started doing this when cold weather hit. It ran fine until then. I thought maybe moisture condensing and sprayed some WD40 on various engine contacts with no effect. Mainly the coil and injector connections. I did not recheck the plugs for moisture.


This truck did live part of it's life near the ocean, corrosion?


I did remove the 2 large plugs on the wire loom and checked for corrosion, cleaned and put them back together.

 

I have found that these engines accumulate a lot of dirt, oil, and grease in the plug sockets and this effects the seating of your spark plug. It is a little bit of extra work but if your plug sockets are dirty, you should clean them out with a wire plumbers brush, WD40 and rags. Then reinstall the plug and apply di-electric grease to all the electrical connections. In this way you eliminate the possibility of a bad connection or loose plug as the problem for your 301 code.

Lets hope it is a bad electrical connections, loose plug, or bad injector and not something like a bad valve. From what you describe, it sounds like one of the less serious problems.

 

Yea, those are circuit faults, - not coils. Should of posted those from the get go..Anyway, -

It's either PCM or and most likely a magnetic disturbance. I doubt it's PCM.

Look just above your AC accumulator. Your ignition harness drops down just above it. First, do a good visual inspection of the harness in that location. If there's any signs of harness chaffing, repair the harness. All ignition wires have to be completely foil wrapped or this disturbance WILL cause ignition havoc.

If there are no signs of chaffing or it's questionable, use some plastic cable ties and tie that loop back and away from the accumulator as far as you can, then take it for a drive. Notice any change?

 

Got on the net really late today, like now. I will check that tomorrow and see what I find.
Thanks.

 

I split a piece of 1 1/2" abs pipe and slipped it over the loom. Took it for a drive and there was no noticable change. I'm waiting for it to cool down and I'm going to pull the #1 spark plug just for look since that's where I seem to be having at least part of the problem.


Is there a voltage or other test I can run on the injector and coil feed wire plugin terminals to see if they are being fired?

 

Thanks all for the help, FOUND IT!! It's running very nicely now and I hope it stays that way.


FWIW: I'm sure some of the worst problems were lousy coils. When I changed back to the old Ford coils, 90% of the rough running went away. An irregular miss continued and seemed to be getting worse.


Fluke... #1 spark plug was defective! The insulator would slide inside the steel shell. Never seen anything fail like this one did. I'm guessing it would slide down and short out sometimes and at others be pushed back out by compression and sort of work. When I pulled the coil off, the inside was black and had an odd look. Some combustion gas had to be leaking by.


AHHHH to be running good!!

 

Abs? So who told yuh to do that ? Yea, that did nothing alright...why would it?

Geezz, figured you would have at least tried swapping a plug by now, - you must have broke it ehh.

Oh well, glad you got it.

 

I'm not sure the ABS pipe did anything, but I'm sure not going to remove it!! I am going to drill it and tie it in place.


I do not think I broke the plug as it was put in while the engine was on the floor and functioned fine for 3500 miles. I've never seen one that slid up and down inside the steel.


Several days before I found the plug (and before the ABS pipe) I cleared the codes and drove it approx 50 miles. It never did throw another code even though it had the irregular missing problem. I kept waiting for it but it never happened.


Oh well, it running good again!! And THANKS for the help finding it/them/???.
Sac

 

Yea, I'm not sure how you have that PCV/harness configured. Well, if you couldn't move the harness that far away, - wrap it with regular ol'e tin foil first, - then it won't matter, - as long as the accumulator isn't in direct contact with it, shouldn't have to worry about that becoming or adding to a problem in the future.

Usually what you do is just use 2 or 3 zip ties. Connect them together in way that the more your tighten, the further away the harness will end up. Know what I mean ? Tight one zip, then the other.

What sucks is, the inside of the harness breaks down over time, -the metal jacket is then compromised, - ignition system throws fits, - gets worse with time. The harness may also look in good shape on the outside and the inside can chaff, - right at that loop.

If it starts acting up again, push that loop as far away from the accumulator as you can, listen for the idle to fluctuate, studer or what not while doing so.