So even after rewiring the harness I still can't get the coil to fire. Help is definitely appreciated

 

ok, I had a similar problem with a COP..#2 cylinder went dead. It sounds to me like you have either a coil pack dead or a connectivity problem. When I had my problem #2 coil wasnt firing, I literally was standing over the coils and pulling them off old school until i found the one not firing and confirmed by pulling the plug and seeing the same thing as you. Next I replaced the coil and that didnt work--finally found the issue in the electrical connection on the rt side of the VC, I had the car running and moved the connection,9 ie wiggling wires) and the coil shut off again. I too tracked it back to the connection on the rt. So far I have been lucky and havent had an issue since, simply pushed the wires in the connector in and made sure the wires had no bends leading up to the connection--so little to no stress to pull them apart. I am not good with electrical crap--so my approach was very basic, but It worked. Good luck.

 

I have a proper connection and eliminated a bad coil being the issue as im using five different stock coils. It also has the same issue with my cop.

12v source= 12.85v on each side
ground = 13.5-14.3v on each side
signal= 22.5-23.5 on each side.

This is with a new coil and plugs. All five stock coils I have will work in bank one and four but neither will work in two and three. I just don't get it.

 

Have you checked output at the Ecu? Very rarely is it the ecu to blame but is very possible. Heres a link to the ecu pinout: http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=196839

You wouldnt be looking for power on the ground side. If your meter has a continuity setting, test the ground wire with your red probe and the black to chassis ground. Continuity reads in ohms. Therefore it will tell you how strong the ground is (most meters beep if its a very strong ground). If there is high resistance then its possible why its heating up.

Check your battery terminals and chassis ground as well. Corrosion could cause weird issues like your experiencing.

 

Excuse my lack of electrical expertise but what results should I expect on a continuity test? How many ohms is too much? What method should I use to read the ecu pin?

 

Since its reading in ohms, the higher the number, the worse the connection is. Therefore, 0 is perfect ground, and .200ohms is the start of high resistance. Most meters will beep under .200ohms, signifying a good ground connection. It doesnt seem like much resistance but its more than enough to limit current.

How you should do this test is.. placing your red probe on the suspect coil connector ground, and the black probe to the battery negative terminal. This will tell you how good/bad the connection is. You would test it against the good connector vs the suspect one. So if the suspect one is higher than the known good one, there is a bad ground somewhere (they should be identical as they are both grounded in the same spot).

If thats the case, its an easy fix. You would run new wire from the coil connector to the nearest ground point and bypass the factory ground. Give it a test and get back to us. If its identical, its time to start testing the ecu.

I believe the ecu output should read 5V with the key on.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm on my way home to check it now

 

So continuity read .2 on both sides when everything is off. In the on position my coil got very hot. Next I'm checking the ecu. I ran a new ground to check and it didn't have an effect.

 

It is opposite? With the key on the coil feed reads 5V ish. Did it not do that? Is it the bad coil heating up? Maybe its wired incorrectly? Lots of possibilities. Let me know whats going on. Help ya the best I can. But Im a little confused lol.

 

I edited my message. Yes it's the 2-3 coil the over heats. Also it's the factory wiring. In the off position both sides read .2 but with the key in the on position the 2-3 coil reads OL. On the meter and on the working 1-4 coil is fluctuates 240+

 

Ok I get what your saying now. I didnt mean meter the ground wire with continuity when the key is on. It only reads ohms, so it might damage your meter (unless its a Fluke meter) if power is present.

I remember reading somewhere the transistor (one that controls the coils) inside the ecu does goes bad. One guy ended up desoldering it and replacing it that way. Your best bet would be to test with a known good ecu. Since you've tested with a known good coil, that would be the last thing in the chain.

It sounds like its heating up due to straight power is flowing down the coil signal wire. Instead of pulsing, its feeding 'spark spark spark' to the coil, therefore overworking the coil. That would sound like a bad transistor. Quick test for this would be to unplug the coil, test the signal wire (with plug facing you, clip side up, its the first pin on the left). Turn the key on, red probe to signal wire, black probe to negative battery terminal. See what it reads. Normal operating voltage is about 5V, so if it reads 12V, you know the ecu is bad.

 

That's what it read before when I checked on both sides!!!!! Is my ecu repairable? Ill tack almost any repair and install on my car but repairing an ecu isn't my territory.

 

You could if you feel confident using a soldering iron and multimeter. You will need to trace the ecu pin for the coils inside, and pinpoint exactly which one it is. Then you need to source the identical transistor and replace it like you removed it. Ive never personally done any ecu work on an Evo. I done plenty Honda ecus. But I have extensive computer hardware experience.

For most, I would not consider this a hard DIY. Its near impossible, for the average. Your best bet is: Saving your ROM via Evoscan, finding someone that will allow use of their ecu. Save their ROM. Load your ROM onto their ecu, and try it out. If it works then voila, you need a new ecu. I hate to replace something that isnt bad, but in your case, your options are dwindling. So the next phase would be to test with a known ecu, before buying a used/new ecu.

 

I measured again and the signal in the on position got 6.01V for the 2 and 3 coil feed but 23.4mV on the 1 and 4 coil.

 

Interesting. Makes me wonder if 5V is the max and inbetween is where you should be. Sounds like a bad ecu. Get to testing with another ecu.