i have been working on this for awhile i have no spark coming off the coil i have tried everything past the coil must be something before the coil. replaced crank shaft sensor,the cam sensor, the coil is new pulled the ecu skim module and ignition swapped all that still it turns over but wont start i know whst i need is spark but cant figure whats wrong any ideas of what i can check know just lost as to why i cant get the spark
Since the old coil didn't produce spark and the new coil doesn't produce spark chances are it's not the coil.
Start with the basics.
The coil needs 2 things to produce spark.
It needs a 12 volt power source and it needs a Ground Switching Signal from the computer.
In your case you have a 4 cylinder engine with a wasted spark type coil pack. 2 coils that provide spark to the 4 engine cylinders.
The connector on the coil has 3 wires.
- Circuit labeled 1:
- Switching Signal Circuit for Spark Plugs 2 and 3.
- Circuit labeled 2:
- Power (12 Volts) Circuit.
- Circuit labeled 3:
- Switching Signal Circuit for Spark Plugs 1 and 4.
Here's how it's wired. I highlighted the Power and Ground wires in the diagram to make it easier to follow. RED is Power to the Coil Pack. Green are the Ground Switching Signals from the computer. (these aren't the actual wire colors)
(The diagram labels the switching signal connections to the coil as "Ignition coil driver 1 and Ignition coil driver 2" from the PCM).
So the 1st thing to check is if the coil pack is getting power.
If it is, then the 2nd thing to check is if the coil pack is receiving Ground Signals from the PCM to fire the coils.
You can do this with a $10 test light and here's a link to a tutorial that will walk you through that diagnostic step by step.
https://easyautodiagnostics.com/chrysler/2.0L-2.4L/coil-pack-tests-4
The tutorial tells you to check for Power to the coil while cranking the starter but it doesn't tell you why and it might be helpful to understand why that is.
If you look at that wiring diagram I provided, in the upper left, you see that the Power to the coil pack is provided by an Automatic Shut Down relay.
That relay can't be energized by the PCM to provide Power to the coil pack unless the PCM is getting a signal from the Crankshaft Position Sensor telling the PCM that the engine is either Cranking or Running.
If you find that you aren't getting Power to the coil pack, an easy way to see if the ASD relay is working is to check for Power at a fuel injector connector.
I didn't highlight those Fuel Injector Power wires in Red in the above wiring diagram but if you look you see that they also get their power from the ASD relay.
The above wiring diagram shows them as DG/OR (dark green with an orange stripe).
So if you also lack power on the DG/OR fuel injector wires as well as to the coil pack it's time to troubleshoot the ASD relay, its fuse, (those are in the underhood fuse box) and the wiring in the circuit including the wiring to and from the crank sensor. (again, the ASD relay won't be energized without the computer receiving the crank sensor signal)
On your PT Cruiser you have a 3 wire crank sensor.
That means it's a Hall Effect type sensor. It needs to be provided Power and a Ground to produce a signal.
Here's a link to a step by step tutorial on how to check for Power, Ground, and the Sensor Signal at the Crankshaft Position Sensor connection.
https://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/chrysler/2.0L-2.4L/how-to-test-the-crank-sensor-1
Check the wiring in the primary circuit.
