Hi guys,

Just a quick question to ask if a diagnostics returns codes P0351 & P0352, meaning failure of both primary/secondary coil circuits, is this definitely where my intermitant engine cut-out woes lie? Or could any other source cause the coils to fail, such as for example, the injectors?

I've got a new coil, and it the engine still cuts out after only 600 miles on the new one. Strangely, if I can't get it restarted, and then proceed to exchange the old coil back into the system, I'm good for another 100 miles or so.

I'm starting to think I have a dodgy connector to the coil pack, or ECU trouble. :bang:

Any help in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe the newbie

Sounds like dodgy wiring to me - I would expect a dodgy ECU to play up constantly.

It seems like the act of swapping the coils resets the error until it is thrown up again by.... who knows... heat? vibration? dampness?

I would be looking at the wiring trying to find a faulty earth, or damaged insulation.... maybe a short?

I would be checking the positive supply feed to the coils. if the connector looks dodgy replace it (cut one off a scrap car and join to your loom), and you could possibly run a new wire from the main ECU relay to the center pin (or whichever is the coils positive connection). If all this fails to resolve it then suspect the ECU..

StuartH said:

Sounds like dodgy wiring to me - I would expect a dodgy ECU to play up constantly.

It seems like the act of swapping the coils resets the error until it is thrown up again by.... who knows... heat? vibration? dampness?

I would be looking at the wiring trying to find a faulty earth, or damaged insulation.... maybe a short?

Click to expand...

stylers said:

I would be checking the positive supply feed to the coils. if the connector looks dodgy replace it (cut one off a scrap car and join to your loom), and you could possibly run a new wire from the main ECU relay to the center pin (or whichever is the coils positive connection). If all this fails to resolve it then suspect the ECU..

Click to expand...

Thanks guys. Only got your replies now, but found and fixed the problem last week.

After a read of the circuit diagrams and various entries in the Fiat Forum, it was time for a closer inspection of the female contacts in the socket that plugs onto the coil-pack, particularly the centre pin contact, as this is the 12v supply from the battery via the ignition relay (not via the ECU it would seem). The ECU just switiches the earths on/off to the 2 outer pins depending on which of the 2 coils to fire.

Sure enough, the gaps between the female contacts in the socket were very wide, and barely making contact with the pins on the coil-pack. A mixture of heat bending and vibration would easily break contact. I can only guess that the contacts were spread too far apart either by careless replacement on the original cracked coil-pack, or by the fact that the original part had wider pins.

Either way, I just used the wire retaining clip for said socket as a probe to bend the contacts back into working order. No problems for the last few hundred miles, and would have had plenty otherwise, so ECU safe for the time-being then. I'll replace the connector if it proves dodgy again.

All the best,

Joe