1996 Dodge 3.8L Caravan engine misfire?

Question

I have pulled the code from the engine and it comes P0352 Ignition Coil B Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction. I have replaced the coil pack and there was no change. The van cannot run.

The initial failure happened at highway speeds on a long trip. The van hesitated after 100km like it didn't get enough fuel. Then 50km later the engine shut itself down. Performed the spark test and saw no spark. Was towed, and the shop only performed a spark plug test.

I went to figure it out a few days later and the engine would start (meaning some spark) but then it misfired and blinked the service engine soon light. The blink code was 12 43 43 55. I pulled the p0352 code after disconnecting the battery oops.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

We had a similar problem with our '93 Caravan 3.0 V-6. Maybe a faulty coil pack, check the cap rotor, plug and wires. Also check the fuel pump, relay and filters. Check all belts and hoses as well.

Answer 2

Oh, aren't these computerized cars fun?!
Your "blink codes" are nothing to worry about. 12 just means the battery has been recently reconnected. 43 is some kind of a charging code and lastly 55 tells you that the test has concluded.

Obviously if you have a coil pack you're not going to have a distributor. This is only a guess but I would suggest something to do with engine timing such as a crank position sensor. I would recommend that you take the car to a qualified mechanic who has a scan tool and can give you the lowdown on what the problem is. If you don't you'll just be throwing money at the car "fixing" things that aren't broken. Not to mention that most electrical parts are not returnable, so if you buy a $50 CPS and it's not the problem, you're stuck with it.

Now that I think about it...Does the van have a lot of miles on it?
Has the timing belt been changed (every 100,000 km is what the book calls for)
If so there is a decent chance that it may have jumped time by a notch or two and confused the computer

Good luck