I've been having some electrical problems for weeks (dash lights, gauges wouldn't come on, car would turn over but not start. Also car would cut off for no reason and check engine light would come on, then I would turn it off and restart and it would run fine and light would go off). I replaced my ignition switch and at first it still didn't start(gauges and dash lights didn't come on). Next day I checked connections on the ignition switch and it started and ran fine until I smelled burning electrical stuff under hood and noticed a fried coil. I replaced the coil and it ran poorly until I smelled the burning electrical and noticed my new coil was fried. Where do i go from here.

 

You may need to inspect the harness and ohm check the wires, this you can find a shorted ground or voltage circuit. You could have a PCM drivers that could be causing the problem. But you check it out first before replacing any parts.

 

If you're extremely lucky it's just a regulator. The harness costs another van and anything done around wiring looms cost a few.. Especially if it's on DTC wires and no RF short finders work..

 

I don't even know where to start in ohm checking the wires. Any tips?

 

You basically put little copper pins in the socket holes of the main wiring harness sockets and do multimeter tests for continuity. Resistance isn't going to tell you anything unless you know the gauge of wire and length, and it's documented nowhere..

Main wiring harness work is a nightmare. Even to say screw it and going to buy a brand new one takes a lot of back and forth with a dealer, since there are no aftermarket sellers. Last I checked it was a 1k USD part and that is with no service costs..

Smart way to fix your problem: Us a wireless short finder, if you find nothing it's on DTC wiring, in a computer, or a regulator.

 

You can start by testing the coil drivers in the PCM as MT stated. Disconnect the coil connector then connect a test light at each of the driver pins. As you crank the engine the light should blink. If it stays on steady you'll need to replace the PCM. If it doesn't come on at all, check continuity of that wire from the coil to the PCM. If that's good replace the PCM. If there is a problem I'd guess you'll see the light staying on meaning that coil would always be energized frying the coil.

If I had your model year and engine I could tell you which pins to check.

The voltage regulator is in the PCM.

 

Again, there is no such thing as a PCM by ANY manufacturer that still functions when ANY part of it's PCB bus fails. There are only permanent DTC writes that need a re-flash. They are caused by external fault logged x-start-ups.

The suggested test of the two of four wires going to the coil block from the PCM isn't going to yield anything since those are timing feedback for the PCM.. Trace the other two and you'll likely find the actual problem.. Same on all 2005 configurations..

 

Actually it's three wires from the PCM driver's, one per driver, to the coil plus the B+ power input to the coil, but who's counting, and that's if we're talking about a coil pack on a 3.3 or 3.8. I would be more that willing to risk less than 5 minutes of my time testing inputs that often fail due to bad driver circuits in the PCM that have been attested to countless times on this and other forums over many many years and is considered a standard test in the industry.

 

It's a '96, 3.3. The pcm harness looks like it's been rubbing on the edge of a frame piece. If that's not it I see no other solution then to buy a used pcm (and coil) from a junk yard and experiment. Why wouldn't this problem be indicated by a fault code? I paid a guy to read the codes and they found nothing.

 

96 was the first year of mandated OBDII, and it was mainly for emissions issues. The systems from 96 may not be overly detailed, and a condition that would trigger a fault in the PCM may not have happened. hard to say in the end.