
Fig. 10). Turn distributor housing to adjust timing.
Tighten the hold-down arm screw and recheck timing.
(8) Turn the engine off. Remove timing light or
magnetic timing unit and tachometer. If the coolant
temperature sensor was disconnected, connect the sen-
sor and erase fault codes using the Erase Fault
Code Mode on the DRBII scan tool.
DISTRIBUTORÐ2.2L TBI, 2.5L TBI AND 2.5L MPI
ENGINES
REMOVAL
(1) Disconnect distributor pick-up connector from
wiring harness connector (Fig. 11).
(2) Remove splash shield retaining screws (Fig.
12). (3) Remove splash shield (Fig. 12).
(4) Loosen distributor cap retaining screws (Fig.
13). (5) Lift cap off of distributor (Fig. 14).
(6) Rotate engine crankshaft until the distributor
rotor is pointing toward the cylinder block. Use this
as reference when reinstalling distributor. (7) Remove distributor hold-down screw.
(8) Carefully lift the distributor from the engine.
Fig. 10 Distributor HolddownÐ3.0L Engine
Fig. 11 Distributor Pickup ConnectorÐ2.5L Engine
Fig. 7 Timing ScaleÐ2.2L TBI, 2.5L TBI and 2.5L MPI Engines
Fig. 8 Timing ScaleÐ3.0L Engine
Fig. 9 Distributor HolddownÐ2.5L Engine
Ä IGNITION SYSTEMS 8D - 17

(2) Carefully engage distributor drive with gear on
camshaft. When the distributor is installed properly,
the rotor will be in line with previously scribe line on
air intake plenum. If engine was cranked while
distributor was removed, establish proper rela-
tionship between the distributor shaft and Num-
ber 1 piston position as follows: (a) Rotate the crankshaft until number one piston
is at top of compression stroke. (b) Rotate rotor to number one rotor terminal (Fig.
20). (c) Lower the distributor into the opening, engag-
ing distributor drive with drive on camshaft. With
distributor fully seated on engine, rotor should be
under the number 1 terminal (Fig. 20).
(3) Install distributor cap. Ensure sure all high
tension wires are firmly in the cap towers. (4) Install hold-down nut and finger tighten.
(5) Connect distributor electrical connector to wiring
harness connector (Fig. 17). (6) Set ignition timing to specification. Refer to Ig-
nition Timing in this section.
DISASSEMBLY
(1) Remove distributor cap mounting screws (Fig.
18). (2) Remove distributor cap and inspect for flashover,
cracked carbon button, cracked cap, or burned termi-
nals. If any of these conditions exist, replace cap. (3) Remove rotor screw (Fig. 21). Inspect rotor for
cracks or burned electrode. If any of these conditions
exist, replace rotor. (4) Remove protective cover from distributor hous-
ing (Fig. 22). (5) Remove lead wire clamp screw and remove lead
wire (Fig. 23). (6) Remove disk assembly screw (Fig. 24).
(7) Remove disk spacers and disk (Fig. 25). Disk and spacers are keyed. Check disk for warpage,
cracks or damaged slots (Fig. 26). (8) Remove bushing and photo optic sensing unit
fasteners. Remove unit from distributor housing (Fig.
27). (9) Remove bearing retainer screws (Fig. 28).
Fig. 21 Rotor Screw
Fig. 22 Protective Cover
Fig. 23 Lead Wire Clamp
Fig. 20 Distributor Cap Terminal Routing, View from Top of CapÐ3.0L Engine
8D - 20 IGNITION SYSTEMS Ä

MANIFOLD ABSOLUTE PRESSURE (MAP) SENSOR
SERVICEÐ2.5L TBI AND 3.0L ENGINES
(1) Remove vacuum hose and remove mounting
screws from sensor (Fig. 35, 36 and 37). (2) Remove wiring harness and remove sensor.
(3) Reverse the above procedure for installation.
Check that vacuum hose is attached to vacuum
source.
Fig. 30 Marks on Drive Gear and Shaft
Fig. 31 Drive Gear Roll Pin
Fig. 32 Drive Gear
Fig. 33 Distributor Shaft
8D - 22 IGNITION SYSTEMS Ä

tance. The cables provide suppression of radio fre-
quency emissions from the ignition system.Check the spark plug cable connections for good
contact at the coil and distributor cap towers and at
the spark plugs. Terminals should be fully seated.
The nipples and spark plug covers should be in good
condition. Nipples should fit tightly on the coil and
distributor cap towers and spark plug cover should
fit tight around spark plug insulators. Loose cable
connections can cause ignition malfunctions by per-
mitting water to enter the towers, corroding, and in-
creasing resistance.
SPARK PLUGS
The 2.2L Turbo III, 3.3L and 3.8L engines use re-
sistor spark plugs. They have resistance values of
6,000 to 20,000 ohms when checked with at least a
1000 volt tester. Remove the spark plugs and examine them for
burned electrodes and fouled, cracked or broken por-
celain insulators. Keep plugs arranged in the order
in which they were removed from the engine. An iso-
lated plug displaying an abnormal condition indi-
cates that a problem exists in the corresponding
cylinder. Replace spark plugs at the intervals recom-
mended in Group O. Spark plugs that have low milage may be cleaned
and reused if not otherwise defective. Refer to the
Spark Plug Condition section of this group. After
cleaning, file the center electrode flat with a small
point file or jewelers file. Adjust the gap between the
electrodes (Fig. 8) to the dimensions specified in the
chart at the end of this section.
Always tighten spark plugs to the specified torque.
Over tightening can cause distortion and change
spark plug gap. Tighten 2.2L Turbo III, 3.3L and
3.8L spark plugs to 28 N Im (20 ft. lbs.) torque.
SPARK PLUG CONDITION
NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS
The few deposits present will be probably light tan
or slightly gray in color with most grades of commer-
cial gasoline (Fig. 9). There will not be evidence of
electrode burning. Gap growth will not average more
than approximately 0.025 mm (.001 in) per 1600 km
(1000 miles) of operation. Spark plugs that have nor-
Fig. 6 Spark Plug Wire RoutingÐ3.3L and 3.8L Engines
Fig. 7 Powertrain Control Module (PCM)
Fig. 8 Setting Spark Plug Electrode GapÐTypical
8D - 26 IGNITION SYSTEMS Ä

2.2L TURBO III, 3.3L AND 3.8L IGNITION SYSTEMÐDIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES INDEX
page page
Check Coil TestÐ3.3L and 3.8L Engines ...... 36
Check Coil TestÐTurbo III Engine ........... 35
Coolant Temperature Sensor Test ............ 38
Crankshaft Position Sensor and Camshaft Position Sensor Tests .......................... 38 Failure to Start Test
...................... 37
Failure to Start TestÐTurbo III Engine ........ 36
Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) Sensor Test . 38
Testing for Spark at CoilÐ3.3L and 3.8L Engines . 36
Testing for Spark at CoilÐTurbo III Engine ..... 35
TESTING FOR SPARK AT COILÐTURBO III ENGINE
WARNING: THE DIRECT IGNITION SYSTEM GENER-
ATES APPROXIMATELY 40,000 VOLTS. PERSONAL
INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT WITH
THIS SYSTEM.
The coil pack contains 2 independent coils. Each
coil must be checked individually.
CAUTION: Spark plug wire damage may occur if the
spark plug is moved more than 1/4 inch away from
the engine ground.
Remove the cable from number 1 spark plug. Insert
a clean spark plug into the spark plug boot, and
ground plug to the engine (Fig. 1).
CAUTION: Spark plug wire damage may occur if the
spark plug is moved more than 1/4 inch away from
the engine ground. Crank the engine and look for spark across the
electrodes of the spark plug. Repeat the above test
for the remaining cylinders. If there is no spark dur-
ing the cylinder tests, proceed to the failure to start
test. If one or more cylinders have irregular, weak, or
no spark, proceed to Check Coil Test.
CHECK COIL TESTÐTURBO III ENGINE
Cylinder s1&4,and2&3are grouped together.
(1) Remove the ignition cables and measure the
resistance of the cables. Resistance must be between
3,000 to 12,000 ohms per foot of cable. Replace any
cable not within tolerance. (2) Disconnect the electrical connector from the coil
pack (Fig. 2).
(3) Measure the primary resistance of each coil. At
the coil, connect an ohmmeter between the B+ pin and
the pin corresponding to the cylinders in question (Fig.
3). Resistance on the primary side of each coil should be
0.5-0.7 ohm. Replace the coil if resistance is not within
tolerance.
(4) Remove ignition cables from the secondary tow-
ers of the coil. Measure the secondary resistance of the
coil between the towers of each individual coil
Fig. 1 Testing For Spark
Fig. 2 Ignition Coil Electrical ConnectionÐTurbo III Engine
Fig. 3 Ignition Coil Terminal Identification
Ä IGNITION SYSTEMS 8D - 35

(Fig. 4). Secondary resistance should be 11,600 to
15,800 ohms. Replace the coil if resistance is not
within tolerance.
FAILURE TO START TESTÐTURBO III ENGINE
(1) Determine that sufficient battery voltage (12.4
volts nominal) is present for the cranking and igni-
tion systems. (2) Connect a voltmeter to the wiring harness coil
connector at the B+ pin (Fig. 5).
(3) Crank the engine for 5 seconds while monitor-
ing the voltage at the B+ connector terminal. If the
voltage remains near zero during the entire period of
cranking, check the auto shutdown relay and PCM.
Refer to DRBII scan tool and the appropriate Power-
train Diagnostic Procedures manual. Refer to Group
14 for description of On Board Diagnostics. (4) If voltage is at near-battery voltage, and drops
to zero after 1-2 seconds of cranking, check the cam-
shaft position sensor and crankshaft position sensor
and their circuits. Refer to the DRBII scan tool and
the appropriate Powertrain Diagnostic Procedure
manual. Refer to Group 14 for a description of On-
Board Diagnostics. (5) If voltage remains at near-battery voltage dur-
ing the entire 5 seconds, turn the key off, remove the PCM 60-way connector. Check the 60-way for any
terminals loose from the connector (push-out).
TESTING FOR SPARK AT COILÐ3.3L AND 3.8L
ENGINES
WARNING: THE ENGINE DIRECT IGNITION SYSTEM
GENERATES APPROXIMATELY 40,000 VOLTS. PER-
SONAL INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT
WITH THIS SYSTEM.
The coil pack contains 3 independent coils. Each coil
must be checked individually.
CAUTION: Spark plug wire damage may occur if the
spark plug is moved more than 1/4 inch away from the
engine ground.
Remove the cable from number 2 spark plug. Insert a
clean spark plug into the spark plug boot, and ground
plug to the engine (Fig. 1). Crank the engine and look for spark across the
electrodes of the spark plug. Repeat the above test for
the five remaining cylinders. If there is no spark
during all cylinder tests, proceed to the failure to start
test. If one or more tests indicate irregular, weak, or no
spark, proceed to Check Coil Test.
WARNING: THE DIRECT IGNITION SYSTEM GENER-
ATES APPROXIMATELY 40,000 VOLTS. PERSONAL
INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT WITH THIS
SYSTEM.
CHECK COIL TESTÐ3.3L AND 3.8L ENGINES
Coil one fires cylinders 1 and 4, coil two fires
cylinders 2 and 5, coil three fires cylinders three
and six. Each coil tower is labeled with the number of the
corresponding cylinder. (1) Remove the ignition cables and measure the
resistance of the cables. Resistance must be between
3,000 to 12,000 ohms per foot of cable. Replace any
cable not within tolerance. (2) Disconnect the electrical connector from the coil
pack (Fig. 6). (3) Measure the primary resistance of each coil. At
the coil, connect an ohmmeter between the B+ pin and
the pin corresponding to the cylinders in question (Fig.
7). Resistance on the primary side of each coil should be
0.5 - 0.7 ohm. Replace the coil if resistance is not within
tolerance. (4) Remove ignition cables from the secondary tow-
ers of the coil. Measure the secondary resistance of the
coil between the towers of each individual coil (Fig. 8).
Refer to the Coil Specifications Chart in the Specifica-
tions section of this group. Replace the coil if resistance
is not within tolerance.
Fig. 4 Checking Ignition Coil Secondary ResistanceÐTurbo III Engines
Fig. 5 Wiring Harness Coil ConnectorÐTurbo III Engine
8D - 36 IGNITION SYSTEMS Ä

FAILURE TO START TEST
This no-start test checks the camshaft position sen-
sor and crankshaft position sensor. The powertrain control module (PCM) supplies 8.0
volts to the camshaft position sensor and crankshaft
position sensor through one circuit. If the 8.0-volt
supply circuit shorts to ground, neither sensor will
produce a signal (output voltage to the PCM). When the ignition key is turned and left in the On
position , the PCM automatically energizes the auto shutdown (ASD) relay. However, the PCM de-energizes
the relay within one second because it has not received
a crankshaft position sensor signal indicating engine
rotation.
During cranking, the ASD relay will not energize
until the PCM receives a crankshaft signal. Secondly,
the ASD relay remains energized only if the PCM
senses a camshaft position sensor signal immediately
after detecting the crankshaft position sensor signal. (1) Check battery voltage. Voltage should approxi-
mately 12.66 volts or higher to perform failure to start
test. (2) Disconnect the harness connector from the coil
pack (Fig. 2). (3) Connect a test light to the B+ (battery voltage)
terminal of the coil electrical connector and ground.
The wire for the B+ terminal is dark green with a black
tracer. (4) Turn the ignition key to the ON position.The
test light should flash On and then Off. Do not turn
the Key to off position, leave it in the On position .
(a) If the test light flashes momentarily, the PCM
grounded the auto shutdown (ASD) relay. Proceed to
step 5. (b) If the test light did not flash, the ASD relay did
not energize. The cause is either the relay or one of
the relay circuits. Use the DRBII scan tool to test the
ASD relay and circuits. Refer to the appropriate
Powertrain Diagnostics Procedure Manual. Refer to
the wiring diagrams section for circuit information.
(5) Crank the engine. If the key was placed in the off
position after step 4, place the key in the On position
before cranking. Wait for the test light to flash once,
then crank the engine. (a) If the test light momentarily flashes during
cranking, the PCM is not receiving a camshaft posi-
tion sensor signal. Use the DRBII scan tool to test the
camshaft position sensor and sensor circuits. Refer to
the appropriate Powertrain Diagnostics Procedure
Manual. Refer to the wiring diagrams section for
circuit information. (b) If the test light did not flash during cranking,
unplug the camshaft position sensor connector. Turn
the ignition key to the off position. Turn the key to
the On position, wait for the test light to momen-
tarily flash once, then crank the engine. If the test
light momentarily flashes, the camshaft position
sensor is shorted and must be replaced. If the light
did not flash, the cause of the no-start is in either the
crankshaft position sensor/camshaft position sensor
8.0-volt supply circuit, or the crankshaft position
sensor 5-volt output or ground circuits. Use the
DRBII scan tool to test the crankshaft position sen-
sor and the sensor circuits.
Fig. 6 Ignition Coil Electrical Connection
Fig. 7 Ignition Coil Terminal Identification
Fig. 8 Checking Ignition Coil Secondary Resistance
Ä IGNITION SYSTEMS 8D - 37

(5) Disconnect electrical connector from coolant
temperature sensor. (6) Remove sensor from engine.
INSTALLATION
(1) Tighten the coolant sensor to 7 N Im (60 in. lbs.)
torque. (2) Connect electrical connector to sensor.
(3) Fill cooling system. Refer to Group 7, Cooling
System. (4) Install coil. Tighten coil mounting screws to 12
N Im (105 in. lbs.) torque.
(5) Connect electrical connector to coil.
KNOCK SENSORÐTURBO III ENGINES
The knock sensor is located on the intake manifold,
behind the PCV breather (Fig. 5).
REMOVAL
(1) Remove PCV breather.
(2) Remove harness connector from the knock sen-
sor. (3) Remove knock sensor.
INSTALLATION
(1) Install knock sensor. Tighten sensor to 9 N Im
(7 ft. lbs) torque. (2) Connect harness connector to sensor.
(3) Install PCV breather.
SPARK PLUG CABLE SERVICE
Clean high tension cables with a cloth moistened
with a non-flammable solvent. Wipe the cables dry.
Check for brittle or cracked insulation. When testing cables for punctures and cracks with
an oscilloscope, follow the instructions of the equip-
ment manufacturers.
CAUTION: Do not leave any one spark plug cable
disconnected any longer than necessary during test
or possible heat damage to catalytic converter will
occur. Total test time must not exceed ten minutes. If an oscilloscope is not available, cables can be
tested as follows: (1) With the engine not running, connect one end
of a test probe to a good ground. Use a probe made of
insulated wire and insulated alligator clips on each
end.
WARNING: THE ENGINE DIRECT IGNITION SYSTEM
GENERATES APPROXIMATELY 40,000 VOLTS.
PERSONAL INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CON-
TACT WITH THIS SYSTEM.
Fig. 3 Coolant Temperature SensorÐ3.3L and 3.3L Engine
Fig. 4 Ignition Coil Removal
Fig. 5 Knock SensorÐTurbo III Engine
8D - 40 IGNITION SYSTEMS Ä