Chrysler Repair: ASD relay circuit shorted to ground?, coil harness, o2 sensors

Question
Hello Roland,

I have a 1999 Dodge Stratus with a 2.0L engine.
After I had my ignition coil melted (only the pack #1 - which fires cylinders 1 and 4), I went to test the wiring, so my new one wouldn't get melted as well.

checked the coil harness, and a little resistance was found between the coil #1 driver and ASD relay output, while no continuity was found between coil #2 driver and asd r/o.

so I tested the ASD relay output wiring for a short (using your instructions found in another question), and checked for continuity between ASD relay cavity 87 and ground strap - found around 7 ohms resistance.

After disconnecting everything and testing one by one, found out that when I disconnect my "O2 upstream sensor connector" and remove the fuse for the "O2 downstream sensor", the continuity between ASD relay and ground is gone; so does continuity between coil #1 driver and asd relay.

So, is my ASD relay output really shorted because BOTH my O2 sensors went bad (at the same time!)? Or could this be only defective wire?

Also, regarding the coil drivers, checking pins directly at the PCM, I have continuity between PIN10 (ground) and PIN11(coil driver#1), while there's no continuity between PIN3 (coil driver#2) and PIN10.
So I imagine that this continuity shouldn't exist with the car turned off, thus meaning that the coil driver #1 is always sending signal? Or maybe it will correct itself when car turns on?
If it doesn't, I guess I will have to replace the PCM?

Sorry for the long text, just wanted to be as specific as possible.

Thank you!


Answer
Hi Ronald,
I checked my '96 and '03 Stratus manuals and find that neither one is exactly consistent with what you are listing for pin numbers (most specifically an '87' pin on the ASD as neither shows that pin; maybe the '89' the the r/o on my diagrams). I probably need a manual for  '99 +/- to figure out exactly what are the implications of the measurements you have taken, and also I am not always certain when you report a measurement what was connected and what wasn't connected. Please forgive my difficulty with helping you on this one. But until I have the correct diagrams I cannot realistically dialog with you about the situation.
Roland