The 2001 Ford Taurus is equipped with a 3.0-liter V-6 engine, with an eighth VIN digit of "U." A 3.0-liter DOHC V-6 and a 3.0-liter "flex-fuel" engine also were available that year. The 3.0-liter VIN "U" engine had a distributorless ignition system, with an individual coil pack for all six cylinders. The coil pack has six towers that provide the spark to each cylinder, and is controlled by the engine control module.
Open the hood of the Taurus. Disconnect the negative battery cable using a ratchet and socket. Disconnect the electrical connector from the ignition coil pack. Place small tabs of masking tape on each ignition wire that extends off the coil pack. Mark the ignition wires with a black marker; use the numbers stamped into the top of the coil pack. If no numbers are stamped on the coil, use the diagram in the "References" section of this article to guide you for properly marking the ignition wires.
Remove the ignition wires from the coil only after you have marked them correctly. Turn the dial on the multimeter to the ohms setting. Look at the ignition coil directly at the side into which the electrical connector was plugged. The pins inside the connector port are numbered 1 through 4, from left to right. Insert the red probe from the meter on pin number 4, and the black probe onto pin number 1. The measurement of resistance should be between 0.3 and 1.0 ohms.
Place the red probe from the meter onto pin number 2, and the black probe onto pin number 3. If the resistance for measurements 1 and 4, or 2 and 3 are not within the specifications provided, replace the coil pack. If both measurements are within specification, proceed to the next step.
Place the red probe onto electrical connector pin number 3. Insert the black probe onto ignition tower number 1. Note the measurement of this secondary winding. Move the black probe across the coil pack to tower number 5. The secondary winding measurement should be between 12,800 and 13,100 ohms. If the measurements are not within this specific range, replace the coil pack.
Insert the red probe onto electrical connector pin number 2. Place the black probe onto the middle coil towers, numbers 2 and 6. Place the red probe onto pin number 1. Move the black probe to coil tower number 3, then to coil tower number 4. If either of the measurements is not within the specified range in Step 4, replace the coil pack.
Connect the ignition wires onto the coil pack by hand, then to the electrical connector. Connect the negative battery cable onto the battery and tighten it snug with a ratchet and socket.
