Firing Order: 1-4-2-5-3-6
Cylinder numbers:
1-2-3
4-5-6
(Frt. Of vehicle)
Coil Numbering (put this end of the wire on first)
--4 PIN--
--Connector--
-----------------
--1--- 2--- 3--
----------------
--5--- 6--- 4--
----------------
* NOTE the irregular sequence on the 5-6-4 side. Weird, but that's the way it is.
Full Spark Control and Firing Order TutorialThis is commonly referred to as the firing order - the sequence that each plug receives the electrical charge at just the right time for the fuel / air to be in the engine cylinder, ready to to be ignited for explosion (the piston at its peak and putting the maximum squeeze on the air / fuel).
To establish the firing order, you need three things:
They're basically all the same on Ford products and easy once you know some of the landmarks.
Standing in a way that has you looking down at the frontof the engine, #1 is the front, left corner. (like the first violin player in the orchestra is directly to the conductor's left side)
So for the front wheel drive, it's back by the windshield closest to the passenger side fender.
Another way of "saying" it for a front wheel drive:
1-2-3
4-5-6
(Frt. Of vehicle)
Adjust accordingly for V8 engines - you can handle the math I'm sure
Each set of cylinders on each side of the engine is known as "Bank 1" or "Bank 2"
The easiest way to remember who's #1 is to know that Bank 1 is the side where cylinder #1 is.
This one isn't so easy, and may not be so standardized on Ford engines. The placement / orientation of the coil pack on the engine varies too.
Not surprisingly, for a V6 engine (most common is cars today), the 6 contacts on the coil pack are in 2 even rows.
Landmark: there is a point of reference to base the numbering on: a 4 pin/wire connector
For the Taurus/Sable/Windstar engines, the coil pack numbers go like this:
-----------------
--1--- 2--- 3--
----------------
--5--- 6--- 4--
----------------
This refers to the sequence the cylinder is to receive the ignition spark. You might have thought "logically" a simple 1-2-3-4,etc, but that's NOT the way it works.
In 'order' for the engine to run smoothly, there's a particular sequence that each piston needs to fire it's "power stroke" - ignite the air/fuel.
At some point, Ford engineers thought it would be handy if all their 6 cylinder engines utilized the same firing order / sequence:
What about 4 and 8 cylinder engines?
We've got all the numbers and locations, so we know where each end of the sparkplug wire connects to between the coil pack and cylinder!
NOTE: the coil pack is the startingpoint
For example, the V6 connections are:
Coil # goes to Cylinder #
1 to 1
2 to 4
3 to 2
4 to 5
5 to 3
6 to 6
Quiz for extra creditOn a front wheel drive vehicle, which bank of cylinders is easiest to reach: Bank 1 or Bank 2?Go forth and good-wrenching!
Standing in front of the car the 3 cylinders farthest from you, closest to the firewall,from left to right, are #1 #2 #3 The 3 cylinders closest to you and the front of the car are #4 #5 #6, the firing order is 1 4 2 5 3 6, and the distributor cap fires clockwise with the order from right of the rear holdown scew are, 6 1 4 2 5 3..
1-4-2-5-3-6
Standing in front of the car the 3 cylinders farthest from you, closest to the firewall,from left to right, are #1 #2 #3 The 3 cylinders closest to you and the front of the car are #4 #5 #6, the firing order is 1 4 2 5 3 6, and the distributor cap fires clockwise with the order from right of the rear holdown scew are, 6 1 4 2 5 3..
1-4-2-5-3-6
Click the link.
Click the link and then pick the year.
3.8 engine rotation
On a Ford Taurus , V6 engine : firewall 1-----2-----3 4-----5-----6 front of vehicle > driver
passenger side are cylinder numbers 1,3,5, and 7 drivers side are cylinder number 2,4,6, and 8 firing order is 1,8,4,3,6,5,7,2
4 cyl = firing order 1342, # 1 is front cylinder 6 cyl = firing order 142536, # 1 is passenger front cylinder, dist. rotation clockwise
For the 3.4 litre V8 engine in a 1997 Ford Taurus SHO : firewall 1-----2-----3-----4 5-----6-----7-----8 front of vehicle > driver ( also , the firing order is 1 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 6 - 3 - 7 - 8 according to the Owner Guide )
Many engines do not have the cylinder numbers cast on the block or the head. The only way to tell is to buy the maintenance manual for the car, and to look up the 'engine' section. Under 'Timing' it will tell you the firing order, the layout of the cylinders, and how to install the timing belt/chain.
1-3-2-4 coil pack terminal and cylinder layout: 3 4 1 2 FRONT OF CAR
1-3-2-4 distributor rotor turns counter-clockwise cylinder layout: 3 4 1 2 front of car
1-3-2-4 cylinder layout 3 4 1 2 Front of car coil pack layout [3--4] [1--2] Front of car
1-3-2-4 cylinder layout 3 4 1 2 Front of car coil pack layout [3--4] [1--2] Front of car