Ford P0301

Cylinder 1 misfire on Ford petrol — coil pack and plug first, then the well-known wet-plug issue on 1.6 EcoBoost.

Ford P0301 — Cylinder 1 misfire on Ford petrol — coil pack and plug first, then the well-known wet-plug issue on 1.6 EcoBoost. Typical UK independent garage cost: £60–£1800.

What actually causes P0301 on a Ford

Cylinder 1 sits at the front of the block — coil and plug here see the most thermal cycling. On 1.6 EcoBoost specifically, head gasket failures (a known issue subject to recall in the US) can cause coolant to enter cylinder 1 and wash the plug. On 1.0 EcoBoost, water pump failures dump coolant into the belt-in-oil setup and cause similar wet-plug misfires.

Ford engines that log P0301

• 1.0 EcoBoost
• 1.6 EcoBoost
• 1.6 Ti-VCT
• 2.0 EcoBoost

How we diagnose P0301 on a Ford

1. Swap coil from cyl 1 to cyl 2 — if misfire follows the coil, replace the coil
2. Inspect the plug from cyl 1 — wet/oily/sooty tells you the next test
3. Compression test and cooling system pressure test if plug shows coolant or oil
4. Check water pump on 1.0 EcoBoost — known belt-in-oil cascade failure

The common misdiagnosis to avoid

Replacing coils and plugs four times in a year on a 1.6 EcoBoost means head gasket — not 'another bad plug'. Pressure-test the cooling system.

Ford P0301 repair cost in the UK

Expect £60–£1800 including parts and labour at an independent garage. Main-dealer quotes on Ford are usually higher for the same job, and the spread exists because the cheap cause and the expensive cause throw the same code — pay for the diagnosis before you pay for parts.

Bob's workshop tip

Always replace plugs as a full set on EcoBoost engines, with the correct Ford-spec part and torque (very low, around 15–18 Nm — overtorquing damages the threads in the alloy head).

Codes usually seen alongside P0301 on Ford

• P0300
• P0302
• P0303
• P0304
• P0316

Symptoms drivers report with P0301

• Engine 'juddering' like a wet dog when you try to overtake on the A9.
• The car 'kangaroos' at low speeds, especially when the engine is stone cold.
• The EML (Engine Management Light) is flashing at you—that's a 'stop now' warning for your catalytic converter.
• A distinct 'put-put-put' sound from the exhaust pipe at idle.
• Massive loss of power, feels like you're towing a caravan that isn't there.

Repairs that clear P0301

• Replace spark plug
• Swap coil pack
• Injector test
• Compression test

For the generic, all-makes explanation of this code — meaning, every known cause and UK cost bands — see our P0301 guide.

Reading P0301 on a Ford properly

A generic reader will show P0301 and nothing else. What matters is the freeze-frame data stored with it — engine speed, load, coolant temperature and fuel trims at the moment the fault was logged — plus whether any other module on the Ford has logged something at the same time. Codes rarely arrive alone, and the order they were stored in usually points at which one is the cause and which are the consequences.

Clearing P0301 without fixing it

Erasing the code resets the Ford's readiness monitors as well as the light. The fault returns on the next drive cycle if the cause is still there, and in the meantime the incomplete monitors can stop the car passing an emissions check. After a genuine repair, the car is driven until the relevant monitor completes before it is handed back.

Bob's Mechanical Repairs is an independent garage in Birnam, Dunkeld, Perthshire, with 32 years of Bob's experience on the tools. If P0301 is showing on your Ford, bring any scan results with you — we will read the live data ourselves, confirm which cause it actually is, and price the repair before any work starts.