What could a continuous misfire counter on cylinders indicate even when no physical misfire is present?

A continuous misfire counter indicating misfires without any physical misfire presence can indeed suggest high resistance in the wiring. This situation arises because high resistance in the wiring can prevent the ignition system from receiving the correct signals, leading the engine control module (ECM) to interpret these irregularities as misfires.

When wiring has high resistance, it could create issues such as voltage drop, which affects the delivery of voltage to the ignition coils or other related components. As a result, the ECM may trigger the misfire counter due to the irregular performance of the ignition system, even if the combustion process in the cylinders is occurring normally.

While excessive fuel pressure, faulty engine timing, and incorrect ignition timing can indeed cause actual misfires, they do not fully account for instances where the ECM is reacting to faulty input signals rather than physical engine performance issues.