I have a 2003 F150 Super Crew (small V8) that keeps blowing coils. I am no mechanic. I am just repeating what the dealer says.

The service writer said that each spark plug has an individual coil and sometimes they go bad and the truck runs rough. Ok, fine. The truck is doing the exact same thing as the last two times I had it fixed. The dealer said that another coil went bad, not the one they fixed the first time.

At $280 a pop, I can't afford (pun intended) to keep this rig on the road! Is the dealer jacking with me? Thanks.

I may be missing something but a set of spark plugs may cost at most $55.00.

Get a set of aftermarket plugs and be done with it.

Jerbear

They says it's the coil. Each plug has a separate coil. BTW the truck has 77K miles on it.

You can get an OBD ( onboard diagnostic ) tester for as little as $50.Pep Boys. Plug it in under the dash and run the Vehicle and read the code, there will be a book and CD with it to tell you what the codes mean. Then fix it yourself.Got one for my Jag, it payed for itself with one coil pack replacement. Jeff

I'm definately not TRON but I am a Ford technician. What I see mostly is water entry into the plug wells that causes corrosion and then the coil to fail. At 77,000 miles I would want to replace all of the plugs and inspect each of the coil boots for rust or the presence of water. After replacing the plugs and any of the boots that appear contaminated reinstall the coils using Ford's dilectric compound or an equivalent. That should take care of your problem. Good luck!

Steve

The Vehicle is equipped with COP or Coil on Plug ignition. There is an individual coil located above each spark plug and fired individually. They are subject to water intrusion and other such issues.

I would suggest looking for a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) issued by Ford to address the issue. I remember that some of the Expeditions and similar vehicles did have some trouble with the Coils on the cylinders near the back of the engine. They had trouble with water (rain) dripping down on them from the cowl and bulkhead. There may have been other issues addressed as well.

The cost for each one is pretty high, but within reason for a dealer. If you could do it yourself, it would be a lot less money. A Diagnostic Trouble Code would usually be set due to the misfire and would help to identify which cylinder is at fault. Some autoparts chains will actually pull these codes for a small fee or sometimes for free.

Thank you Steve!

Quackshot is right about the TSB but it only applied to earlier engines and the problem was related to coolant leaking from the heater hose connections onto the right rear coils. Generally #3 and #4. You could take a look at that but I doubt that is the trouble.

Steve

http://www.fordf150.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33337

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html

nice reading... Jerbear

you need to make sure all the plugs have been replaced. then if it starts missing you replace only the coil that is missing. usually the plug hole has water in it from driving in rain and hittiong puddles. it you have water in one hole its likely there will be more in other plug holes. usually the water will ruin the coil but you can try it . pull all coils and blow out holes with some wd 40 and maybe even put some silicone or dialectric grease around the top of the coil to help seal it . seem as the vehicles get older the coil boots loose their sealing capability

Ditto to the above ford has had the problem for quite some time. You would think they could get it right, are they in financial trouble???

just a recommendation...consider going to High Performance aftermarket coils as I believe they are a little heartier and the sealing boots are of a higher grade material...they are available from MSD, Accel and others...plus yhet put out a bit more spark intensity