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2003 4.6 Plug and coil change (pics)

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Old 01-08-2012, 06:20 PM
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2003 4.6 Plug and coil change (pics)

Had a misfire that got worse and worse, and i knew the previous owner had installed bosch quad platinums. Finally got the truck back from my parents to i ordered the parts and went to town. Took a little longer then 2 hours, with me stopping and taking a lot of pictures along the way

Plugs and coils NIB. I choose Factory plugs and Global coils


Intake tube, PCV hoses, EVAP, PS bracket and harness removed and relocated for access


Passenger side harness relocated as well as heater hose.


7mm swivel socket used to remove bolts from coils


coils removed (driver side shown)


Be on the look out for sealing rings from the coil and injector connectors. The need to get pushed back into the connector (coils bolts shown as well)


Long spark plug socket, and extensions. Flex head 3/8ths ratchet also helps out


Used a stubby 3/8 flex to do majority of the plug turning, not necessary but it makes it go faster


old coils (OEM)


Gross looking boots and springs


New plugs in, torqued to 28ftlbs


New coils and a giant tube of dielectric grease


I always recommend lining up the old plugs and comparing them to see if you have a problem cylinder like oil burning, missfire, or coolant leak. The plug will be discolored if its got something wrong


And finally reading and clearing my misfire light out with my hand held scanner
 
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:55 PM
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Nice write-up, Pat! Thanks!!!
 
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Old 01-09-2012, 01:14 PM
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Nice write up...

Don't the cop retainer bolts usually have a 7mm bolt head?.....
 
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Old 01-09-2012, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by 88racing
Don't the cop retainer bolts usually have a 7mm bolt head?.....
yes you are correct, all the LR stuff uses 8mm so i just wrote that out of habit. Changed to 7mm in the writeup
 

Last edited by JackandJanet; 01-10-2012 at 10:04 AM. Reason: Noted that typo was corrected by Patman
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Old 01-12-2012, 12:00 PM
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Had misfire issues for months on my 2001 4.6 but nothing ever showed up on the ODBC reader. I bought a coilpack and moved it from cylinder to cylinder until it ran right, but it would only last for a few days or weeks and the problem would come back. I finally ripped out the Bosch Platinum plugs and replaced them with OEM motorcrafts and have not had those problems in 3+ years. I did have a coilpack fail recently so I replaced them all with MSD's from summit. Not sure if I got any performance gain but I dont think I'll have any problem generating spark anymore. The moral of the story is don't get fancy with spark plugs on these Triton motors, use the factory plugs. I'm posting this here in hopes of saving others the hassle I went through.
 
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Old 01-12-2012, 12:01 PM
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Excellent write-up! I think my coils are going to get replaced this summer.
 
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Old 01-13-2012, 09:33 AM
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Nicely done. Thank you.
 
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Old 01-13-2012, 06:56 PM
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What the he77 did they do, not replace the #8 plug?
 
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Old 01-14-2012, 02:02 PM
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it was #1 that was oddball, it was replaced by a shop after it spit it out driving down the road. Weird that happened since my 03 has 8 thread heads. It just backed itself out, the threads were fine.....
 
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Old 01-16-2012, 09:06 PM
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Why does it seem like it's always #4 that acts up. I've read threads here and elsewhere and the majority seem to be be #4. Mine's been acting up but need it to warm up a little bit before I undertake this project. Got the parts last summer but things kept preventing me from getting it done. Some times it's worse than others. Thought I read somewhere that coolant hose leaking onto the cop could cause this issue. Didn't see evidence of this.
 

Last edited by B&WScrew; 01-16-2012 at 09:35 PM. Reason: spelling error
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Old 01-16-2012, 09:36 PM
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What make spark plug socket is that?
 
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Old 01-17-2012, 09:03 AM
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Hey Pat, I want to replace my cops and boots this summer as I am getting a feeling one is slightly bad. I don't want to remove the plugs as they were done 9k ago. Do the boots just come out without taking the plugs out? I'm going to use all oem parts on this just for piece of mind.
 
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Old 01-17-2012, 10:50 AM
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Originally Posted by B&WScrew
What make spark plug socket is that?
Matco SPS206PXL

Originally Posted by TruckGuy24
Hey Pat, I want to replace my cops and boots this summer as I am getting a feeling one is slightly bad. I don't want to remove the plugs as they were done 9k ago. Do the boots just come out without taking the plugs out? I'm going to use all oem parts on this just for piece of mind.
yes boots come up with the coil. OEM is fine but very pricey compared to a quality aftermarket coil
 
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Old 01-17-2012, 09:07 PM
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Was somewhat surprised to not see a Patman Grille on the red truck1
 
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Old 01-18-2012, 02:27 PM
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Thanks for the info Pat
 

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