at least they (MSD) offered to honor the warranty even though it was past due. Now thats customer service.

 

Nothing against MSD. Leading source of ignition upgrades for the last 4 decades? But for some reason their coils don't have a good rep in these motors. As far as money spent, it was a gamble if you ask me. And yes, that was good customer service going outside their warranty to replace one. If it were me though, for the peace of mind... I would go back to oem and move on.

 

Ya I was surprised that they were going to honor it. I will go with the msd until another burns out and then back to stock I guess. I took another look at the coil and it looked like the connection was arcing on one pin.

 

Ive never seen one. Do they have pins instead of springs in the boot?

 

I've personally never seen anyone having an issue with MSD stuff. Accel yes. I would not think twice about running MSD products.

 

There's a spring in the boot, but it was the pin for the "weather tight" connection to the harness

 

Is there a post or thread about how to install the grease? I'm having trouble trying how to get the grease around the boot and install the boot without getting it all over the tip of the plug!

 

It won't hurt to get grease on the metal top connector where the coil plugs in..........

 

MSD is running on past reputation for other ignition products.
Cop units are made in China like all the others, except Ford's made in Europe.
Since Ford uses them off the production line in all the lines using the same motor designs, think of the stink the others would make for failures since 1992 in these motors if they were that bad.
The OEM coil is the standard.
Good luck.

 

I think I figured it out... put it on the flat bottom of the boot that meets the plug to seal. I don't think I did that last time I changed plugs so I want to get it right this time!

 

Need help with this too. 2003 f150 4.6. I feel I have a moisture problem always on #3 cylinder. When I pull COP don't see antifreeze or wetness. Truck sits outside and only gets used 2-3 times per week. If I drive the truck on a 2-3hr trip the COP dries up and the check engine light corrects itself. But usually my trips are 20-30 min at most on hilly roads and so the truck runs like crap. I live in a very wooded humid area in north east. Last month I replaced COP with a new one. Last COP also had dielectric grease. Truck ran fine for about a month before it started hesitating again and finally check engine light came on. I used dilectic grease on new cop. Is there something else I should try or look at? Also the plug on this cylinder blew out the thread and I replaced with time sert thread. But the problem existed before the thread blew out 2 years ago. I bought the truck used and always had this problem. sorry for long post but this problem is annoying me. thanks for help

 

On your #3 cylinder issue here is what I would do.
Remove the coil, make sure the top potting is not seperated at any location to allow moisture into the coil.
Use a new boot to be sure the boot fits the plug tip snuggly and make sure the spring is not stuck up inside the boot..
Grease the inside of the boot tip and on it's end surface so it finds the plug tip when installed.
Around the top of the boot, coat the grooves with grease trying to get a seal with the plug well on the head.
Carefully set the coil in place and feel the boot tip find the plug so it sets on the head without much forcing.
Inspect the heater hose connections for signs of leakage.
Inspect the firewall cowl seal for outside leakage dropping on the area.
When you park the truck, put a paper over the area to see if there is moisture coming from some source.
Good luck.

 

I'm just going to throw this into the ring as a point of reference:

A few months ago, I began hearing "tick-tick-tick-tick" from what I determined was the #6 cylinder. Truck was running like crap, and it sounded like a failed fuel injector (even with the stethoscope). I changed the FI, and no improvement. Disconnected the COP (a Global put in maybe 5K ago), and the noise quit. Although I couldn't see it, it must have been snapping an arc to the block. I pulled the plug, and it looks good, so I threw in one of my old coils, and everything smoothed out. A week and a half later, it begins running rough again, and throws the same Cylinder 6 Misfire code. Another spare coil does not solve the issue this time, so I go for the last link in the chain, and replace the spark plug (which again and still looks perfectly fine). Four weeks later, all is well. It's a head-scratcher, and now I'm wondering if I threw away a good coil.

Andy