Ignition Problem, and the fixes. Learned alot.
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 107
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From: Virginia Beach, VA
Ignition Problem, and the fixes. Learned alot.
On my ’97, with a 4.6L V8, I replaced my Coil Packs with the Accell coil packs. Bought them from Summit for approx. $50.00 each. I noticed a nice difference.
The Accell coil packs produce 48K volts. I think my original stock ones produced 30K.
I also replaced my plugs with E-3 plugs. Much better than my Platinum’s. Both the plugs and coil packs have been on the truck for about two months.
My wires were about four years old but still worked, or so I thought.
Thursday, on the way home, the truck started to run rough and my CEL light was FLASHING, then go steady, then start to flash again.
Got the truck home and hooked up my AutoEnginuity Diagnostic system (I love this thing) and it told me that Cylinder No. 3 was misfiring.
Let the engine cool for an hour or so, then pulled the plug wire and removed the plug. The plug looked good. Put the boot back on and started the truck. Same problem.
I then thought the coil pack may be bad but that would be impossable since both cylinder three and five used the same part of the coil, and cylinder five was good.
I then put a older plug in the boot and let it hang and started the engine. I could hear and see the spark arcing to the frame.
OK. Coil and wire are good. (BAD Assumption).
Put the spare plug in the hole, hooked everything up and fired it up. Same problem. I KNOW the old plug is good.
Pulled the plug wire off at both ends and did a resistance check. The wire was OPEN. Bad wire.
I guess the coil had enough power to cross the break and work, but over time it started to burn the ends in the wire that were broken and finally burned enough away to not work.
OK, run down to AdvanceAuto and pickup some AutoLite wires. Replace all of the plug wires.
Fire this baby up. Now Cylinder three and seven are misfiring. ?????
Notice on the new plug wires it says “Suppression Wires”. Light goes off in my head: “Possible high resistance wires”
Check the resistance on the new wires. 16000 ohms on the longest wire. 15.5K on the shortest.
Check the resistance on the old wires (not the bad one). 1800 ohms. BIG difference.
Run back to AdvanceAuto to take the new wires back, and try to get new ones. No dice. That’s all they have for this application. They did take the Autolites back.
Run down to AutoZone. Then have Bosch wires. I also have my Fluke Meter with me.
The Bosch wires have a resistance of 50 ohms. Way better than then the Autolites and even better than the old ones….
Put the Bosch wires on and fire it up. Purrs…. Run around my neighborhood, about 1.5miles, and everything is good.
The next morning, I get about three miles from home on the way to work and it startes again. Get home and see that cylinder three AGAIN is misfiring.
Check wire, it is good. Now I really think the E-3 plug is bad. Pull the plug and check the resistance and it has about 1000 ohms. It seem good, but I put the old Motorcraft plug back in.
Fire it up, and run about 15 miles under heavy load. That fixes things, but the motor just does not seem to purr. Just SLIGHTLY rough. Since I have driven this thing for 10 years, only I can notice it.
Run back to Advance, taking the bad plug with me. Tell them I need a new one. I told them I bought them from Advance but not their store. They GIVE me new one. I tell them that I don’t have the receipt. They did not care. The plug is warranted for 100000 miles and hand me a new plug. No Charge.
Put the new plug in and now it purrssss………
10 years old, 125000 miles and still produces 265HP at the rear wheel.. Dyno checked.
The Accell coil packs produce 48K volts. I think my original stock ones produced 30K.
I also replaced my plugs with E-3 plugs. Much better than my Platinum’s. Both the plugs and coil packs have been on the truck for about two months.
My wires were about four years old but still worked, or so I thought.
Thursday, on the way home, the truck started to run rough and my CEL light was FLASHING, then go steady, then start to flash again.
Got the truck home and hooked up my AutoEnginuity Diagnostic system (I love this thing) and it told me that Cylinder No. 3 was misfiring.
Let the engine cool for an hour or so, then pulled the plug wire and removed the plug. The plug looked good. Put the boot back on and started the truck. Same problem.
I then thought the coil pack may be bad but that would be impossable since both cylinder three and five used the same part of the coil, and cylinder five was good.
I then put a older plug in the boot and let it hang and started the engine. I could hear and see the spark arcing to the frame.
OK. Coil and wire are good. (BAD Assumption).
Put the spare plug in the hole, hooked everything up and fired it up. Same problem. I KNOW the old plug is good.
Pulled the plug wire off at both ends and did a resistance check. The wire was OPEN. Bad wire.
I guess the coil had enough power to cross the break and work, but over time it started to burn the ends in the wire that were broken and finally burned enough away to not work.
OK, run down to AdvanceAuto and pickup some AutoLite wires. Replace all of the plug wires.
Fire this baby up. Now Cylinder three and seven are misfiring. ?????
Notice on the new plug wires it says “Suppression Wires”. Light goes off in my head: “Possible high resistance wires”
Check the resistance on the new wires. 16000 ohms on the longest wire. 15.5K on the shortest.
Check the resistance on the old wires (not the bad one). 1800 ohms. BIG difference.
Run back to AdvanceAuto to take the new wires back, and try to get new ones. No dice. That’s all they have for this application. They did take the Autolites back.
Run down to AutoZone. Then have Bosch wires. I also have my Fluke Meter with me.
The Bosch wires have a resistance of 50 ohms. Way better than then the Autolites and even better than the old ones….
Put the Bosch wires on and fire it up. Purrs…. Run around my neighborhood, about 1.5miles, and everything is good.
The next morning, I get about three miles from home on the way to work and it startes again. Get home and see that cylinder three AGAIN is misfiring.
Check wire, it is good. Now I really think the E-3 plug is bad. Pull the plug and check the resistance and it has about 1000 ohms. It seem good, but I put the old Motorcraft plug back in.
Fire it up, and run about 15 miles under heavy load. That fixes things, but the motor just does not seem to purr. Just SLIGHTLY rough. Since I have driven this thing for 10 years, only I can notice it.
Run back to Advance, taking the bad plug with me. Tell them I need a new one. I told them I bought them from Advance but not their store. They GIVE me new one. I tell them that I don’t have the receipt. They did not care. The plug is warranted for 100000 miles and hand me a new plug. No Charge.
Put the new plug in and now it purrssss………
10 years old, 125000 miles and still produces 265HP at the rear wheel.. Dyno checked.
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach, VA
UDP and TCP are networking protocols.
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
It's a Geek Thing...........
What I did for HP?
All of the normal bolt-ons. I have a REAL EARLY 97. It's serial number is AA7044. I am not sure but this truck does things most others won't. Not sure why. It is just a very strong running beast. And I get 19MPG highway @ 65 and 15-16 City. I have had that kind of mileage ever since I bought it way back in March of 96.
My mileage has dropped just a bit lately, (in the last year) not sure why, but I have started using 91 octaine gas and my mileage is now back up wth better power. I have thought about a SuperChips tuner but want to wait because I am researching SuperChargers......
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
It's a Geek Thing...........
What I did for HP?
All of the normal bolt-ons. I have a REAL EARLY 97. It's serial number is AA7044. I am not sure but this truck does things most others won't. Not sure why. It is just a very strong running beast. And I get 19MPG highway @ 65 and 15-16 City. I have had that kind of mileage ever since I bought it way back in March of 96.
My mileage has dropped just a bit lately, (in the last year) not sure why, but I have started using 91 octaine gas and my mileage is now back up wth better power. I have thought about a SuperChips tuner but want to wait because I am researching SuperChargers......
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 484
Likes: 0
From: kentucky
I thought i had on e of the oldest 97's, it has a build date of 12/95. what is your build date? last of vin is a02002 on mine. No way am i gatting even 165 to the rear wheels. getting parts together for a 5.4 swap.
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach, VA
Originally Posted by s1037s
I thought i had on e of the oldest 97's, it has a build date of 12/95. what is your build date? last of vin is a02002 on mine. No way am i gatting even 165 to the rear wheels. getting parts together for a 5.4 swap.