started 3 days ago. it's not a violent miss yet, but it's pretty annoying. the servive engine light has not come on yet. you can really feel it when accelerating past 50.

is it a COP misfiring/going out? how can i check which one without the engine light being on?...or should i just wait til it does come on?

any help is appreciated.

2001 f-150
v-8, 4.6 L

 

There is a lot of this type of missing going on, that sets no codes.
I am in the middle of a chase to find the cause and already have some proof it is both the plugs and the boots that does this and looking at a fix for it.
I am on a second set of replacement plugs as a test and already seeing the results.
What I am finding will set a lot of people to disagreeing about the findings on plugs, boots and coils.
Basicly the factory system is too marginal in some areas in both electrical design and mechanical sealing etc. IMO there is excessive problems with the ignition on these Mod motors.
.
For you, how old are the plugs and boots?
Are there any water leaks in the COP areas?
Don't be to quick to blame the coils.
.
To many people just shot gun and throw money and parts at the problem.
Certainly with only three major parts to change per cylinder, changing all of them has a 99.9% chance of solving the problem but you never know exactly what the problem was for the total cost involved when it could have been done for much less. The point is if it happens again you would not want to replace all the parts again but have knowledge to do only what needs to be done.
.
Couple hints. The original Motorcraft plug has been superceded. I am finding this new designation is one source of the problem besides using the old boots and when the dielectric grease essentially drys up in a few hundred miles, the seal is lost and leakage begins again..
Sorry if this looks like I am going against factory reccomendations but some times they are not always correct either and owners keep on haveing problems that could be solved if testing and a new look at the application was done before the designation change was made.
Good luck.

 

I'm having the same problem, truck is missing, but no cel. I have already changed the fuel filter, added water removing product to gas tank, changed the plugs, cleaned the MAF sensor.

Now the really strange thing is when I changed the plugs I unhooked the battery cable whlile I was working on it. Every plug I removed looked as good as new, this truck is a 02 4.6l with 83k on it. after the plug change it ran good as new, no miss at all that was 3 days ago, today after a 40 min drive to work it started missing again. No cel , no codes. can anyone think of what the problem could be?. I'm living check to check, I'd like to avoid the ford dealer charging me a small fortune, but it looks like I may need their diagnostic machine... BTW: I did use dielectric grease on the inside of the boot at the plug end. Also the design of the coil and boot make it impossible to be sure if the coil spring is on the plug very well...

regards
brian

 

my truck has 83K on it...forgot to post earlier

 

I can tell you what I would do based on experience. Not everyone will agree.
If the new plugs you put in were Motorcraft and the ones you took out were the originals, take look at he new ones to see if they are the same designation.
My bet is they are not the same unless you lucked out some how.
This is what I would do.
Replace the boots first and grease them well at the plug end. See what results you get. This is relitively easy.
If there is a problem again and you want to do this, change the plugs again to BOSCH #6241. These plugs are about $2.85 ea and are NOT the fancy +2 or +4 but a standard platnum plug like the truck uses.
There is another reason I am reccomending them but will let that go for now because it gets to be an involved explanation..
BOSCH a very old auto parts company and is an OEM supplier of parts to Ford so there is nothing wrong with their plugs when used in the right application.

 

Bluegrass , your getting there ( : The boots are bigger contributers than you might think at this point - It's a bunch of crap, you'll see.

 

If there were any performance issues with the new finewire plugs, it would have already become apparent. No such issue (other than your concer - whatever it's based on) has been rasied on any of the numerous forums I frequent and no Ford TSBs have noted any problems.

If you have valid concerns with the finewires, bring
'em on for discussion.

Steve

 

I figured I would get one or more of you guys to start blowing when you don't know the basis of what is going on.
Your not as well informed as you think you are.

 

So, if you have additional, valid data, bring it on.

As I said previously, I haven't seen ANYTHING, ANYWHERE to the contrary yet.

Any evidence that the finewires are not performing up to standard needs to be brought out for analysis. Your comments, taken by themselves and with no corroborating evidence, are not particularly helpful for anyone.

Steve

 

Steve , who sells that Red Lube Guard ? Carquest, Autozone , murray's - NADA!!
I think i'm freakin cursed - most of my drivetrain seals went last week after the first frost - haven't herd of that happaning before..

funsville!!

 

I buy mine at a local O'Reilly's. However, O'Reilly's is a regional chain and may not be in your area.

I've also ordered and received it from www.bulkpart.com

You might also find a distributor that services the transmission houses in your area.

Steve

 

Found it , Thanx!! Hey , have you ever used any of this stuff - is it any good ? Car quest , generally is a pretty good shop.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...900&anum=10939

 

I put in my freshly rebuilt AX4S in my 94 SHO last winter.

Also used it in my 141K CD4E Contour that was having issues earlier this year.

While the Lubeguard did not "cure" anything (didn't expect it to and that's not why I used it), both trannies are performing very well.

I use it for its advertised thermal transfer assistance and for it additive pack.

Steve

 

Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I'm goin to use SeaFoam aswell - they came out with a pre-flushing additive. You pour a pint in - drive it for five minutes , then flush..