I know this has been beat to death! & I've read most every thread..........

I have pretty much the same problem as most everyone with a 5.4 150---misfire under a load usually around 50-55 mph, very rough idle etc....

--This has been going on for me for the past 3-4 yrs. It is usually the back 2 COP's against the firewall.

Once it happens I swap them to the front 2 so they are easilly accessable if they are bad. Once I swap them it will run great for a while usually 6-12 months, then the same routine over again.

The general advice seems to be replace all COP's & plugs with oem motocraft. I have replaced all my plugs, but why all the COP's if they really aren't bad----or are they? They work fine once I swap them (basically re-seat them on a different cylinder)

----I guess my question is: How can I cure this problem for good without blowing alot of money on unnecessary components?

Yesterday it happened again & the CEL blinked for about 10miles till I stopped & never stayed on. I went hunting for a couple hours, then when I went to drive back home it ran like a champ....no misfire, no CEL!

 

Quit wetting your motor. Dirty motors run better.

 

You cant afford $65.00 for a new set of coils? if you had read about the tuning of the 5.4 on this board you would know you can get them on e-bay.. Replace them and be done with it. Make sure you have Motorcraft plugs..Make sure you water proof them with Dielectric grease to.. And these..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-I...item58847a0c54

 

could be bad injector, need an injector flush, reprogram pcm to latest calibration.

 

It's a good question and I don't think it's a problem of affordability. It's a problem of crappy design since he asked what he can do to keep from changing out the COPs every year which is stupid to have to do on any vehicle. I particularly don't like removing all the skin off my knuckles and bleeding all over my engine every time I change out the back two, either.

 

They wear out in about a 100k. Replace ALL of them and they dont wear out for another 100k. Replace them 1 at a time and yes they will fail every few months until you did them all. Makes it seem worse then it needs to be.

 

Replace them all and the problem should be fixed. I dont see it being an injector issue at all.

 

No they don't. I have over 300,000 miles on 7 of my F150's factory set (1 broke). My father has 250,000+ on his V10's factory set. My uncle has 200,000+ on his factory set. My mother has almost 200,000 on her 1997 4.6 with coil packs.

As far as I know, they never wear out. They're solid state. But they hate being wet.

$50 says that the original poster washes his engine.

 

Yea, I call BS right there lol.

You wouldn't have to ask quote #2 if quote #1 was correct. It's a cheap fix and allot of users on this site take advantage of it. Yes, it's been beaten to death, but the good in that is simple fact, = It's a proven fix

 

I did read most every thread on this subject & have been monitoring them for a few years now....I just wanted to see if someone would reply with a new & improved fix.

$65 for new coil overs is not the issue, as I stated above was just fishing for a new & improved fix.

Thanks for all the helpful posts I will just change all of them again along with plugs.

---about the bleeding knuckles----that is TRUE as hell as it seems to usually be the back 2 against the firewall!!!! :-(

 

so..... Do you ever wet your engine?

 

no, never have wet it! I pulled #6 yesterday which was the one that was misfiring.....was all kind of moisture in it & was even a little of corrosion on the plug itself!

I don't know where the moisture is coming from? I am gonna get all new COP's & plugs & put some kinda sealer on the top of the rubber boot where it meets the top of the plug well! I don't know what else to do?

 

Dielectric grease. Coat the entire inside of the boot; just make sure to clean the tip of the spring before putting it in the well. You want good contact between the spring and top of the plug. I pull the spring out past the end of the boot & spray with electronic cleaner to make sure there's no dielectric grease on the tip of the spring. Also coat any seams on the COP/boot with dielectric grease. Last time I removed the COP's, the seal was very good it took some pulling to get them out. sounded like a wine cork being pulled!

And though most here know what can happen when these engines get wet, the Ford manual (at least with my '03) states:

" Engines are more efficient when they are clean because grease and dirt buildup keep the engine warmer than normal. When washing:
-Take care when using a power washer to clean the engine. The high-pressure fluid could penetrate the sealed parts and cause damage.
-Do not spray a hot engine with cold water to avoid cracking the engine block or other engine components.
-Spray Motorcraft Engine Shampoo and Degreaser (AC-20) on all parts that require cleaning and pressure rinse.
-Cover the highlighted areas to prevent water damage when cleaning the engine." (highlights the intake filter, battery & fuse box)

I wonder if they have the same recommendation in '04 & later manuals...

 

AZTriton & others who replied w/helpful info:

Thanks for being so helpful! I appreciate your time to reply back with some helpful info!

Thanks!!!!

 

Well find out what is wetting it!!!

Dry it off and plug it back in, and it will probably work.