I just did a plug and wire change on my '97 4.6L 4x4 and it only took me 6 hours...took my time and had a couple of cold beverages as well.

Next...would it be good to change the two coil packs as well? Do these gradually go downhill, or do they just suddenly stop working?

Would I notice any difference in performance by upgrading to MSD, Accel or Borg-Warner? Is there any great difference in output or quality with any of these three?

Thanks in advance...Scott

 

Congrads on getting your plugs changed. I just did a plug change on my 98 5.4L and it took me the better part of two days plus the help of someone younger and more flexible then me. Also had some help from a Ford mechanic. You have to remove the fuel rail on the drivers' side to get the back two plugs out of the 5.4. It is a bear of a job and for 67K miles my plugs looked really good. The mechanic that helped me said their dealership (the one where I purchased my truck) has adopted a "if it's not broke don't fix it" attitude about plug changes on the new engines. They feel that in a normal tune-up that most customers would not understand the $200.00 price for a plug change so they now wait until a misfire problem occurs before changing plugs. After doing the plug change I understand where they are coming from.

 

if you have 70000 on the truck and it has a sluggish feel or your plugs foul out,you may consider a coil change. i did mine after a plug and wire change and it was a big differance in performance

 

I did mine just for the performance gains which were a little disappointing. It did provide a little quicker acceleration but that's just the butt-o-meter dyno. Like stated above if your having misfire problems or it feels sluggish replace both packs. The Accel's like I have run $55 each ( part#140018) and provide about 4000 more volts of energy. The MSD is a little more on the price and energy.

 

The MSD ones are $69.99 each in either Summit or Jegs. I'm interested in getting those. I've had a rather good experience with MSD products. I had a TFI blaster coil and 5 series box and worked good.