[3.0cammer]

hey i know there have been alot of post about spark plugs and wires but i noticed when i first bought my car that i did not have normal plug wires there is a few wires that run to a coil or some thing on each plug .. i was just wondering how good or bad is haveing this set up... how often do the coil things get changed or do they and what not

thanx

 

[NateNBeckie]

In 2000 they went to the "coil on plug" design. They got rid of the coil pack and now each plug has it's own coil right on top of it. They don't need to be changed unless they go bad.

 

[3.0cammer]

thanx

that is what i thought i just did not know if there were any pros or cons in having this setup

 

[godspunk32]

Do a search on google about coil on plug advantages, and you should find a decent write-up somewhere...

**Edit** I can't imagine Ford doing something that would completely revamp the ignition and electrical system on a car that may or may not be on it's way out soon if there weren't significant advantages to the system...

JR

 

[NateNBeckie]

Maybe I'm wrong in my last post. I just saw a 2001 Tec' with plug wires. Hmm... I wonder when they went to coil on plug? I don't remember what my dad had on his 2002 Sable.

 

[3.0cammer]

mine is a 2000 sel

 

[godspunk32]

You'd still have the plug wires, the only differences is that instead of having a traditional distributor or a coil pack, like is on the Gen III (located on top of the front cylinder head), you'll have plug wires that go directly to the plug from the power distro system and have the coils in between the wire and the plug

JR

 

[3.0cammer]

this is not mine but this is what i have

 

[diesel600]

Coil on plug ignition is found only on 2000 'tecs. They went back to conventional plug wires in 2001. Not sure why, but the system may have been troublesome. My parents' 2000 has the coil on plug and we had a stubborn misfire that took numerous trips back to where we bought it (under warranty) until it was fixed. I think one of the coils was bad.

 

[NateNBeckie]

Ahhh yes. I see that the water pump isn't driven off of the cam either, it's driven like the 96-99 Tec' off the normal accessory belt. 2000 must have been like 99, Ford used production cars as their development ground.

I don't know why they would have issues with the coil on plug. They have been using it on the OHC V8s since they were released haven't they?

 

[3.0cammer]

my parents just bought a 2004 focus and it has the same step only on the 2.0

 

[Damon]

Originally posted by NateNBeckie@Jun 16 2004, 02:27 PM
Ahhh yes. I see that the water pump isn't driven off of the cam either, it's driven like the 96-99 Tec' off the normal accessory belt. 2000 must have been like 99, Ford used production cars as their development ground.

I don't know why they would have issues with the coil on plug. They have been using it on the OHC V8s since they were released haven't they?

THe problem with coil on plug on the SHO V8s is that the rear coils would always fail. This was due to the size of the engine, and the lack of space in the back of the engine bay. Not enough air circulated around the coils, so they would overheat and fail. Its a common gen 3 SHO problem.

As far as my 2000 SEL, I have never had a problem with the coils. Never once had a misfire. Changed plugs recently with no problems, too.


-Damon

 

[Bob Gervais]

Originally posted by dIESEL600@Jun 16 2004, 01:39 PM
Coil on plug ignition is found only on 2000 'tecs. They went back to conventional plug wires in 2001. Not sure why, but the system may have been troublesome. My parents' 2000 has the coil on plug and we had a stubborn misfire that took numerous trips back to where we bought it (under warranty) until it was fixed. I think one of the coils was bad.

It's an inherent design issue, affecting all Fords that have them. The V8 SHO guys go through the same thing, as do the Expedition/Navigator guys. Not really much to worry about because the failure rate is low, however it's really tough to diagnose. The computer won't always kick a misfire code when you have a faulty coil, it has to be a really bad misfire to do that.

Basically, they fail because of heat, and inadequate insulation. Once the insulation cracks, moisture gets in and the problems begin.

 

[diesel600]

Originally posted by tEh BoB!!!11+Jun 16 2004, 05:32 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (tEh BoB!!!11 @ Jun 16 2004, 05:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-dIESEL600@Jun 16 2004, 01:39 PM
Coil on plug ignition is found only on 2000 'tecs. They went back to conventional plug wires in 2001. Not sure why, but the system may have been troublesome. My parents' 2000 has the coil on plug and we had a stubborn misfire that took numerous trips back to where we bought it (under warranty) until it was fixed. I think one of the coils was bad.

It's an inherent design issue, affecting all Fords that have them. The V8 SHO guys go through the same thing, as do the Expedition/Navigator guys. Not really much to worry about because the failure rate is low, however it's really tough to diagnose. The computer won't always kick a misfire code when you have a faulty coil, it has to be a really bad misfire to do that. [/b][/quote]
Sounds like our story exactly. It was not a terrible misfire, only becoming noticeable under the combination of high load and low rpm conditions. The shop first replaced the fuel filter and added some sort of additive to the transmission, thinking the problem was related to one of those things since the misfire would not throw a code.

 

[Bob Gervais]

Yep, it is a hard problem indeed. Bad part is too, even if you know it's the coil that's causing a misfire, you still have to find which one.

Fortunately for us, people like Paul Nimz have put forth efforts to test coils, and document it:

SHOZ123 tests coils