I just bought a 1997 E150 with an 8 cylinder engine. Unfortunately I forgot to ask the seller which engine.
How do I distinguish a 4.6 from a 5.4 engine? Is there a label somewhere?
Codes indicate a misfire on cylinder #6. I plan to replace all coils. Are they different for each engine?
Thanks

 

 

COP's across all the Modular Motors are the same electrically the only real distinction being what year your chassis is----Ford changed the COP's connector pins in about 2002 so the "earlier" spec'd coils won't connect to the "later" chassis wiring harness due this change; the chassis connector's pins are too small to allow a proper connection. If you're buying brand new this shouldn't be a factor--Motorcraft lists their p/n DG508 as fitting all the Modular Motors

If you're not already familiar with these parts please don't fall for the "high performance" brags the aftermarket brands might tout----the only real concern is the quality of the part. For my money I run nothing but OEM or Motorcraft as they've proven to be the most long-lived of any brands I've tried. Reading through the Modular Motor forums you'll see more than a few threads of misfiring after installing a cheap part, very rarely a Ford or Motorcraft part failing. FWIW I have a 2000 E250 w5.4 engine that's just topping 285K miles, still running the original factory installed COP's.

You can change all 8 if you like but if the others are running strong enough I'd not go to that expense---your call and budget to break. Do invest in a good quality boot, use a dab of dielectric grease on the spark plug end and you should be happy motoring for quite a while yet to come.

HTH

 

Thanks, I missed it the first time I looked at the emissions label. I have the 5.4.
Just ordered Motorcraft coils. While it is tempting to replace only the one coil, it's been my experience that when one electrical component goes the rest are not far behind. Besides, I might as well do them all while I have all the stuff which must be removed for access out of the way. Removing all that crap is the biggest part of the job.

 

You might want to inspect/change the plug boots too. Misfires can also be caused by cracks, or small holes in the boot allowing shorts.

 

Never mind that the body says V8 Triton, I assume that I have a 2-valve engine. Also that the correct spark plug is SP459?

 

The vans have always had the 2-valve motors----they never received the 3-valve version of the Modular Motors.

The correct Motorcraft plug is a SP479.

HTH

 

So, why do all the parts store sites specify SP459? I'm not familiar with Motorcraft numbers. Is 479 hotter or colder than 459?

 

 

I got to work today replacing coils. But I only got three done. Six was the one with the error code, so that one was first. That cylinder had an NGK TR6 plug in it, gap was .044. Replaced with proper Motorcraft.
Cylinder five had the correct plug in it, replaced anyway. I got the coil replaced on four, but it looks a bit tight to get the plug out. I don't know how any human can get to coil/plug three in this thing, so I quit.
Too hot to work in the cab and there's a bunch of metal pipes in the way, so those will just have to wait.
In any case, it started right up and runs smoothly, all codes clear.