I was just wanting to get some input on an issue with a 99 F250. We had a lot of humidity and rain the other day that caused this truck to start misfiring. I have fixed this problem a few times on other Ford V8s, so I decided to tackle the job. There was a Service Engine Soon light that indicated the missfiring of cylinders 1,7 and 8. Cylinders 1,7,8 and 4 were all wet inside. I removed the plugs, and sprayed wire drier down each of the holes. Then I cranked the engine over a few times with the plugs out. Next, I put anti-sieze on the threads of the new plugs, and installed them followed by new boots on each of the coils. All of the coils got seated properly and the boots sealed. I plugged everything back in, installed the intake tube, reconnected the battery and started the truck. When I tried to drive away, the problem was not resolved, but I didnt get a check engine light after driving for about 10 minutes - misfiring heavily! Is there any way to test those crappy COP units? Anyone have any suggestions about the problem?
--NEED TO RANT BRIEFLY --By the way, if there is an Oreilly store in your area, DO NOT go there. I had to explain to three different guys what a boot was for the COP. Then I told them the part number that I had remembered from when I worked auto parts. After they knew what I wanted, they told me they weren't supposed to be replaced. When I insisted on replacing them, they only had two in stock. I reminded them that engines which utilize this cop system have a minimum of 8 cylinders...long story short, after 25 minutes of very frustrating dealings with people who cannot do a very, very simple job, I went to NAPA and paid a little more to buy them from a guy who knew what he was doing. I usually go to NAPA for the hard stuff, but I thought these boots were standard procedure. Autozone said they didnt carry them and Advance had them in packages of two - they had 4 boots in stock. Moral of the story, go to the company's website, find your own parts, print out the page with the part number and hand it to the kid on the other side of the counter. Then leave, get lunch, tour a local museum, get a haircut, renew your license at the DMV and return to the parts store. With a little luck, they might have actually gotten half of what you need. --END RANT--