ignition coils
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2007
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ignition coils
i just changed the plugs in my truck today. im kind of thinking of changing the ignition coils now to. is there any aftermarket ones that anyone found to work good or should i just use motorcraft still. trying to get little more mileage out of truck.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
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From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
A couple schools of thought on COP's.
1) Electronics (in this case, the insulation on the coil windings) will break down over time and become more prone to failure. Changing after 10 years would be good PM. May even gain you 1/2 mpg if there are a few internal shorts and voltage is down.
2) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Fortunately, when a COP dies, it doesn't strand you on the side of the road. It will just run rough and lose power. Drive it home and start swapping in a new one until it runs right. Done.
Me? I was planning to just carry a couple new ones under the seat and run them 'til they die. BUt then I had to rebuild the engine, so I went ahead and put in a full new set since access was so easy.
DO change the plug boots. They are relatively inexpensive.
Chinese coils on e-bay? I wouldn't even consider using them. I've seen low dollar chinese manufacturing plants. High end chinese manufacturing plants CAN and DO produce product as good as that available anywhere else. Intel's processor chip fabs are absolutely state of the art. But the lowest cost sweatshops? They are what they are and you truly do get what you pay for. 8 year old girls working 16 hour days with no training and no quality testing is not the hot ticket for reliability.
Aftermarket coils? A little searching will turn up mixed reviews. Test at your own risk.
A little internet shopping will get you a full set of genuine Motorcraft for under $400. That's all I will use.
1) Electronics (in this case, the insulation on the coil windings) will break down over time and become more prone to failure. Changing after 10 years would be good PM. May even gain you 1/2 mpg if there are a few internal shorts and voltage is down.
2) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Fortunately, when a COP dies, it doesn't strand you on the side of the road. It will just run rough and lose power. Drive it home and start swapping in a new one until it runs right. Done.
Me? I was planning to just carry a couple new ones under the seat and run them 'til they die. BUt then I had to rebuild the engine, so I went ahead and put in a full new set since access was so easy.
DO change the plug boots. They are relatively inexpensive.
Chinese coils on e-bay? I wouldn't even consider using them. I've seen low dollar chinese manufacturing plants. High end chinese manufacturing plants CAN and DO produce product as good as that available anywhere else. Intel's processor chip fabs are absolutely state of the art. But the lowest cost sweatshops? They are what they are and you truly do get what you pay for. 8 year old girls working 16 hour days with no training and no quality testing is not the hot ticket for reliability.
Aftermarket coils? A little searching will turn up mixed reviews. Test at your own risk.
A little internet shopping will get you a full set of genuine Motorcraft for under $400. That's all I will use.
New User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Cost isn't an issue + 10 Motorcraft coils= piece of mind
Cost is an issue + 10 aftermarket coils = money leftover for groceries but may have problems
Fix it when it breaks = more money in wallet, less time and sweat invested - slightly irritating when you drive home on a dead cylinder
I recently had a coil die and had to replace only one of the coils. I had the same thoughts of replacing all 10 but common sense kicked in, and I will wait until the next one goes, and then the next, and so on.
Cost is an issue + 10 aftermarket coils = money leftover for groceries but may have problems
Fix it when it breaks = more money in wallet, less time and sweat invested - slightly irritating when you drive home on a dead cylinder
I recently had a coil die and had to replace only one of the coils. I had the same thoughts of replacing all 10 but common sense kicked in, and I will wait until the next one goes, and then the next, and so on.
