Let me start by saying that my truck does not like the rain. This past week we got alot of rain. The first day as soon as it started raining I noticed a miss, which continually got worse. On the weekend I took out all the COPs and plugs and cleaned them up good before installing them. Things seemed to be getting better, then today on the way home from work it was missing alot. My SES light started flashing then stayed on.

Good! right? checked my tuner (currently not installed while I diagnose this issue) - Cylinder #3 misfire. So I got home bucking the whole way, and let things cool down before removing the #3 COP and plug and replacing them with spares that I have. Things seem to be going ok when I find out that I can not tighten down the screw on the COP, it just spins... upon closer inspection I find brass bits on the screw threads... So I must have over tightened it last time or cross threaded it - So what do I do now? Is there an easy fix for this? Will this cause an issue that will cause me to continue misfiring? cause the COP to pop off?

The truck still is not 100% but the big misfire is gone for now. It still stumbles a little at low RPM and the power seems a little down. I would like to get this fixed without spending a fortune.

Thanks in advance.

 

the screw goes thru a brass bushing in the COP and into aluminum threads in the manifold. look at the manifold threads and see if they are bad. maybe try a screw from one of the other holes. If the aluminum threads are bad, i might try a screw that is 1/4 inch longer and reaches a couple of good screws. If that dont work, you might have to rethread the hole a mm or two bigger and get the next size (width) screw. that might also involve drilling the bushing in the COP a few thousands bigger. ---- another thought, you could clean out the hole and fill it with epoxy, then screw the old screw into the hole, holding down the COP. put a weight on top and let it dry for an hour or two. Should be o.k. Not sure how difficult it would be to get it back out next time ??

 

Leave a cop in place but rotated so you can tap the hole to the next "SAE" size.
Use a vacuum and/or air to keep the area clean of chips and out of the plug well.
Use never-seize lub on all the COP hold down bolts.
When you install COPs, lube the boot ends "up inside" the tips so they will 'find' their way over the plug tip and not hang up to cause a missfire.
Make sure the springs don't hang up inside the boot to cause a miss.
Last, don't try to kill the bolts by over tightning. Their only little fellas and set fast in dry alum. over time, without lube.
Good luck.

 

I have the opposite problem, with the #8 COP. I the new COP came in, and due to back problems my 17 yr old was helping me change it out. I finally got a code that said #8 was misfiring. As you know it is the hardest to get out. The screw is right under the fuel lines and is a little tough to get too. I think what happened is that he got the socket on the screw but must have had it in a bind under the fuel line somehow, and it wouldn't let it back out as he was turning it and it stripped the threads. I can't get that little bugger out for nothin. I tried putting some pressure on the COP with a long screw driver hoping it would force it out but it just spins. Has anyone ran into this and how did you finally get it out??

 

The threads on the bolt are filled with the old thread material and can't get a grip to back out.
About the only thing now is to sactifice the coil and break it so you can get a better working shot at the bolt.
Use some kind of fork tool under the head and try to get it to move up under rotation.
You might even try some MURATIC ACID as last resort, to help disolve the material in the hole, then tap the hole for the next larger size.
SAE sizes are usually in between metric size so as not to get to big.
.
Everyone; always use never-seize on the bolts when you have them out.
The alum corrodes over time and sets any bolt fast, in the alum .
If out where you can do it, a bolt that is held fast and in danger of breaking off, use a torch to heat the head red hot, let it cool then try to back it out.
Doing this breaks the corosion bond by expansion, then contraction when cooling down.
A peticular bolt that gives a hard time is one of the EGR mountings. It sticks through the casting and out the back side. Use pentrant on the back side then work it in and out a little more each time. Trying to pull dry corrosion through a hole will often bind the bolt fast.
I aways work down a list of ways to solve an issue until there are none left but to accept the final outcome and bite the bullet on it if it come to that.
Sometimes I even modify a tool to achive the end result by welding, grinding , bending, machining etc.

 

I replaced all the plugs and boots but 1 (the screw was stuck - just spins...) but with 7 of the 8 changed out it runs much better now.

Excellent advice Bluegrass!

 

Bluegrass7, thanks again for the insight. But I talked with a Ford dealership mechanic and he said this is very common. My son just had mine out to change the plugs a few days earlier so I know they weren't seized up. He may have overtightened, but I don't think so because I was standing there advising him not to over tighten and it didn't appear that he did. The mechanic said there is a nut imbeded in the plastic intake on the motor and often times these nuts will break loose inside the plastic and just spin. He said that he sometimes has to use an airwrench that will spin fast and put pressure from under it, and it will melt the plastic and pull it's way out. He said there is a trick to getting another nut back in there while it is still soft. If I can get it out I will figure out a way to hold the COP in place. I haven't had time to work on it but I will let you guys know what how it works.

 

Just a coinsidence but this weekend I had to change a water pump in a 95 front wheel drive V6 Ford.
Two bolts broke off in the alum casting.
I used all my tricks and was lucky to get them out.
No room to drill.
Torch heating the bolts to expand them in the casting, then Mig welding nuts onto the exposed ends and working it with PB blaster saved the job from being a dissaster and three times the work and expense of having to pull more stuff apart.
Without tools it's tough to have any chance when these things happen, but have been up against these things many times, over the years..
Otherwise a $35 water pump would cost a $400 + job before it was all over with.

 

Update:

truck has been driving very well since the plug and boot change. But my "service engine soon" light came on and stayed on all week. My tuner says there are no codes but will let me clear codes which will get rid of the light for a while. That is until today when I checked the codes again. It gave me a P0420 and P0430, bank 1 and 2 catalyst efficiency below threshold. I assume that this may fix itself the more I drive it as the cats get cleaned from having alot of unburned fuel in them from the engine misfiring.

Is this a fair assumption? I cleared the codes for now and will have to play the waiting game. These codes showed up before when I had a misfire code on cylinder 3 but I figured I would fix one thing at a time as they may be from the same issue.

 

Just some back ground on the codes.
If the cats on that side overheated from burning raw gas, you may be in for replacment.
The rear OX sensor looks at the ability of the two cats in that side to store some oxygen.
The ratio of sensor signal change between the front and rear is what the PCM looks at. If it does not fall within programmed limits, you get the codes you see.
If the codes don't stay clear, you need to look at cat replacment since you already know why they are being set.
Bottom line is if anyone sees a flashing CEL lamp and feels a miss, don't ignor it very long by driving. The "flashing" is the warning that cats could be damaged. Matter of fact, if caught out a long diatance, find the cylinder that is out and pull the injector plug off.
Good luck.