nickmnusa

I have a 97 5.4 and was driving to work in a pretty major snowstorm up here in Minnesota. When I went to push the gas in 5th gear to get moving a bit faster a had a bad miss and shudder and a blinking check engine light hit my dash. Now I havent had the code checked at an autozone or anything because the nearest one is 25 miles away each way but im about 99% certain its a coil gone out. Im wondering with 147,000 miles on her would it just be a good idea to replace all 8 or should I just replace the one? I can get all 8 off of ebay for $84.95 shipped does anyone have any experience with the ebay ones? Im thinking I just ought to replace all of them while im in there and be good for another 100,000 miles....any input would be greatly appreciated.

AFSOCSGT

Replace only the ones gone bad, it will save you money, as far as EBAY for on 84.95, those are cheapos. If they aren't bad from the factory they probably won't last long. Do some searching one here, there are some coils that people have had good luck with, I just can't think of the brand right now.

nickmnusa

I guess my biggest problem is getting the truck to a computer to check which COP it is. Wouldnt driving 50 miles with a miss not be to good for the motor?

evillecop

It depends on what you are going to do with the truck. If you are keeping the truck for years to come.....change them. 147,000 miles means you are past due for them to go bad. 84 bucks for all eight coils is asking for trouble. Plan on spending $300-$400 for the good ones. I like NAPA or CarQuest brands. Stay away from Auto Zone.

If you are planning on selling the truck, then change the bad one. I travel a lot in my 02 Screw and changed them all last winter before a trip to Colorado. Prior to the change, I had had four different coils go bad over the years. Plan on three hours for the job if changing them all. If you have done it before, cut that time in half. Change the plugs while you are at it.

There are some good guides on the internet on how to change them.

Good luck

nickmnusa

The $84 are from that company on Ebay called "global" I have been reading reviews here on the forums havent heard anything horrible. With taking these COPs off am I going to need all kinds of socket adapters and extensions? I know you do with the plugs or is it pretty straight forward?

offroaddude333

before getting coils check the spark plugs the same thing happened to me and i pulled the plugs and 2 of them were no good i replaced them and it runs like a champ... also could be dirty fuel ( just listing an inexpensive thing to check)

evillecop

Changing the coils are pretty straight forward. Some small sockets (not sure of the size, I think seven or eight mm) will get the COPs off. Some of the engine covers will have to come off, but those are simple. Change one at a time. The plugs can be a pain if you do not have the right tools. If they have been in a long time....beware. They can be corroded in and you may break them off. The back two cylinders on the driver's side and the back one on the passenger side are the tough ones. Use a plug socket with a four inch extension, a swivel, and then a long extension. I use a very small amount of anti-seize on the new plug. Some mechanics say never do that, but I like it and have never had a problem using it. DO NOT PUT TOO MUCH ON THE PLUG. The internet has some good pictorial guides that walk you through it with ease.

Rob1945

about 2 mo's ago! I got this really nice 97 F150 4x4 it's in great shape BUT!! a week or so ago! after I drove the truck a little ways and it wamed up from time to time it would start to shake like I was running over a wash board road then the tranny started shifting run with an ocasional clank, I was thinking man! here we go a big tranny repair bill, so I took it to a local tranny repair place the guy drove the truck came back and told me it was NOT the tranny but in the motor, then I thought back and remembered that when I was having all my tranny problems my motor went from running smooth to really rough! so anyway! the guy told me it would more than likely need to have all the plugs and maybe coils replaced and it would be fine! sure hope so! just the labor to do all this will be 350 and then some expensive parts!! he also advised me not to try doing the job myself as it would be really!!!! hard and would need special tools

offroaddude333

it is really hard with a 5.4 because the last 2 plugs on each side are blocked by the cowl but it shouldnt be 350 its about a 3 hour job

Tocapet

I have a stoopid question: I have an '03 Screw with the small V8.
Am I gonna have problems with the spark plugs or is that just the '04 and up? I think mine is the 2-valve engine according to the specs.