Coils

[Jherman59]

I have a 2004 Tbird I picked up last Dec. I think my coils are going. How does it act when it happens?. I'm losing power and it lurches when stopping.

I turned it off then back on and it seemed fine. It's parked at the moment but will need ti decide whether to call road service or try ti get it home. I'm about 40 miles away.

And advice is greatly appreciated.

Moderator Note:
Read this 2021 updated COPS thread- https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum...-05-ford-thunderbird-ignition-coils-cop.5040/

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[tbird2731]

Hello, I just got a 2002 Tbird and it is really slow and difficult collecting service info and facts about my car. I brought it to my local repair shop and we put it up on the lift. No tranny dip stick? Fuel filter in the wheel well, trunk release behind the drivers seat! I'm learning a lot from yootube and google. As for your coils, my mechanic says if you can afford it, replace them with better quality. The online mechanics say the same. You should be able to make it home. --- Alan

 

[Jherman59]

Yea. I drove it like a little old lady and made it home. I read another post on here where the guy said he was accelerating fast and it did what mine did. I also had accelerated fast getting on the highway, etc. But I drove it a few weeks ago like that and it was fine. But... On my way back from a long weekend it felt like it had bad gas. Filled it up, put in the cleaner and have only done short trips since then. I'm going to take it to my guys that work on my cars and have them look at it.

 

[Andy in Florida]

I have a 2004 Tbird I picked up last Dec. I think my coils are going. How does it act when it happens?. I'm losing power and it lurches when stopping.

I turned it off then back on and it seemed fine. It's parked at the moment but will need ti decide whether to call road service or try ti get it home. I'm about 40 miles away.

And advice is greatly appreciated.

After purchasing my 2002 TBird I started having problems ~ the car would stall, engine running rough & problems with the A/C ~ I was ready to sell the car as it became a frightening drive. I replace one coil after another till we got smart and replaced them all !!!! I was told I was too late for the recall ~ Ford should step up and replace all coils if there was a recall. No problems after all coils were replace ~ Replacing coils is expensive. Good luck !

 

[Panspeter]

I have had to replace every one of my coils on my 2005. It appears Ford installed a bad batch of these during production and for awhile they were covered by an extended warranty. Generally upon acceleration the engine will stutter but when you let up it will smooth out and you have to nurse it to run smooth. Often it will not happen when the engine is cold but gets worse as it heats up. Sometimes it will act up and then go away for awhile but eventually it will be all the time and will generate a wrench light.
I bought a code reader so that I could identify which cylinder and replaced them myself. Most any auto parts store carry them. I spent the extra money to put the best quality replacement in as it can be a pain in the ass depending on which cylinder but worth it. They are easy to replace after gaining access.

 

[PhilD]

I posted a long description of what I had to do to my 2002 TBird short story is I found replacing the plugs as well as the coils all together is the best thing, I also had valve cover gaskets leaking (another popular thing with these cars, the originals are crap) so pull the plugs out and check to see if they have any oil on them, if so thats the reason its all going wrong. I put bosch iridium plugs in and got a full set of coils off a company that sells aftermarket ones for $65 total. Over two years later and its running fine still. The coil going made it feel lacking in power slightly and a slight hiccup, also you can hear a slight popping/puffing from the exhaust as it does so.

The trunk release behind the seat is a precaution in case your battery dies as that is in there, you use the key to open it, good idea actually.

 

[PhilD]

Oh and the no dipstick for the transmission is because its sealed for life and its the transmission they put in the jaguar xk's at the time

 

[ricki]

I have a 2004 Tbird I picked up last Dec. I think my coils are going. ................... And advice is greatly appreciated.

I had 2 going same time last fall in my 2002, still under ESP at the time. Three coils had been replaced, along with all 8 plugs, per OASIS ~ 8000mi previously, so I had them replace ALL "original" coils (I had to pay for 3 deemed serviceable). The engine had a mild mis-fire most of the time once up to full temp, more severe under higher load (hills, etc). Initially, I thought I had water in the gas - something I have not experienced since Fuel Injection came along. It was going on couple months for me due to parts availability issues before actually getting it repaired.

A common cause of COPS failure is water &/or oil getting into the coil cavities. There was a Tech Service Bulletin on this, covering the coil covers, valve covers and cowl gaskets & seals (windshield washer pump leaks a known water source).

Might be worth having your service techs look into this, and get all those leaks repaired while opened up. I went with the newer Ford part DG529, as info I had suggested they were far superior to the originals (nobody had one fail yet!) (I also had a cracked valve cover-its plastic- previously RTVd that had to be replaced to stop the oil leaks). BTW, engine troubles on these Tbirds are sometimes addressed better by Lincoln mechanics who have additional experience on them from LS cars. Around here, even Jaguar mechanics are familiar with these engines (Tbird engine & platform is from Jag S-class cars).

COPS issues are really no big deal, and certainly not unique to Tbirds. Once properly repaired, you'll love the drives in your new Tbird.

 

[Jherman59]

I had 2 going same time last fall in my 2002, still under ESP at the time. Three coils had been replaced, along with all 8 plugs, per OASIS ~ 8000mi previously, so I had them replace ALL "original" coils (I had to pay for 3 deemed serviceable). The engine had a mild mis-fire most of the time once up to full temp, more severe under higher load (hills, etc). Initially, I thought I had water in the gas - something I have not experienced since Fuel Injection came along. It was going on couple months for me due to parts availability issues before actually getting it repaired.

A common cause of COPS failure is water &/or oil getting into the coil cavities. There was a Tech Service Bulletin on this, covering the coil covers, valve covers and cowl gaskets & seals (windshield washer pump leaks a known water source).

Might be worth having your service techs look into this, and get all those leaks repaired while opened up. I went with the newer Ford part DG529, as info I had suggested they were far superior to the originals (nobody had one fail yet!) (I also had a cracked valve cover-its plastic- previously RTVd that had to be replaced to stop the oil leaks). BTW, engine troubles on these Tbirds are sometimes addressed better by Lincoln mechanics who have additional experience on them from LS cars. Around here, even Jaguar mechanics are familiar with these engines (Tbird engine & platform is from Jag S-class cars).

COPS issues are really no big deal, and certainly not unique to Tbirds. Once properly repaired, you'll love the drives in your new Tbird.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately there is no Lincoln dealer anywhere close to me - so the Ford dealer will have to take a look at it. When I take it in on Monday I'm going to ask about the training (if any) they've had on these cars.

I may print out your reply and take it with me.... all the info I can supply can only help (I hope!).

 

[captrick]

If you look on e-bay every once and a while you will see Ford replacement coil for sale. They average about $400.00 for a set of 8. They are very simple to replace, if you can remove screws with a wrench that is all it takes. There is a coil cover on each bank of the V8 once you take that cover off which has 8 screws you can see the coils and one screw on each coil to remove it from the engine. Then unplug the wire and take the coil out, it is a good idea to replace the spark plugs why you have the coils out. It you had a bad coil it might of fouled the spark plug to. The whole job might take you about an hour. Good luck Rick

 

[Motogeezer]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-8-Bo...d=link&campid=5338236430&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

 

[captrick]

I found out that after market coils are not as dependable as Ford coils. You know the old saying " You get what you pay for". With the Ford coils you get a 10 year warrantee with the after market I think it is only a year. It is up to you but I don't want to replace the coils every year. Good Luck Rick

 

[tbird2731]

Hello Captrick , Two questions, Is the stock coil a ford coil? and is the Motorcraft coil the ford coil you speak of? I ask because I just refuse to purchase parts from the Ford Dealer. Thanks, Alan

 

[captrick]

I have it on good information from a person who owns a late model Mustang Hot Rod Shop that the after market coils don't perform as well as the Ford coils. He has changed a number of Ignition coils with after market ones and a short time later the car came back with bad coils. So now he had to replace them at his cost. That's why he only uses Ford coils. He tells all his customers that he only uses Ford Replacement Products.

 

[tbird2731]

Is the Motorcraft the Ford coil?

 

[captrick]

It is a division of Ford most service parts are labeled Motorcraft. If you buy Motorcraft parts they are direct replacement parts. Try to buy as much as you can Motorcraft parts. They are a little more expensive but well worth it. Good Luck Rick

 

[Motogeezer]

I found out that after market coils are not as dependable as Ford coils. You know the old saying " You get what you pay for". With the Ford coils you get a 10 year warrantee with the after market I think it is only a year. It is up to you but I don't want to replace the coils every year. Good Luck Rick

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignition-Co...ash=item1eb260207f:g:qLkAAOSwtJZXVwe~&vxp=mtr

 

[captrick]

That is a good price for the coils but I didn't see the Brand Name. Life time means your life, the cars life, or the coils life ????

 

[Motogeezer]

I'm guessing you haven't actually looked.

 

[captrick]

I looked at the ones you sent the link toand couldn't find the manufactoria. I found the Motorcraft coils for the T-Bird on the E-bay search and they were $300.00 and change for a set of 8. Rick