Top Issue- 02-05 Ford Thunderbird Ignition Coils COP

[Elsie]

Just joined and wished I knew about this option. I replaced all of mine last year myself, using FoMoCo parts and I spent 20x the amount listed on Amazon 😡 Curious how these hold up / compare to the Motorcrafts I put in...
p.s. If anyone is intimidated by the work, it's a real piece of cake. I didn't even have to replace the coil cover gaskets.

Idaho - my car went into limp mode in front of a local Ford dealer that had worked on the car 9 months earlier, so I pulled in there - thinking the problem might be the same thing and the work could be covered by warranty. They keep car a week and finally said it was COPs and they wanted $1400-$1500?? I said I could replace the COPs myself, they weren't happy about that so to throw them a bone I purchased my new COPs through them - Motorcraft COPs - I think they hit me up for around $375. Then a few months later I find this site and find out you can buy em off Ebay or Amazon for $50. Yeah I wasn't too happy either.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[Docsouce]

Just finished changing the coils and spark plugs. Started at around 10am and just finished 2pm. Pretty straight forward job. I think I used every socket extension combination possible. All looked good except that there saw about 1/4 teaspoon (maybe less) of oil in the #6 spark plug tube. I used the barrel swabs and connecting rod from my rifle cleaning kit to soak/clean up the oil. I did the drivers side first. Figured I'd get the interesting ones done right off. I am disappointed that the coils are about 1/8th inch longer. Didn't really like sealing the access cover with ultra black. Makes for a sloppy finish to an otherwise smooth job. Anyway thank for all the posts. Made me feel like the job was done before I started!!!!

 

[Docsouce]

Tommyc explains the the height issue nicely with pictures here on page 4. I was able to deal with this as he suggested and I am satisfied with the outcome. It sure beats paying $65 each for Motorcraft coils. Now on to painting the calipers!!!

 

[Rusty_G]

Well we bought our bird with 25k miles about a month ago. We have managed to put about 80 miles on it during the few nice days here in Cleveland. Last time out the stumbling began. Just a single miss at idle here and there and within a few more miles had progressed to a fairly pronounced stumble. I'm hoping the cops and plugs will fix it, planning on ordering the ones identified in this thread. I'll let you know how it works out. But I do find it curious the way they went. I had a 99 Lighting that would just drop a coil from time to time. That would be a consistent dead cylinder that was easy to find, and I would just replace the one bad coil. I think I had 3 go bad in about 70k miles. Those had no covers and were exposed to the elements. I also have a 03 Cobra with 105k miles, never had a coil go bad. I had thought they worked out the issue. It has a cover over the coils. Oh well, glad I enjoy working on these things.
.

 

[lvb]

2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS have a widely known issue with Ignition coils going bad and also fouling out spark plugs causing misfires
. Just by replacing these components you may be able to bring new life to your engine!

At the time of this post, 46.99 for an entire set of Ignition Coils! Can't beat that! If you have a 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird I would buy these just to have on hand because of the history of these going bad! Don't forget to order 8 spark plugs too because the coils foul them out!

Here is the link http://amzn.to/2ilnIo3

There is a post here on how to replace or here.

Important- You may also have a problem with your cowl seal, wiper seal etc, which is causing the coils to fail! You can read more about that in this post.


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2002 tbird coils jc16no18 eccpp got them on amazon 18 mos ago will they fit my 02 correctly

 

[Rusty_G]

Ok, at 25k miles the 05 bird began to exhibit the cop problem. I picked up the plugs and began replacement, figured I would order the coils later since it won't be going anywhere soon. So here are the tips. Use a tie wire on the open end wrench for easy retrieval if you drop it, second you can use a flat blade screwdriver in the end of the socket as a low profile universal joint. Here are some pics, questions to follow.

 

[Rusty_G]

Now the questions. Has anyone had the coil problem without the associated problems? These look like new. I can find no evidence of anyone having been in here before. The plugs look good to me too, but any advice? Has anyone ohmed out the coils to determine if they are still good? If so what should they read? I haven't gotten to the passenger side so that could be a different story. Thanks

 

[JW in Dixie]

Ohmmeter or battery - lamp the coil circuit - either some degree of resistance in the Ks, shorted or open.
Get an OBD II code reader and know which one is faulty. My 04 recently began missing: OBD showed #6 COP.
Big help. Advise against driving with a cop not firing - raw gas not good for cylinder walls and rings. Cheers

 

[Rusty_G]

Ohmmeter or battery - lamp the coil circuit - either some degree of resistance in the Ks, shorted or open.
Get an OBD II code reader and know which one is faulty. My 04 recently began missing: OBD showed #6 COP.
Big help. Advise against driving with a cop not firing - raw gas not good for cylinder walls and rings. Cheers

I didn't drive it long enough to set a code, so nothing shown on the scanner. The passenger side has one plug and coil that does not match the others. I have the Parts Galaxy coils ordered and expect them today. I measured 5500 Ohms on the secondary side and .8 Ohm on the primary side of all coils. I'll check the new coils when they arrive, but these numbers look reasonable for good working coils. Now that isn't to say they may change once warmed up.

 

[Docsouce]

That string idea is great. I also stuffed a bath towel between the engine and the inside of the wheel well to catch those screws. Simple but effective!!

 

[04tbirdjerry]

2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS have a widely known issue with Ignition coils going bad and also fouling out spark plugs causing misfires
. Just by replacing these components you may be able to bring new life to your engine!

At the time of this post, 46.99 for an entire set of Ignition Coils! Can't beat that! If you have a 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird I would buy these just to have on hand because of the history of these going bad! Don't forget to order 8 spark plugs too because the coils foul them out!

Here is the link http://amzn.to/2ilnIo3

There is a post here on how to replace or here.

Important- You may also have a problem with your cowl seal, wiper seal etc, which is causing the coils to fail! You can read more about that in this post.


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Wow, I just bought two at $49.99 each at Pep Boys. I ordered the set of 8 since I seem to replace these often. They only had 7 left, so I would suggest jumping on that deal. Thanks for tip.

 

[tommyc]

Hi folks. I'm looking to purchase a 2002 -2005 'bird. Are there any reasons that I should stay away from any particular year? I've read that the 2002 has a hydraulic fan assembly that may be problematic and parts are no longer available for repair?

The '02 model did have a hydraulic fan. It was eliminated on the '03 - '05 models, and there was also a HP increase on these later models. These two facts helped drive my decision to get something other than an '02.

Not knocking the '02s mind you, or their owners. In fact the '02 had the nicest color combinations (IMHO), and they are plentiful. I owned two different '02 Lincoln LS, which shared the same platform as the Thunderbird. I had to replace the hydraulic setup on one of them, and it wasn't pleasant. I had it done at a shop, and it was costly and time-consuming. It just seemed like something I could avoid by buying a later model Thunderbird.

Since you're here in the COP thread, it's worth mentioning again that the COP problem exists in all years. But it's very manageable with the low-cost aftermarket COPs. Lots of info here about the issue and resolution.

 

[edward301]

The hydraulic fan assembly including shroud, fan blade, and hydraulic motor is
only $151, and hydraulic pump varies from $95 to $195. Not bad if it does fail.
The 2002 had the most sales, so there is plenty out there.

 

[Tbird Harley 03]

2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS have a widely known issue with Ignition coils going bad and also fouling out spark plugs causing misfires
. Just by replacing these components you may be able to bring new life to your engine!

At the time of this post, 49.99 for an entire set of Ignition Coils! Can't beat that! If you have a 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird I would buy these just to have on hand because of the history of these going bad! Don't forget to order 8 spark plugs too because the coils foul them out!

Here is the link http://amzn.to/2ilnIo3

There is a post here on how to replace or here.

Important- You may also have a problem with your cowl seal, wiper seal etc, which is causing the coils to fail! You can read more about that in this post.


View attachment 673
View attachment 1351

I am doing some minor mods to my 03 bird and was thinking of replacing all plugs and coils as part of routine Maintence. My question is should I waste the money on buying say like high performance coils or just stick with what works I can’t see where I would see much of an increase in power and some of these so called high performance coils can cost a substantial amount. Just looking for opinions and also at the moment I’m not having any issues with mine and mine was fixed by the original owner with the recall of the coils and the wiper cowl and all 8 plugs and all 8 coils were done and I’ve never had an issue

 

[Tboy]

I got my coils and plugs on Amazon. I had 2 estimates to replace all 8 coils and plugs, one was $1200. And the other was $1500. Decided to do it my self and paid a total of $90.00. Runs like new now.

How difficult to do? Anywhere you can find info on the procedure?

 

[Mach5]

I had no problem with the extra 1/8" on my 2004. When you reinstall the covers, you just need to go around and tighten them down evenly. (If you screw one end in, all the way down, it will pitch-up the far side making it nearly impossible to seal - if you are even able to get the screw in to start with.)
I set all my screws in around the perimeter, just engaging the threads. Next I took them all to finger tight. Last I screwed them down evenly, similar to the way you would tighten down an intake manifold - side to side, across, inside to out.
I had no problems.
However, I would like to see an aftermarket piece that is raised slightly to eliminate this issue - preferably with a nice Thunderbird logo! (Oh, and a really good watertight gasket to go with it.)

Moderator 2020 Note- This was in reference to the Parts Galaxy Coils. The newer ones are a little shorter.

 

[BarfingMonkey]

@Mach5 2005 - What tool/method do you use to tighten/loosen the driver's side - bottom corner bolt for the coil cover. Wow what a pain, I lost my tiny wrench somewhere in the engine compartment.... I left the 1 bolt off.

 

[Mach5]

I used an old ignition wrench tied to a large box end wrench by a piece of fishing line. I set the large wrench up on the manifold. I dropped the ignition wrench at least a half dozen times but just retrieved it on the line. Knowing I could drop it repeatedly -without suffering any real consequence - allowed me to move more quickly and without fear. My son working on the other side thought it funny to hear the tinkling sound every few seconds (followed by a quick "darn it") when I dropped it. No scars. And in the end, I snipped the line off the larger wrench but left it attached to the little ignition wrench - since the next time I will probably ever touch that wrench is the next time I need to take that cover off.

 

[Retrobird Jay]

Make sure you post a review on Amazon to offset the dummies who don't know how to install them. Lol

It amazes me how the shop I took my car to and how others that post reviews on Amazon can’t seem to replace these properly. It was quite straightforward (with the exception of the driver’s side firewall being a pain).

 

[ChairMan]

Enjoying a nice country drive on a beautiful Saturday morning a few weeks ago when the dreaded check engine light followed by the wrench light illuminated. Car went into limp mode and I drove the remaining 5 miles home at about 30mph with flashers going. Car coded with P2110 & P2107, Throttle Actuator control System & Throttle Actuator Control Module Control Processor. After much research on this great forum, I highly doubted this was the problem. Took the car to my local mechanic shop (great trustworthy guys) twice I left it for several days. They took it for several test drives and couldn’t get it to code! The good news is they didn’t charge me anything but recommend a dealer that certainly would know the idiosyncrasies of a T-Bird. (NOT)

Long story short my neighbor and I replaced the COPS with the set I bought (Parts Galaxy) shortly after buying this car and reading the forum. Also installed new Autolite Iridium spark plugs. This was a one owner vehicle with 33k on the odometer when I purchased it a couple years ago. It now has 35k! The really interesting part of this job was that the passenger side had 4 different brand spark plugs!! The COPS appeared to be 4 different generations as well! Ya Think there may have been some previous COP opportunities! Took the car on a beautiful 1 1/2 hour country ride this morning and the car runs better that when I bought it!! No check engine light!! . BTW, already ordered another set of COPS from Amazon!