Hey all, posted elsewhere too but looking for all the advice i can get. We were given a 1998 E150 conversion van about a year ago from family. Told it never had issues, we did regular oil change type services and it ran ok until now.

The engine is the 4.6L Triton V8. 200k miles. It started missing recently and it seemed obvious it was either fuel starved or misfiring on a cylinder. Codes P0305 (Cyl5 misfire) and P0401 (EGR valve) showed up. assuming the p0401 was due to the p0305, i started digging online. Seems these tend to have coils that go bad? I'm not a great mechanic so with some advice from one that is i was led to believe that switching the coils on the plug side and on the coil pack side (both sides of wire anyway) would be a good test to see if it was the wire. I have no spark tester.

so with a borrowed code reader i removed air filter, found coil 5 next to cylinder 5 and after some time realized that unlike what i have seen online there are no screws holding these coils on the plug so i simply pulled it off. Traced it back to the coil pack and pulled that side off. Did the same for coil 6 wire. I then swapped them, cleared the code and started. It starts immediately but then dies out if you do not stay on the gas. It was not throwing any codes now but wouldn't stay running. So i put the cables back thinking at least it was running before and maybe time for a true mechanic. Nothing changed when i put them back to normal, it starts and dies out quickly if not on the gas. And of course there is no code. I let it run for about 30 seconds to try and throw a code but no luck. so seems i have made things worse somehow

So any recommendations on what to do next? Not sure with 200k miles how much we're willing to spend on it. Whats the expectation on these engines?

Maybe i have two that are misfiring now? bad plugs? i dont know... hard to get to some of those.

 

The assumption of the 2 codes being related is faulty, they are two separate problems. There is a good possibility you may have separated the plug wires internally when removing them leaving you with 2 misfiring cyls. Are you positive the wires are in the correct coil towers? If the two are switched it can leave you with only 6 cyls working.
Check and make sure you didn't knock off or damage a vacuum hose . Did you install everything when you reinstalled the air cleaner?

 

Thanks Hanky. I am going to double check everything again but i am certain that i put everything back the way it was. The only thing i took off was the air filter and the one wire that runs in to the housing on it.

I posted this elsewhere and someone mentioned that it could be the PCV hose as it is near cylinder 6 where i was messing around. i did consider the possibility that i have two cylinders not firing now.....if only it would give me a code but no luck. Plan is to check pcv hose from valve to back of intake, check wires again and test. if it dont make any progress it probably is over my head.

 

Codes are nice to help get some direction, but I believe you may have a minor problem that might be solved using basic diagnostics. Before you do anything else we need to confirm that the plug wires are on the correct coil tower, then if that checks out we can sometimes pin down a misfiring cyl by just momentarily checking for spark at both of the 2 wires you worked on. That one item going to the air filter assy if not installed properly could cause problems also. Do you have means to remove the 2 spark plugs in question. What they look like and smell like can provide clues to what may be going on. There ae several possibilities of what is causing the problem , but like everything else you solve problems one at a time. There are many guys/gals here that are always willing to assist, so don't get discouraged until you at least check the basics.

 

I dont have access to a spark tester, not sure how else to check for spark. I am hesitant to remove the plugs as they are pretty recessed, and i've been warned about the aluminum plugs and possibly doing more damage. I think i will start with the wires on the coil tower like you said.

Can someone school me on something here though, this doesnt seem to be a true coil on plug type deal is it? To me the wire seems just a spark plug wire, but i'm not sure i understand the coil on plug really. I thought i heard someone say you can even put the plug upside down in the coil pack directly and check for spark which would mean it definitely is just a wire correct? In that case would a continuity test be sufficient or worth checking on the wires?

Thanks again though, great forum

 

There should be no problem with your 1998 vehicle regarding spark plug removal. All you need is a spark plug deep socket which you should be able to purchase at just about any auto supply store if you decide to go that route.

 

I have the same problem..... Instead I have a cylinder 2 misfire. I have had it replaced multiple times. My 2002 ford escape also doesn't want to go up hills at 40-55. I have to gun it to get up the hills. if not the car seems to sputter and kicks.

 

you had what replaced?

I am still working on my issue, havent gotten time to get back to it yet but ill let ya know what i find

 

I had cylinder 2 replaced about 3 times now.

 

To Poster72.
Not knowing your experience level and possibly to save some time, suggest you Google;
"1998 Ford E150 4.6L engine firing order."
There are images of your engine and it's cylinder numbering, coil spark plug wire locations and firing order. If you study it carefully you will be able to confirm the correct spark plug wire placement on the proper coil. This is one of those times a picture is worth a thousand words. You can't just check spark plug wires for continuity alone, you need to measure resistance and there is an approx spec for so many ohms per inch/foot. The better way to go if you suspect faulty plug wires is to just replace them with a quality set of wires, ONE AT A TIME!. THAT WAY THEY SHOULD NOT GET INTO THE INCORRECT LOCATIONS. Plug wires will not tolerate rough handling and can separate internally when pulled on hard enough.