Engine cylinder numbers

Has Ford renumbered the cylinders from a 96 to 99 4.6. I am receiving a P0303 engine code which is cylinder #3 misfire. I have the 96 service manual and it shows #3 as third back on passenger side, but before I go too crazy trying to check which one is missfireing, I would like to know if it is the third one back on the passenger side of the engine.

Ford has had the same cylinder numbering for over 40 years.

1-4 are on the passenger side (front is #1)
5-8 are on the driver's side (front is #5).

Thanks I thought so, I am already confused since it seems that when I disconnect #3 coil pack the engine idle gets even rougher. More testing tomorrow.

Ok , ModMech your right on. After about 2 hours of playing with the car, changed all the plugs, (looked like they were the originals at 106K), the car still had intermittant P0303 codes. I moved the #3 coilpack to the #5 cylinder and the problem moved with it, so I changed the coilpack and the car runs fine.
Is this a real common problem? It seems that I never had to change coils even when the Fords had the dual coil system.

Coil packs are pretty common, but only on expeditions f-series, and now tauruse and focuses and mustangs and crown vics and anything else Ford makes with coil packs.

The COP modules prior to the '02 MY were not of stellar quality, those after are MUCH better both in terms of spark power and durability.

Unfortuneately, most (if not all) aftermarket COP modules are not as good as even the older (pre'02) factory parts, although they are cheaper in most cases, so people end up with multilple replacements on the same cylinder and blame the car.

Well I guess thats why when I puchased this car it had 3 bad ones. they were stolen by the mechanics. After a little reasearch all the bad ones had code dates of 2000 and 2001. this the first that I can tell is an original from this engine.