coil replacement

[luvcrika]

I have a 2001 ls and i need to replace coil number 5 but the 3 bottom screws are a pain to get out. any sugestions on how to take them out to save me some money? Thanks for any help....

[shorod]

Which engine does your LS have and which "3 bottom screws" are you referring to?

-Rod

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by shorod

Which engine does your LS have and which "3 bottom screws" are you referring to?

-Rod

I have the v8 3.9 and the driver side cover. where the dip stick is..

[joegr]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

I have the v8 3.9 and the driver side cover. where the dip stick is..

Actually, they are bolts. I wouldn't say that they are easy to get out, but they aren't really hard either. I use a socket wrench for the first two, and a box end wrench for the back most one.

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by joegr

Actually, they are bolts. I wouldn't say that they are easy to get out, but they aren't really hard either. I use a socket wrench for the first two, and a box end wrench for the back most one.

I tried to remove the the first one closest to the front and the dip stick and the power steering pump is in the way. the second has some sort of electric box in front and the last seems to be the easiest but I can't get a wrench on it. the bolt is 7mm and is very little plus the angle is any better..

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

I tried to remove the the first one closest to the front and the dip stick and the power steering pump is in the way. the second has some sort of electric box in front and the last seems to be the easiest but I can't get a wrench on it. the bolt is 7mm and is very little plus the angle is any better..

how did you get a socket on the first two? i tried to use the smallest socket i have and it did not fit.

[joegr]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

I tried to remove the the first one closest to the front and the dip stick and the power steering pump is in the way. the second has some sort of electric box in front and the last seems to be the easiest but I can't get a wrench on it. the bolt is 7mm and is very little plus the angle is any better..

The power steering pump is not in the way. It's the power steering reservoir. You can remove the upper of the two bolts that hold it in place, and then position it (with the fluid still in) out of the way, but you don't have to if you have the right tools. If you do decide to move it, you'll have to remove the air filter box first.

The "electrical box" is the evap purge solenoid. The service manual says to remove it to get the coil cover off. To remove it you need to remove the two nuts that hold it on and release the electrical connector and the two vacuum lines. I find it easier to just leave it in-place and work around it.

You need either a really short socket and ratchet or a small box or open end wrench to get to the last bolt.

[joegr]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

how did you get a socket on the first two? i tried to use the smallest socket i have and it did not fit.

You have to push/pull the dipstick tube to the side a little bit to get to the first one. I don't recall having much trouble with the middle one. You may need to go to Harbor Freight or Sears and look at the tools to find the ones that you really need for this.

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by joegr

The power steering pump is not in the way. It's the power steering reservoir. You can remove the upper of the two bolts that hold it in place, and then position it (with the fluid still in) out of the way, but you don't have to if you have the right tools. If you do decide to move it, you'll have to remove the air filter box first.

The "electrical box" is the evap purge solenoid. The service manual says to remove it to get the coil cover off. To remove it you need to remove the two nuts that hold it on and release the electrical connector and the two vacuum lines. I find it easier to just leave it in-place and work around it.

You need either a really short socket and ratchet or a small box or open end wrench to get to the last bolt.

joegr thanks for our help. Thats my problem I guess I don't have the right tools. I loosened up the last one with an open end wrench. its the first one that seems to be giving me the most problem. I tried to use the smallest ratchet I have and its still doesn't get past the dip stick.

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

joegr thanks for our help. Thats my problem I guess I don't have the right tools. I loosened up the last one with an open end wrench. its the first one that seems to be giving me the most problem. I tried to use the smallest ratchet I have and its still doesn't get past the dip stick.

thanks joegr is the coil right under the cover? and how hard of a job is it to do. i got busted up for the last coil the mech fixed it was about a $700 job.

[joegr]

Originally Posted by luvcrika

thanks joegr is the coil right under the cover? and how hard of a job is it to do. i got busted up for the last coil the mech fixed it was about a $700 job.

The four coils are right under the cover. Once you have the cover out of the way, they are easy to replace. Be sure to replace the spark plugs too. One of them might be the real problem, or some may be damage by the bad coil(s).

While you are looking at tools, be sure to look at various length socket extensions. You will need some. A small torque wrench would also be a good idea for replacing the plugs. You want them to be tight enough, but not too tight. It's easy to damage the aluminum heads if you don't have a good feel for how hard to tighten them. (tighten to 20 lb-ft)

You also need dielectric grease to put on the coil boots, and anti-seize to put on the plug threads. Lastly, you need a plug gap gauge to verify that the plugs are gaped correctly. Usually there are one or two in a set of eight that aren't. (gap = 1 mm)

[luvcrika]

Originally Posted by joegr

The four coils are right under the cover. Once you have the cover out of the way, they are easy to replace. Be sure to replace the spark plugs too. One of them might be the real problem, or some may be damage by the bad coil(s).

While you are looking at tools, be sure to look at various length socket extensions. You will need some. A small torque wrench would also be a good idea for replacing the plugs. You want them to be tight enough, but not too tight. It's easy to damage the aluminum heads if you don't have a good feel for how hard to tighten them. (tighten to 20 lb-ft)

You also need dielectric grease to put on the coil boots, and anti-seize to put on the plug threads. Lastly, you need a plug gap gauge to verify that the plugs are gaped correctly. Usually there are one or two in a set of eight that aren't. (gap = 1 mm)

thanks for all your help joegr, I will give it another crack tomorrow.

[shorod]

Once you get all the bolts out, you may find something appears to be holding the cover in place towards the rear. From the factory there was a bit of RTV where the coil wires exit the valley in the valve cover. The service manual suggests applying a small amount of RTV when reinstalling the appearance cover. If the dealership did that, the appearance cover may offer a bit of resistance at the rear.

Be VERY careful if you check the gap of the plugs. The little electrode on the platinum and iridium plugs can break off if you are not careful. The manufacturers will warn not to check the gap. Also, use OEM plugs as several folks have reported issues with using non-OEM plugs or any of the plugs marketed as being "performance" plugs for either horsepower or fuel economy performance. I've used Iridium plugs in my 2004 LS V8 without issue, but other folks claim to have had issues with them as well.

-Rod

[joegr]

Originally Posted by shorod

Once you get all the bolts out, you may find something appears to be holding the cover in place towards the rear. From the factory there was a bit of RTV where the coil wires exit the valley in the valve cover. The service manual suggests applying a small amount of RTV when reinstalling the appearance cover. If the dealership did that, the appearance cover may offer a bit of resistance at the rear.

Be VERY careful if you check the gap of the plugs. The little electrode on the platinum and iridium plugs can break off if you are not careful. The manufacturers will warn not to check the gap. Also, use OEM plugs as several folks have reported issues with using non-OEM plugs or any of the plugs marketed as being "performance" plugs for either horsepower or fuel economy performance. I've used Iridium plugs in my 2004 LS V8 without issue, but other folks claim to have had issues with them as well.

-Rod

They may warn not to check, but the last set of OEM plugs that I bought from Ford had two with the gap bent in to about 0.5mm. I would suspect that the box get dropped somewhere on its journey to me. I doubt that is uncommon. The gap is easy to adjust, you just can't jam the gauge tool in there. You have to bend the outer electrode up until the gauge just passes through the gap.

[luvcrika]

Thanks or all the advice guys.