Spark plug replacement... coils too?

[V_Dub_Wagon]

Lookin for a little help w/ the In-laws' 03 Mountaineer v8 with about 50k miles... I'm not familiar with the "coil pack" or whatever, I'm more a spark plug & wires kinda guy. I'm getting codes that show a misfire in #'s 1 & 6 and figure I'll change the plugs. Question is, do you have to also change the coils, or just the plugs?
Thanks in advance for any help... this site's awesome

[shorod]

You'll want to pull the Coil on Plug coils and inspect them for signs of oil or water. If you don't see any signs of either, then you may get by with just replacing the spark plugs. In theory, replacing the spark plugs is a very easy job on the V8. Sometimes though, the original spark plugs will not come out in one piece and will need to be drilled out. If you're not careful, this could also require pulling the head to get all the metal shavings.

I don't want to scare you, just forewarn you. I haven't experienced a problem with the plugs in these, but have read and heard about them being a weak point. With 50k miles though you hopefully won't have an issue - that's about when I changed the factory plugs on my '04 V8.

The new plugs have been redesigned and are a one-piece electrode thingy so are less prone to issues. Also, you should consider replacing the plugs with OEM-style plugs. Some people have claimed the aftermarket "performance" plugs cause driveability issues. Again, I have not experienced such an issue with iridium plugs anyway.

-Rod

[V_Dub_Wagon]

Thanks, Rod... Gonna give it a whirl today.

[V_Dub_Wagon]

Not too bad... I took it RRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL slow and did it 1 by 1 just to make sure I didn't have any problems and it took about an hour. Thanks for your help, Rod