Rough Idle. Missing?

[negativejeff]

Well here's the story... The time came for an oil change, So i figured i'll change the plugs and wires, because they haven't been done in awhile. So i drained the oil and pulled the filter....while that was draining i started the plugs and wires, Only to realize i bought the wrong wires.So i jumped into my car and went back to get the right wires....Now the truck had no oil in it and plug-wires.And while i was gone the hood was down (cause of the wind). So my girlfriend thought i was done and that i just left, She jumped in and tried to start the truck and when i got home she came out and asked why it wouldn't start....I didn't think much of it but once eveything was changed and i started the truck it started running really rough...I thought maybe a wire wasn't on right ...then i thought maybe didn't put the wires in the right order..Well everything is how its supposed to be ,My question now is did my girlfriend fry the distributor when she tried starting it? Thanks

[negativejeff]

I forgot to mention its a 98 ford explorer 4x4 v6..thanks

[shorod]

So she tried starting it with no oil? Then you tried starting it later, but you didn't mention if you put oil in it or not. That's potential issue #1.

Does your '98 V6 have the distributorless ignition and coil packs? If so, it is not recommended to let the plug wires arc to a ground. So, did you have the plug wires connected to the coil packs where they could just arc to the engine block or another ground? If yes, then it is possible that a coil is fried. You can use a spark tester in series with the plug wires and plugs to see if you are getting spark.

Also, the coil packs are usually labeled as to which tower is intended for which cylinder. Verify your firing order is correct.

Also, if you haven't already done so, put oil in the crankcase.

-Rod

[negativejeff]

Sorry , I forgot to put that in there , the oil was in the engine , It is distributorless , There was no wires in the coil pack at all so they would have been arking everywhere. I have gone over everything so many times.I was hoping for a dead plug .thanks

[shorod]

One bad plug/wire would not likely cause the engine to fail to start. Do you have a way to test for spark without shorting a plug wire straight to ground? If not, you may want to visit your local auto parts store and pick up an inline spark tester, or grab an old spark plug and ground it well.

Since you didn't have any wires in the coil pack, I'd suspect that you got a few wires switched. If you need help with determining which wire should go where, post back.

-Rod

[negativejeff]

Problem solved . Thanks for the help. New coil cured it .