Replacement Ignition Coils

[DRR1212]

Hey Everyone,

I'm going to replace the ignition coils on my 2006 explorer. 4.6L v8.

What would you guys recommend? I want a quality product.. but not looking to overpay.

Thanks

 

[steve6534]

Hey Everyone,

I'm going to replace the ignition coils on my 2006 explorer. 4.6L v8.

What would you guys recommend? I want a quality product.. but not looking to overpay.

Thanks

I would recommend checking them before wholesale replacement as they only have to be replaced if they fail. If you do have to replace one I would go with OEM motorcraft since they work.

 

[DRR1212]

Thanks for the reply. Currently I only have a cylinder 1 misfire. I bought it pre-owned a few months ago, with about 75k on it. Dealer said it'd been on their lot for about 6 months.

After 3 weeks, the check engine light came on. I brought it to the local ford dealership and they said it was a cylinder 8 misfire. They replaced the plug and coil for ONLY $300 (150 parts, 150 labor). Ripoff, I know.

Afterwards, it was running a little better but I could still feel a misfire. I decided to replace all the plugs myself. And yes, I had to deal w/ the broken plug issue, luckily only 2 of them broke off in the head, and the Lisle extractor tool worked perfectly. I put in Champion 1-piece plugs.

Now, about 1000 miles later, I'm getting a cylinder 1 misfire. I'm guessing its the coil since its most likely a stock part. So rather than replace 1 now and maybe have to do the rest of them in a couple hundred miles.. I'm just going to 'complete the tune-up' and replace them all.

Is the OEM what Ford puts in there for stock?

 

[steve6534]

Thanks for the reply. Currently I only have a cylinder 1 misfire. I bought it pre-owned a few months ago, with about 75k on it. Dealer said it'd been on their lot for about 6 months.

After 3 weeks, the check engine light came on. I brought it to the local ford dealership and they said it was a cylinder 8 misfire. They replaced the plug and coil for ONLY $300 (150 parts, 150 labor). Ripoff, I know.

Afterwards, it was running a little better but I could still feel a misfire. I decided to replace all the plugs myself. And yes, I had to deal w/ the broken plug issue, luckily only 2 of them broke off in the head, and the Lisle extractor tool worked perfectly. I put in Champion 1-piece plugs.

Now, about 1000 miles later, I'm getting a cylinder 1 misfire. I'm guessing its the coil since its most likely a stock part. So rather than replace 1 now and maybe have to do the rest of them in a couple hundred miles.. I'm just going to 'complete the tune-up' and replace them all.

Is the OEM what Ford puts in there for stock?

That makes a little more sense now - thanks. I would actually look into the new plugs first. I've heard of others having problems with the champions which is why I opted for the motorcraft plugs following the TSB for applying the anti seize on the extension so hopefully they don't get stuck and break again. It looks like the cheapest online price for a coil is about $50 each so replacing them all could be pretty expensive.

 

[DRR1212]

I've seen cheaper than $50 each for sets on ebay. Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-DG508-F...rd|Model:Explorer&hash=item3f13b9690e&vxp=mtr

Only $27.50 per coil. And thats just the first thing that came up. If I look harder I could prob find something cheaper.

 

[steve6534]

I've seen cheaper than $50 each for sets on ebay. Would something like this work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-DG508-F...rd|Model:Explorer&hash=item3f13b9690e&vxp=mtr

Only $27.50 per coil. And thats just the first thing that came up. If I look harder I could prob find something cheaper.

I would definitely cross reference that number elsewhere to be sure that it's the right part #. The listing says it's for 2002-2007 explorer v8 but the engine actually changed from 2005 to 2006. The coil could be the same but I never researched it.

 

[DRR1212]

Good call. I should prob do some more research.

I did come across an older thread on this forum and people seemed to recommend the Accel coils, and claim they give better performance. I saw a set on amazon for around $240.

However.. I got in my car yesterday after work, and the check engine light was off. I don't really trust it since I've still felt a little rough idling last night and this morning. So I'd still like to give some attention to it.

Have any others had issues w/ the Champion plugs? I'm thinking about just replacing the plug in cylinder-1 first, as maybe I got a bad one when I replaced them 1000 miles ago, before replacing all the coils, as it'd be way cheaper. And if the motorcraft are really superior, I'd consider doing them all again, but then I'd be flushing money down the drain for the champion plugs I just bought.

 

[b16er]

Just replaced all 8 of my ignition coils with some cheap $10 each Amazon ones and WOW what a difference! I have owned the truck for a little over a year and it has always had a bucking / hesitation / felt like something holding it back when full accelerating, towing a 1500lbs trailer, or driving up hill, also just cruising about 70kmph. It is all gone now and this thing just flies now. Would have done this long ago if I had known the difference it would make. Also mpg went from 18-19L per 100km down to 14L per 100km!

 

[Explorer_PL]

I replaced the coils and plugs with Champions and Accel coils and it was great at the beginning, and then it started misfire again after few thousand miles. I found a good deal on eBay for Motorcraft coils and original HT1's and replaced them all. All is good for the past 50k miles.
Somehow, those motors are very sensitive to aftermarket ignition components.
I hope it holds up for you.

 

[swshawaii]

Ditto above. Time and again lessons learned from reading this forum. Stick with OEM replacements, especially when it comes to
ignition, electrical, and sensors. The only exceptions may be suspension, brakes, and tires. You get what you pay for, PERIOD.

 

[Boomyal]

Before replacing the coils, I would swap that number one coil with another one. If you still get a code for #1 then you will know for sure it is the champion plugs.

 

[DavidEBSmith]

I would definitely cross reference that number elsewhere to be sure that it's the right part #. The listing says it's for 2002-2007 explorer v8 but the engine actually changed from 2005 to 2006. The coil could be the same but I never researched it.

Ditto on this - a few months ago I had to replace a bad coil RIGHT NOW and ran to the nearest Advance Auto. The Motorcraft coil they listed for my Mountaineer didn't look right - the boot was at an angle instead of straight like on the one that came out of the truck. Since I needed to fix it RIGHT NOW I had to get the generic replacement, which worked , but after a few months I'm getting a little bit of misfire again.

This is the one I got that matches the ones on the truck:

This is the Motorcraft one that was listed as OEM: