Tranny Problem or Coil replacement needed??

[MM03MOK]

Message on behalf of prg333

I have encountered an annoying problem with my 2004 Marauder.With 79,000 miles on the car, I started getting a hesitation, bucking.

When I step on the gas during the misfire, it stops. There also was a decrease in power and "Smoothness."

I also added two bottles of fuel injector cleaner.

My mechanic felt it was a misfire and changed ALL the spark plugs and one of the coils.

After the spark plug change, single new coil and 2 bottles of injector cleaner, the power is better than ever.

However, the bucking, misfire still has not gone away.

It seems to do it more when it is hot out and more occupants are in the vehicle.

I had it flushed and added a tube of stop shudder.

My mechanic is stumped. the check engine light NEVER has come on.

If it did, my mechanic feels it would tell what the problem is (A bad coil causing the bucking, misfire).

So what do I do? We can't tell IF it is a coil problem and if it is, the computer does not indicate which of the 7 coils are bad (if they are the problem.)

So, what to do? What is the problem?

Any way to tell which coil is bad, so I would not have to replace all of them?

Replace all the coils? Could it be a fuel injector problem?

Vacuum leak?

Has anyone else had this problem and if so, how did you solve it?

Peter

[Pops]

When was the fuel filter replaced Mary?

[1stMerc]

Mary, he still has a bad coil. Which one did his mechanic replace? What range does the miss occur? I just recently had to replace a coil for the same thing happening when i got on it traveling about 40-45 mph and especially after passing over railroad tracks and getting back up to speed. Mine turned out to be the last rear coil on the passenger side. Easiest way replace all others. Cheapest route but time consuming, buy one replace each one until problem stops.

Good luck,

[frdwrnch]

Test Forum? Some scan tools have the ability to read information in the PCM known as Mode 6 Data. This can show the number of misfire counts on each cylinder. In order for the check engine light to come on or identify a skip there are certain parameters the PCM must see for the Misfire Monitor. It is very forgiving and sometimes takes a long time to flag the misfire. see if your tech has the ability to read this data. If not, Take it to a better equipped shop. Good luck.

[frdwrnch]

Test Forum? Some scan tools have the ability to read information in the PCM known as Mode 6 Data. This can show the number of misfire counts on each cylinder. In order for the check engine light to come on or identify a skip there are certain parameters the PCM must see for the Misfire Monitor. It is very forgiving and sometimes takes a long time to flag the misfire. see if your tech has the ability to read this data. If not, Take it to a better equipped shop. Good luck.

[Adam12]

my car has the same miles and problem...it only happens when it goes into 3rd or 4th and its at 1500 to 2100 rpm under light throttle. fords monitoring system for a misfire isnt too good. i had a coil that was dead and no codes were flagged. i replaced the coil and the shutter that i was getting previous to the dead coil wasnt as bad but still there. these cars have a water ingress problem to both rear cylinder coils due to the wiring harness and coil cover seals. id be willing to bet you need coils like i do. i dont drive the car as much as i use to...so i can deal with it until i get some extra cash for some granatelli coils.

[MM03MOK]

Peter was having issues posting. Peter, see if you can post to this thread.

Mary

[duhtroll]

When my CVPI did this I replaced coil after coil until the problem went away.


I have encountered a annoying problem with my 2004 Marauder. With 79,000 miles on the car I started getting a hesitation, bucking


When I step on the gas during the misfire it stops.


There also was a decrease in power and " Smoothness "


My mechanic felt it was a misfire and changed ALL the spark plugs and one of the coils. I also added two bottles of fuel injector cleaner.


After the spark plug change, single new coil and 2 bottles of injector cleaner the power is better then ever..


However the bucking,misfire still has not gone away. It seams to do it more when it is hot out and more occupants are in the vehicle.

My shop guy thinks is NOT t the tranny. I had it flushed and added a tube of stop shudder.


My mechanic is stumped.The check engine light NEVER has come on. If it did my mechanic feels it would tell what the problem is (A bad coil causing the bucking,misfire)


So what do do? We can't tell IF it is a coil problem and if it is, the computer does not indicate which of the 7 coils are bad (if they are the problem)


So what to do? What is the problem?


Any way to tell which coil is bad, so I would not have to replace all of them.


Replace all the coils? Could it be a fuel injector problem? Vacuum leek?


Has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you solve it?

[silver_2000]

I moved frdwrnch's helpful reply to this thread from the test thread in the test forum

[SC Cheesehead]

PM 03mmmonroe, he just got through testing the coils on his MM as well as on his dad's Explorer, he can help you out.

[MM03MOK]

I moved frdwrnch's helpful reply to this thread from the test thread in the test forum
Heh! So did I (copied it)! ;)

[Blk Mamba]

I have the same problem, right now, the only difference is, my cel code says the EGR valve, which I just replaced, and am waiting to test it.

[Stoneblue]

When my GM got dorked because of bad fuel/sediment It had to be wound out in 2nd to be able to get to the dealer for repair because of the missing, etc.. Injectors cleaned, all fuel lines flushed, filter replaced, tank drained, cleaned and refilled with new gas. Fixed it. Cost me 750. it all needs to be done at the same time to avoid recontaminating the system. You might try dri-gas first, it's cheap.

[justbob]

Mary, I'm in your shoes right now with bucking mostly in 2nd and 3rd under WOT. I believe I have an intermittent missfire from one of the coils because my AFR is still hanging steady between 10.8 - 11.4. Did your guy do a stress test on the coils? I'm hoping to have mine done soon.

[Blackened300a]

Did your guy do a stress test on the coils? I'm hoping to have mine done soon.

+1, The coils are strange the way they start to act up. At MV-7, my coil would misfire at idle and run fine under load, but my Crown Vic would idle fine and misfire under load. Have your coils tested, no doubt that's the problem.

[Marauderjack]

Mary,

I was plagued with the same thing a few years back and the solid Granatelli connectors fixed it and I have not had a problem since!!!:shake:

I still have all the OEM coils at 208K miles....give 'em a try!! :beer:

[Pat]

Mary;

I suffered through the same thing. Change all the COPs with OEM and that shoud fix your problem. At 79K the COPS have already started breaking down.

Before that clean the MAF. There is a spray product at your local parts store.

Regards,

Pat

[LANDY]

check the oxygen sensors.

[Seneca]

I know this is off the wall. Not sure the Marauder even has one cause i havent had a misfire as of yet. But. On my wifes 03 Lincoln LS It had the misfire The Lincolns Got a COP ( Coil On Plug ) Relay. When i popped the top off the relay it was burnt inside on the contacts. Just a thought.
Replaced the relay. misfire went away. When I get tothe MM i'm gonna see if it's got a COP relay. Seneca

[carfixer]

I'm with frdwrnch. You have a coil breaking down. You won't get a check engine light until it gets worse. Mode 6 from a Ford scanner will tell you which coil. I don't think the mode 6 in the generic testers will give you misfire data.

[prg333]

Thank you for all the good advise. I do not remember offhand which coil was replaced. The fuel filter, air filter were replaced. I will check with my mechanic as to which coil was replaced. I have by shop guy use the mode 6 to check which coil it may be. Cleaning the MAF is a good idea.

[prg333]

The place where I bring my car does not have the equipment to check what cylinder the misfire is coming from, therefor I would not be able to tell which of the 7 coils are bad(one was replaced) Might have to take it to a Ford Dealer (not to happy with that prospect as they charge a lot more and I do not trust them)

Can anyone suggest the brand of replacement coils that would be the best for my good old 2004 Mercury Marauder? I have herd that the after market ones are not so good.

What is the best price for them + the best place to order?

My mechanic thinks it might possibly be a bad fuel injector and not the coils.

How likley is this based on other MM owners having the same problem?

[Blackened300a]

Can anyone suggest the brand of replacement coils that would be the best for my good old 2004 Mercury Marauder? I have herd that the after market ones are not so good.

What is the best price for them + the best place to order?

Your absolute best bet is sticking with the motorcraft coils. I never heard anything good long term on any other alternative. They aren't cheap, I paid $97 for one coil at the Ford dealer in Indiana, but sometimes you can shop around and find someone selling them at a discount or contact Ray the dealer on the site and see what he can do for you price wise.

[1stMerc]

I got mine at Advanced Auto. The first one replaced around Easter two years ago, second one around MV VII. Both were about 45 bucks a piece, but they usually only have one or two in stock.

In my case i could tell instantly whether the new one took care of the bad one. It was bad enough to cause it to breakup/miss while revving engine to 2 grand while in my driveway. If he hasn't already done so i would start with #7 and #8 coils.

[prg333]

Thank you for the information. I called Advanced Auto Parts and they had coils in stock for $47.99 the brand was BWD. Is the same brand you purchased? Some on the site say one should only replace the coils with the Motorcraft original parts. What is your opinion? If the Motorcraft ones are going at 60,000 miles or so then maybe they are not so great. I never had a problem with coils on my Thrunderbird and Cougar with a 4.6 V8 (not quite the same set up as the Marauder)

[BODYMAN]

I had the same problem at 63,xxx mile I replaced all 8 rather than trying to do a substitute method problem fixed and running as good as ever! With all new Motorcraft coils. a couple of my old ones you could physically see problems with the #8,#6 & #4 6 & 8 were my real problems #8 was all rusted in the inside of the sleeve.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Are you guys who are having water problems w/ the COPS, parking these cars outside all the time? Just curious

[Blk Mamba]

mine is always outside, and daily driven

[burt ragio]

Chances are it is a bad coil on plug issue. At 80,000 miles may not be a bad idea to replace them. Call the CC Lincoln Merc Dealer ask Pete Mayer service mgr. if they have a scan tool to check for missfire.

[Marauderjack]

Chances are it is a bad coil on plug issue. At 80,000 miles may not be a bad idea to replace them. Call the CC Lincoln Merc Dealer ask Pete Mayer service mgr. if they have a scan tool to check for missfire.

Or.....one of those stupid "Springy Thingies"!!!!:shake:

HIGH resistance kills coils AND spark!!:argue:

[1stMerc]

Thank you for the information. I called Advanced Auto Parts and they had coils in stock for $47.99 the brand was BWD. Is the same brand you purchased? Some on the site say one should only replace the coils with the Motorcraft original parts. What is your opinion? If the Motorcraft ones are going at 60,000 miles or so then maybe they are not so great. I never had a problem with coils on my Thrunderbird and Cougar with a 4.6 V8 (not quite the same set up as the Marauder)

Those are the same brand i got. They have been pretty good for me. I have no issue with recommendation of Motorcraft as replacement, this is my first car with cop's so they have more experience with them than i. I went with Advanced mainly, because they are way closer to home (3) than any of the dealers and usually has good parts. Plus they're hrs are more compatible with my work schedule.

Longevity wise, the first coil i purchased has not been on the car as long as the oe it replaced, but so far all is well.

[1stMerc]

Are you guys who are having water problems w/ the COPS, parking these cars outside all the time? Just curious

Mine is parked outside all the time and is my daily driver. But i beleive my water and grit issue came mostly from washing the motor. I started using black rtv sealant on the cover gaskets and around the wiring harness and not torgueing the bolts so tight causing them to disform.

[justbob]

My local dealer wanted $115.00 just to stress test. I simply said there is a reason for such a dead shop and now you have yet another customer walking away.

[carfixer]

My local dealer wanted $115.00 just to stress test. I simply said there is a reason for such a dead shop and now you have yet another customer walking away.

They have a multi-million dollar facility with hundreds of thousands of dollars of diagnostic equipment. Techs that they paid tens of thousands of dollars to train are going to pinpoint your problem down to the one part that will fix it for $115 and you are unhappy????
Try another shop that has a non Ford tester who's "mode6" won't pin it down to a cylinder. Better yet, go buy all new coils and see if that fixes it. If not, try some plugs or maybe injectors. Could be a leaking exhaust valve, get the heads rebuilt...

Starting to make that $115 sound cheap, eh?

[justbob]

Not at all cheap for those of us who know how to do a leak down test, and install new plugs yearly. Not at all cheap considering it costs 1/4 of the price of just buying all new coils and being done with a known problem. They are not fixing anything for that price, just telling me which cylinder. If one is on the way out, then it will only be a matter of time for another, then another. Perhaps this is why most people refer to them as stealerships and take business elsewhere. BTW I was quoted $45.00 for an oil change the same day. Is that considered a fair price? I don't think so.

[willpelton]

.wysiwyg { FONT: 10pt verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; BACKGROUND: #eeeeee; COLOR: #000000 } P { MARGIN: 0px } .inlineimg { VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle } my 2004 MM is doing all the above. I thought it was the tranny till I read all this. I had my oil changed at cook whitehead ford in panama city florida last week before I left for houston TX. they also flushed my cooling system. that dealership is currently at $97.00 an hour for service. all other independant shops in my area are in the $65hr range. I have been a professional mechanic years ago and I was also a service writer after my mechanic days. I can guess carfixer is a current professional and I tend to agree with him. that being said I think the dealership service center is a currently failing business model. dealers I encounter these days are in such denial and they defend their prices to the death (of their dealership) literally. I was given a $900 estimate from my service writer after my oil change. that was for a set of rear pads, tranny service and a differential pinion seal and fluid change. I declined all that with some zeal. I really wish the dealers would lower the shop rate to suit the economy and start some type of oversight to prevent unnecessary repairs by technicians trying to make more work. Sad that I have such reservations about taking my car to the most qualified technicians and best equipped shop available to me. Sad.

[Blk Mamba]

OK, I went to Summit this morning and bought 8 Accel cop's, put them on and my problem is gone. I took it out warmed it up and then drove all the places that this had occurred in the past, not a skip, or a miss,(and I was following a funeral procession up a hill at 25), so I'd have to say that this is the fix.

[Glockafella]

GREAT! I think I will make a habit of chaging these regularly to avoid any problems.

[willpelton]

whats the deal with the granatelli wire ends? is that something that we need to do also?

[Marauderjack]

whats the deal with the granatelli wire ends? is that something that we need to do also?

I did over 4 years ago and it cure my "Phantom Miss Fire"!!!:beer::bows:

My suspicion is the OEM "Springies" eventually corrode a little causing high resistance which is death to coils......the solid connectors are SS and rigid which would also prevent plugs from backing out!!:cool:

BTW.....I still have ALL EIGHT of my OEM coils after 6 years and 208K miles....runs better than new!!!:bows:

[LSp8]

Mary, he still has a bad coil. Which one did his mechanic replace? What range does the miss occur? I just recently had to replace a coil for the same thing happening when i got on it traveling about 40-45 mph and especially after passing over railroad tracks and getting back up to speed. Mine turned out to be the last rear coil on the passenger side. Easiest way replace all others. Cheapest route but time consuming, buy one replace each one until problem stops.

Good luck,

I just replace the SAME Coil pack on my car tonight (Cylinder #4 last one on Passenger side towards the firewall). I was having the same horrible shudder at low RPMs and I just hit 82,000 this week. Replaced it with one from Autozone for $42.00 and that bad boy is better than ever.

[Marauderjack]

I must be invisible!!:confused: :rolleyes:

Throw $$$'s at them then until you read my posts....wake up people!!! :sleepy:

[musclemerc]

Holy old post alert Batman!

[justbob]

My sudden buck (more like a split second blip of shutting the engine off) at 1/4 throttle never went away. I have learned to just deal for now and give it more gas.:P This is with all new Ford coils, and tons and tons of maintenance. Someday, I'll look more into.