Sparking!!!

[conquer1]

I've got a 2003 5.4 Expedition. Something has come undone and shooting small sparks. I have no idea what this little metal tube is, but there are sparks coming from it. I also don't know what was connected to it. I'll try to attach a pic. It's on the left side of the engine, on the fuel rail.

 

[toms89]

I have no idea what the tube is under the cop but pretty sure it should not be there. Someone likely pinched a vacuum line maybe?! when they re-installed the cop. Or something was simply dropped under there?!

I am sure its the cop (coil on plug) that is sparking, probably misfiring to ground. It's the ignition coil which supplies the highvoltage necessary to fire the spark plug.

 

[01yellerCobra]

That's the "spring" that connects the COP to the plug. I've never seen one popped out like that. At least with the plug still in the head.

Misspelling brought to you by tapatalk

 

[conquer1]

Thanks guys. So, what do I do to fix this thing?

it was fine one moment, and then, ****! Is this something I can do myself? I just bought this expy about 2 months ago. It's my third expy, but it's the first one that I've had of this generation. My other 2 are '98 and '99. I'm used to working on those, but have never had a 5.4, or cop.

What do I need to do?

 

[Hamfisted]

Take a 7mm socket and remove the COP there and see if it even has the spring inside it's boot to make the connection to the sparkplug. They don't usually just fall out like that, but stranger things have happened... It may very well be missing and not firing to the plug but shorting to the head, or that spring laying there. Just unplug the COP, remove the 7mm retaining bolt, pull the coil straight up and it will come free. You're not getting a check engine light ? If you are, read the code. If it's a P030X the last digit will tell you what cylinder is misfiring and that's probably your culprit.



-Mike

 

[conquer1]

I'll take it off when I get home. I was able to get it towed back to the house, and took my older expy to work, today.

Hopefully, I just need a new cop, but I'm worried as to what would have caused this to pop out like that.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

 

[01yellerCobra]

Hopefully you didn't shoot a plug out. That's what happened with my Cobra.

Misspelling brought to you by tapatalk

 

[Mediamonkey11]

Yah looks like you blew a plug... That's definitely the spring that's supposed to be in the boot connecting the COP to the plug. The only way that'd be there like that would be that it blew out, I would certainly think at least!

 

[blue oval guy]

Remove coil for clear inspection, might be a good time to do all your plugs since other may be on the verge of coming loose.

 

[conquer1]

Well, it looks like a blown plug.

I took the boot off, and you can see what it looked like. The spring was shot all the way through, and there wasn't much left of the boot.

I looked down at the plug, hoping that it was still seated properly, and it came right out. I was hoping against hope that I could tighten it back up, but it just kept spinning...

I'm thinking of trying to get a time-sert kit and see if I could fix it without having to take it to a shop and get the head replaced.

 

[Hamfisted]

That one there in that location shouldn't be too hard to install a Time Sert and new coil and plug. But like others have mentioned, it's probably a good time to inspect or change all the other plugs just to be sure they are torqued properly.



-Mike