2003 Lincoln LS 3.9L Misfire after COP changes

gnatsum39

Ok here goes. I had a CEL for misfire under 1000rpms with no specific cylinder misfire code. The car was idling rough but drove fine with the exception of a hicup here and there while accelerating. Decided I would Easter egg the COPs by buying one new one and replacing till the CEL went away. On my way back from the parts shop CEL started flashing so I imediatly turned around hoping to get it scanned and find a specific misfire code. Got code for #8 Misfire so I went home replaced it and test drove it (BTW replaced the drivers side rear COP #8 so you guys know i got the right one) and it ran smooth as silk and idled great. Even seemed to feel more spunky. Shut it off and went inside. BTW I had the infamous water in the COP galley problem. After reading about this problem and where the water comes from I decided to go back out and look at Cylinders 5, 6, and 7 since they were all exposed to water. When I started it up after examining all of them the friking CEL came on again. Ran to autozone and now its throwing Misfire #3. Grabbed another new COP and went home to replace it (3rd COP from the front of engine on passenger side). Cleared the code and fired it up. Still random misfires at low RPM and CEL is on again saying same thing Misfire #3. That's when I noticed a slight whistle sound emanating from what seems to be the center of the upper intake plenum. It only does it around 700rpm-just a hare over 1000rpm. My thoughts are a vacuum leak from the between the upper plenum (plastic) and lower intake (aluminum) manifold. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing on the LS8? I bought what was SUPPOSED to be an upper and lower intake manifold gasket set online but when it came it was only the metal gaskets for the lower intake manifold where it mates to the cyl heads. Any way I am screwed as no parts store local has the gasket for the upper plenum. Any part #s and ideas would be much appreciated.

Oh and yes there is oil in 3 of my COP well i used a syringe to suck it out then cleaned the walls thorough before reinstalling my new COPs. I intend on replacing the valve cover gaskets ASAP if I can find some lol. I ordered some felpros on the internet but got V6 set so i cant for the life of me find the part # for the v8 set. Ford wants $90 per side for them and they have to order them. sigh.....

Any way now that I wrote a novel here lol any suggestions are welcome as well as part numbers. I have been reading forums till my eyes are bleeding and really could use help.

Cheers
Brian

akirby

Replace all the COPs and the valve cover gaskets and it should be fine.

frustrated35

i got a 2002 LS 3.9 with approx 81k on the odometer. I recently replaced the pass side valve cover gasket because of oil in the spark plug wells. At that time i had a cylinder 4 misfire code and engine would break up at light throttle around 70 mph.
I replaced the #4 coil pack and all four spark plug boots on that side because they were all oil soaked. I also replaced the fuel filter and had a fuel injection flush. Car still breaks up on the highway around 70mph and now has a misfire code for number 2 and 6 cylinder. I just replaced the crank sensor figuring it was on the fritze since the misfire seems to be jumping around at random. Is it normal for these coils to start going bad all at once?? Should i try replacing coils 2 and 6 now or should i be looking for something else at this point?? anyone have any insight?

toomanyfumes

A lot of people go ahead and change them all when they have COP problems

mdelac01

Just to add another case hoping to attract more attention and find a solution: Here is my story
* I have an LS V8 Sport.
* First I get misfire on #7 and #8.
* When I remove sparks on #7, and #8 I see lots of oil.
* So i changed both headgaskets with ford parts ($$$)
* I also replaced all sparkplugs. And the COP at #7 and #8.
* ....Then i get misfire on #5.
* I decide to change COP on #5 and #6 (just to complete all COP on that side of engine)
* ... Now I get misfire on #4 and #5!!!!!!!!!

Now I'm thinking th eissue are not the COPs. Need some suggestions fast.
My card is riding VERY rough.

Thanks in advance!

frustrated35

sorry to hear about your misfire problem. I just went through the exact same thing two weeks ago. I could have wrote your posting word for word with the oil in the plug holes and changing the valve cover gaskets, and replacing all four coil packs on the one side only to have yet another coil start misfiring on the other side. Its frustrating as hell but i do have good news. After convincing myself also that there had to be something else i was missing and the random cylinder misfire gremlin couldnt possibly be yet another coil pack, it was... I took the advice of others on the forum that had the same problem, and even though my wallet didnt like it i went and replaced all the coil packs and knock on wood the car runs like a scalded dog. no more problems and cant believe how good it runs now.

funkcity

COPs Change them all.... I've been there...
change valve cover gaskets or new valve covers with gaskets attached (my preference)
New spark plugs
Clean all oil and check all injector connections.

Check the age and condition of your battery...It too can make the car go whacky!

Best to do this all at once....Time consuming but relatively cheap if you buy Lincoln parts online.

Very expensive for the dealer to do all the above!

jmnz1

This is link to the info about the recall on The V8s. http://www.allstatetrucks.com/Recalls/cust%20satisfaction...
The V6 LS has the same problem and ford hasn't done anything about it. If you have the same coil pack problem and misfire issue with your V6 LS call 800-392-3673 to complain maybe they will do something about it.
If you need your check engine light codes go to auto zone they will tell the codes for free.
Here are some of the diagnostic codes you might get
po300, po303, po304, po306, po316, po352, and
po420.
300 is misfire random cylinders
303 misfire cylinder#3
304 misfire cylinder#4
306 misfire cylinder#6
316 the crankshaft sensor is monitored for errors
352 ignition coil 2 is bad
420 catalyst effeincy low bank 1 could be because the engine was misfiring on cylinders #2, 3, and 4.

jokersmith

The link does not work and I am very interested in this coil recall, if it really does exist. Just spent $300 at the dealer to have them change two of them, so I will be demading my money back if this recall is for real.

akirby

It wasn't a recall - it was an extended warranty on certain vehicles. I'll see if I can get details, but if your vehicle was included it should be in the dealership computer.

jokersmith

Yeah, let me know as much info as you can so I can go to the dealership armed with some ammo to use.

akirby

It says it covers certain 2003 3.9L V8 LS models and covers the COPs and valve cover gaskets for 10 yrs/100K miles. All the dealer has to do is run an OASIS report and it will say whether it's covered or not.

chessieret

My 2003 V8 Sport -220A was covered. Had a 03 26 03 assembly date.

trainman5005

I purchased the 03 model 3.9 V8. private party. The beast ran a little rough, so .... Diagnostic says .. cylinder 8 miss fire. I know the car is 7 years old so maintenance is a given. I was going to take it up to Akins Ford that week to have plugs changed coils etc.... Boom! 2 days prior to my appointment, I am at a store and went inside for 5 minutes. Turn the key. Zip Nothing Ziltch. All the lights.. radio full power. Tow Truck action.(Insurance covered) Battery? Ground wire in trunk that someone in here mentioned? DDCV? Well...They said "A" Battery cell was dead.. I live in Athens GA and the Company "akin Ford" on ATL Hwy covered ALL the parts/labor for the plugs coils and gaskets. So FYI....Ford will cover it. It must be a reoccurring problem. Jaguar situation. I am very impressed with the service with Akin Ford. I'm one hell of a cynic.

Wow! What a difference. No hesitation what so ever. This baby rides smooth for the LS. A great mechanic can tweek it. Now I need to be careful because if I touch the gas peddle .....Vroooom. Now that's what I'm talking about!

totaljett

Yeah I've been there playa. I replaced all valve cover gaskets, all ignition coils, all spark plugs and problem was solved. My pockets felt the pinch though. The key is the valve cover gaskets. They are the culprit.

cdh7

I have replaced both valve cover gaskets ($600), but the miss fires are still happening. Dealer said they cleaned the oil from plugs and wires. Seems misfires happen at low speeds, accelerating and hills. I didn't replace the plugs during the gasket change. Sure would be nice if I could find out if there was/is some kind of
recall or (free) dealership fix for this problem. 2001 LS 88K

akirby

There is no recall or extended warranty on a 2001. You need to replace all of the COPs (coil on plug). They were damaged by the oil or they just wore out on their own - either way you need new ones. Best to just replace them all and get it over with.

cdh7

COPs...can you give me educated guess about price for a COP?

akirby

Not sure exactly - never had to replace mine. I know you don't want the really cheap ones on ebay. I'm thinking they're in the $40-$60 range.