Moved to General Tech Chat (repair question)

 

Timing belt is under a cover, you can't affect anything on it. Two different belt systems there.

Did the battery get well charged before using it?

 

I was almost positive that was the case, but I've been wrong before. And it was a brand new battery.

Always wonder about possible disturbed coil/wires/pigtail coil connector & wiring to it.

I have thought the same thing, but don't see anything obvious. And the car ran perfect before so I have a hard time with it being a coincidence that something totally different went bad while working on the alternator.

Yep.............something else got touched there somewhere. Could be new bad alt, so many are now. No mention of course a NEW battery and what so many of them do, use a crap battery lying around and then a month later realize it's dead too. AFTER they spend a fortune on car of course. AND pop the new alt doing it.

This was in fact a brand new battery off the shelf. Bad original battery was confirmed by my multi meter and Autozone charging it and running a test on it. Same with the alternator, with a brand new battery in it was only charging at 13 volts, and was confirmed by Autozone on their tester.

I am still looking for loose connections, or something I may have bumped. But any of the coil/pack stuff is on the opposite side of the motor.

 

Always wonder about possible disturbed coil/wires/pigtail coil connector & wiring to it.

 

Yep.............something else got touched there somewhere. Could be new bad alt, so many are now. No mention of course a NEW battery and what so many of them do, use a crap battery lying around and then a month later realize it's dead too. AFTER they spend a fortune on car of course. AND pop the new alt doing it.

 

Don't get uptight. Many of the things I post are often not directed at OP, rather, toward others that may read and learn. Your response just lent itself toward one of those.

FYI, a new battery off shelf can be as old as two years easy and no charging all that time. The big chains have battery maintenance programs that are supposed to stop that, the key word there being 'supposed'. Even so, they can easily sit a year with no charging under the programs if not bought. MANY do, I used to do those programs.

'...I have a hard time with it being a coincidence...'

You'd think, but not so fast. In the course of many years working on cars I've seen it happen a bunch. Entirely possible the shock of correct voltage changes the output of electrical sensors. Transistors DO have crossover switching points you know. PCM is like 39 million of them................

 

Don't get uptight. Many of the things I post are often not directed at OP, rather, toward others that may read and learn. Your response just lent itself toward one of those.

Sorry didn't mean to come off as uptight or like a jerk. Not my intentions at all. Was just saying it was an actual new battery. I know exactly what he is talking about. It happens all the time in the off-road world (what I am more familiar with)

Yeah I just put "new" tires on last week, don't know why they won't balance. And is mad at the tire shop. Then come to find out they're a dry rotted set that someone pulled off years ago and set outside. yes in fact they are 100% tread, but old and worthless.

 

So I think I have it figured out. I started working through things that would typically cause misfire issues, instead of thinking it was related to the alternator. Which I disconnected and reconnected all the connections I messed with during the Alternator.

So I pulled the plugs. #1 was almost at a 2.0mm gap. Setting is suppose to be 1.3. So I pulled the rest. 1.6 was the closest. So I put new NGK plugs in. Cleaned up all the misfire on the low end. Only misses at WOT. I am going to order a new wire-set and hope that cleans up the rest. From what I can tell it looks like it was probably original plugs and wires on it. And I am at 118k miles. They are all Motorcraft parts, and as bad as the plugs were I don't think a platinum plug would be that bad had they been changed anywhere along the way.

So it is looking like it is just my lucky week and coincidence that my battery, alternator, plugs and wires all wanted to act up at the same time.

 

Yep.

 

Smart move.

Reset to recheck recent work first (and anything that might be related), then back off more and look at the problem from a fresh viewpoint by itself.

 

Well with new plugs and wires in I am still getting a misfire. And it actually threw a code this time. P0301, so misfire cylinder #1. I am going to move the plug and see if it follows the plug. If that doesn't work I am going to swap back in 1 of the original wires and see what that does.

 

Swapping old wires is how you get even more confused, CHECK the old wire with a voltmeter or you get a worthless answer from the test. If the wires are new you're doing nothing anyway unless you mishandled the new ones.

Raced back over your posts and see no mention of new coil though I could have missed it. Often the coil, wires and plugs ALL need to be changed on these, each will contribute its' own bad effect. Coils change just like wires on these cars, odd but oh so true. Those used to coils lasting forever on other cars get a rude awakening on these. Look at it in bright sunlight and if any small hairline cracks in case anywhere it is likely bad. Wouldn't hurt to look at crank sensor plug-in, they often melt.

 

Good points. How do you check the old wire with a voltmeter? Just check the resistance?

I have not done the coil. That is my next thing most likely. I just hate throwing parts at the problem. What coil is recommended?


Also I have seen that people don't recommend NGK plugs. I was going to go Motorcraft plugs but the only had 3 in stock[scratch] So I went with NGK. Seemed like a safe bet. Seems odd to me that a properly gaped plug would cause issues due to being a certain brand...

 

5000 ohms or less per foot of length=good. I often save old wires for later use if they still pass that test. Wiggle them around a bit while testing, the actual conductor inside is fiberglass string impregnated with carbon dust, the dust can migrate to leave open spots that run the resistance up.

Just buy a decent brand coil, even Motorcraft fail eventually, it's a failure prone part. The Chinese ones fail much faster. Too much spark in a too small package, they overheat in normal use and then the plastic case cracks. Humidity then gets in to short or open the windings.

 

Thanks, I'll check the old wires this weekend when I have a break from work. And I'll give the coil a good check.

Summit has the motorcraft one for $75, or local parts has a Duralast or something for $60. Worth the $15 for OEM? If a normal parts store one will last a couple years then I am totally good with that.

 

Your choice...........