rationull
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Originally Posted By: wtd
You don't have to pull the upper intake to replace cap + rotor. Just lay on top of intake and you can get to them. I would replace the plugs. A lot of people say this engine runs better with a spark plug gap of .045 which is what I run on my 98 7.4L I have also replaced my wires and coil. You can do the same to rule those out as problems.
Wayne
I don't know -- with the way the wiring harness is set up it's pretty tight behind the intake. I'm sure it can happen but it seems like it's be a PITA. Of course it also would've saved 1.5 hours taking everything off!
I took it apart today. Nothing is visibly broken in the cap/rotor but they do look fairly worn. Given what I saw with my timing light yesterday I feel like I should replace the camshaft position sensor too since it's right in the distributor and pretty easy to access. I considered the ignition module too (on the same bracket as the coil) but it's pretty expensive and I have no reason to believe it would fail this way.
So my current list is:
Definitely replace: Cap, rotor, cam position sensor, coil
Probably replace: Plugs and wires (although I could technically replace those later).
I may get lazy on the plugs and wires for now since it's doubtful they're actually the cause of the problem (not all at once, anyway).
It will be another week or two until I get the chance to actually replace the parts though, depending on whether some family visits happen.
You don't have to pull the upper intake to replace cap + rotor. Just lay on top of intake and you can get to them. I would replace the plugs. A lot of people say this engine runs better with a spark plug gap of .045 which is what I run on my 98 7.4L I have also replaced my wires and coil. You can do the same to rule those out as problems.
Wayne
I don't know -- with the way the wiring harness is set up it's pretty tight behind the intake. I'm sure it can happen but it seems like it's be a PITA. Of course it also would've saved 1.5 hours taking everything off!
I took it apart today. Nothing is visibly broken in the cap/rotor but they do look fairly worn. Given what I saw with my timing light yesterday I feel like I should replace the camshaft position sensor too since it's right in the distributor and pretty easy to access. I considered the ignition module too (on the same bracket as the coil) but it's pretty expensive and I have no reason to believe it would fail this way.
So my current list is:
Definitely replace: Cap, rotor, cam position sensor, coil
Probably replace: Plugs and wires (although I could technically replace those later).
I may get lazy on the plugs and wires for now since it's doubtful they're actually the cause of the problem (not all at once, anyway).
It will be another week or two until I get the chance to actually replace the parts though, depending on whether some family visits happen.