x-angel

I have seen several references to 2003 Expeditions sputtering, idling rough, and dying.

I am having this very issue.

The SES Light comes on, blinks for a little bit at a slow pace, and then eventually goes solid. While sitting, you can feel the strong vibrations.

No codes on a diag computer.

I believe it's one or more of the sparks. Now.. from what I understand, the 2003 Expeditions don't use Spark plugs per se, but they use something else... the name escapes me.

My dad ask one of his mechanic buddies what it could be and he said the that spark on the back of the engine on teh drivers side, and the front one on the passengers side are the top two to go out.

My father and I are not rookies when it comes to car work, but I have heard how getting to the sparks are a pain.

I have also read where this could be a vacuum issue.

I believe my Ext. Service Plan is still good, and I only have a $50 deductible, so if the plan is still good, I am probably just going to take it to the dealership.

But I am just researching this for my own edification. Any advice, suggestions would be appreciated.

THANKS!

RickMN

There's a TSB on leaking coolant hose that drips coolant onto the coil pack below it. But in general, Ford's are notorious for burning out coil packs. In fact, you can probably count on replacing all of them before you hit 150M miles. If you have the 5.4 triton engine, there's a HUGE problem removing spark plugs and having spark plugs blow out of the hole. It's critical that you do NOT run those plugs all the way to 100M miles. They rust in place and take hours to get out. Ford has about a zillion TSBs on this problem alone.

Take this to your dealer if you still have the extended warranty. That will probably cover the coil pack. But I've heard that a lot of the extended warranties are denying coverage on stuck spark plugs because spark plugs are excluded under the coverage.

Here's an article on coil packs: Ford coil packs

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I'm a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology. Visit my blog for cool articles and TSB's: http://www.ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/