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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'96 Ford Taurus, Emissions Coil Pack
Q: The service engine light
came on and started blinking on my ’96 Ford Taurus. When it happened
the car started running extremely rough, idling, and accelerating etc.
We took it to the dealer who, after a diagnostic check, said that the
plugs, wires and emissions coil pack were bad and needed replacing at
a cost of $800. After speaking with a friend who is a backyard mechanic,
he suggested disconnecting the battery and replacing just the plugs and
wires and when the battery is reconnected the computer might reset and
fix the problem. After doing this, the light did go out and the car ran
a lot better but still had a slight miss to it. Three weeks later the
light came on again and started blinking. Can the emissions coil pack
be replaced now without replacing the plugs and wires again? I am mechanically
inclined and do work on the cars myself (brakes, oil changes, alternators
etc) is this going to be too much for me or is it a simple swap as long
as the plug wires go on as taken off?
-
Mike J.
A:
I think the part you’re referring to, is called an ignition coil
pack. The engine in your vehicle does not have a distributor. Sensors
now replace the distributor and the vehicle’s computer uses the sensor
information in determining when spark is needed. Spark is provided by
a group of ignition coils that are called a coil pack. You don’t
have to replace the spark plugs or spark plug wires when replacing an
ignition coil pack. If you perform repairs yourself you’ll find replacement
of the coil pack is relatively simple.
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