what the heck is wrong.

[MAllen82]

ok, had my car in the shop awhile ago for a check engine light. They say it's the #3 coil pack. I change it out the other day myself, and the problem doesn't go away. I figure it's because another one went bad in that time. Now when I took the old coil pack out, it had a line of oil running down it, and the spark plug had a bit of oil on it as well. My car misfires, but it gets REALLY bad when I'm lower on gas or going up hill. Now there is a small puddle of oil in my garage. I'm going to replace the valve cover gasket, do you think that the oil on the spark plugs is the REAL problem? When I have it in park, the engine won't spin higher than 3000 rpm, but will when I'm moving.

 

[lexdiamondz10304]

If you have oil in your packs, then it means you have to have the gaskets replaced or else it will keep ruining your cop's, thus the misfired n etc. And the 3000 rpm thing in park is normal, all LS's have them in-order to keep the engine from blowing from unnecessary strain while in park or neutral.

 

[2001LS8Sport]

The code your car threw should be for a misfire...and not specifically that the coil caused the misfire. Usually, that means a coil...but not necessarily. Seal everything up and clean the plug wells. Use brake or electical cleaner to clean the coil, boot, plug, etc. and reinstall it. It wouldn't surprise me that it works fine.

 

[mayhawboy's LS]

just be careful revving the engine with bad coils, it puts a strain on the other coils sometimes causing them to malfunction too. If you have oil in the plug wells you need to replace the cam cover gaskets. It's not that hard if you have tools and some auto knowledge. there are some tech pages on this site that have great detail on completing this job.

 

[MAllen82]

so is it the cam cover gasket or the valve cover gasket? it's dripping from the top of the coil pack, so I figured it was the valve cover gasket.

 

[2001LS8Sport]

just be careful revving the engine with bad coils, it puts a strain on the other coils sometimes causing them to malfunction too.

That is absolute :bsflag: and whoever told you that was smoking something. The COP on these cars are totally independent of each other and one has nothing to do with the other.

 

[MAllen82]

so is it the cam cover gasket or the valve cover gasket? it's dripping from the top of the coil pack, so I figured it was the valve cover gasket.

anyone know?

 

[mayhawboy's LS]

That is absolute :bsflag: and whoever told you that was smoking something. The COP on these cars are totally independent of each other and one has nothing to do with the other.

Isn't it a whole electrical system cooperation though? When you have a drain on an eletrical system doesn't it effect other components in that system. For instance have you ever seen headlights dim with the beat of a big sound system? Is each COP a totally independent system. I don't know, that's why i ask. That is how one learns you see.

 

[2001LS8Sport]

Isn't it a whole electrical system cooperation though? When you have a drain on an eletrical system doesn't it effect other components in that system. For instance have you ever seen headlights dim with the beat of a big sound system? Is each COP a totally independent system. I don't know, that's why i ask. That is how one learns you see.

I didn't mean to jump on you like that. I've had dealers tell guys that once in a while just to get the sale of all the coils. The honest dealers and shops will just replace the offending coil. There are a ton of these cars running around with just one or two coils replaced.

As an answer to your question...you are right to a point about a current demand on an electrical system. But your analogy you use in this case isn't the same. The reason the headlights dim is the demand of the sound system on the electrical system is more than can be supplied. That is why you see many cars with these systems upgrade their alternator, battery, cables etc. just so it can supply the necessary demand. There is absolutely no way a coil can cause this kind of demand. Even if the coil went to a dead short, the wiring is so small a guage that it would burn up long before it could pull enough current to affect the other systems. And if it didn't burn any other coil primary feeds, it still would have no affect on the other coils. In that regard, they are totally independant of each other and only use the primary circuit in common...and that is through the electronic engine controls.

If anyone tells you one bad coil took out another, that's a crock. Go find another shop who knows what they are doing and is honest.

One last thing...I have seen coils replaced because of oil contamination. I have personally taken one of these coil assemblies...cleaned it up...and re-installed it after sealing the valve covers. It works perfectly. That may not always be true because the oil creates a path of resistance the system is not designed for and it could hurt that individual coil. But I suspect it is the case many times. If you're doing the work yourself, it may be worth the try to clean it up and try it before you pop for a new coil.

 

[LincolnTech38]

valve cover, cam cover same thing, they are technically called cam cover gaskets.

you will need new cam cover gaskets and spark plug seals, the spark plug seals are inside the cam cover and seal off the spark plug wells from the head. When those seals get old they allow oil to leak into the spark plug wells.

its very common on the LS, esp high mileage ones.

Jay

 

[mayhawboy's LS]

I didn't mean to jump on you like that. I've had dealers tell guys that once in a while just to get the sale of all the coils. The honest dealers and shops will just replace the offending coil. There are a ton of these cars running around with just one or two coils replaced.

As an answer to your question...you are right to a point about a current demand on an electrical system. But your analogy you use in this case isn't the same. The reason the headlights dim is the demand of the sound system on the electrical system is more than can be supplied. That is why you see many cars with these systems upgrade their alternator, battery, cables etc. just so it can supply the necessary demand. There is absolutely no way a coil can cause this kind of demand. Even if the coil went to a dead short, the wiring is so small a guage that it would burn up long before it could pull enough current to affect the other systems. And if it didn't burn any other coil primary feeds, it still would have no affect on the other coils. In that regard, they are totally independant of each other and only use the primary circuit in common...and that is through the electronic engine controls.

If anyone tells you one bad coil took out another, that's a crock. Go find another shop who knows what they are doing and is honest.

One last thing...I have seen coils replaced because of oil contamination. I have personally taken one of these coil assemblies...cleaned it up...and re-installed it after sealing the valve covers. It works perfectly. That may not always be true because the oil creates a path of resistance the system is not designed for and it could hurt that individual coil. But I suspect it is the case many times. If you're doing the work yourself, it may be worth the try to clean it up and try it before you pop for a new coil.

That's ok. the swelling is going down now. Seems that I actually saw a post a couple of months ago about a bad COP causing others to fail. That's good info though. That's why i like this forum. You guys rock!