i have searched the forum but couldn't really but the nail on the head. Well recently my check engine light came on and my car(2000 s-type) has been running very very sluggish as soon as i apply throttle and having a hard time getting into gear because of the misfiring issues. Sometime i will drive the car and the check engine light will start blinking and then stop. I took it to the local pep boys today to get the code pulled and the Technician told me that the #6 cylinder is misfiring and i asked him if the coils were bad and he said no my spark plugs were pretty much shot and needed replacing....and got a $275 quote to replace spark plugs

My question is can one bad spark plug make the car run like complete crap? I was told by a family mechanic that one spark plug shouldn't cause the car to run THAT bad and cause the check engine light to be on and start blinking? I'm going to replace the right side of the spark plugs tomorrow since i would have to take the intake manifold off in order to get to the other side to see if this will be a quick fix but i'm almost certain that this will not fix this misfiring issues and expecting to pay alot more money in fixing it. My family mechanic is almost certain that i will be replacing the coil but the pep boys tech says they are fine..is there a way to test them?

any insight would be much appreciated

 

3.0 or 4.0? What's the mileage like? Any other problems?

 

3.0 with 134k No other serious problems besides the rough ride and a gearbox fault message......The car drove fine about a week 1/2 ago until this light came on.

 

Plugs are first, especially if they are original to the car, then you'll soon find out if the coil failed also. It is a progressive thing...plugs, then coil, then CAT. Check out prices of the coil, and you'll see why its important to stay on top of these misfires before they kill other items down the chain...and the more expensive it gets.

You can change the plugs yourself, if you're semi-handy in the garage. $8 per plug is very reasonable.

 

Search should find you the many previous posts on this. Try
misfire
and also
flash
and
coil

More likely it will be coils than plugs but you didn't say whether it's been properly serviced. Put engine etc details in your profile if you want people to have a chance to help you.

 

Sparkplugs and coils are relatively easy. You have to pull the upper intake manifold to do them all, but it's worth having the peace of mind. Just watch for excessive oil in the plug wells.

The only other issue I and others have had with the early 3.0s is wiring damage around the fuel line guard at the top rear of the engine.

 

Thanks for the help guys changed the spark plugs on that side....still misfired.

so i changed the #6 cylinder and it runs fine again! Check engine light came off and it's running up to par now! so it's funny how something small as a coil can mess up how the car runs

 

Coil is as important as plug and a lot more fragile....

 

True dat!

Did the plug well have any oil in it when you changed it out?

 

No oil at all from what i can see.