Advice Please: VIN SAJKC51LX5WE45778 2005 X Type Sovereign 3L
108 thou km recent developed misfire cyl 3 after 100km return trip. Been running very short occasional trips for a while now and with little fuel in tank so not sure if I have picked up some crud. Fuel filter likely original as are plugs and coils. Put a bottle of fuel cleaner in the tank and filled up but hasn't made a difference. Had occasional flashing engine light under load on way home.

Error Codes as follows: P0303, P1313, P1316 initially. Additionally it also threw P0193. Theres also been P1000.

Haven't taken off inlet manifold yet but inspected front bank plugs after removing air cleaner box and they look reasonable albeit some wear as expected but not oily, nice neutral light brown colour, gap a little big.

OK here in NZ the coils are really expensive even for after market ones but plugs are reasonable cost.

As I have to take off the inlet manifold to get to the rear bank I assume its false economy not to change all the plugs at the same time BUT:

a. Can I test the cyl 3 coil with my multimeter to determine if it needs replacing and is the source of the misfire? What I don't want to do is replace the plugs but still have a bad coil.
b. The upper inlet manifold individual oval gaskets are also really expensive, (XR843536??? is that right new Part Nos). Will they need replacing or could I use some Dirko HT Hi Temp sealant instead?
c. Whilst the misfire is only on one cyl and not 1, 3 and 5 simultaneously I assume the fault is more likely a spark plug and/or coil fault as apposed to a vacuum leak which I understand can cause misfires?
d. Is anti seize required on the new plug threads? They were a little stiff when I put them back in after initial inspection.
e. Any recommendations for spark plugs and coils please.
f. Hoping the driving whilst the engine light flashed hasn't damaged the Cat???

Thanks

PS Apologies for repeating what appears on other threads for similar issues but technology advances as do components so have started a new thread.

 

allyshake, my recommendation would be as you suggest, do a plug change on all 6 cylinders since you have to pull the intake. I would also invest a little bit of money into a new set of upper intake seals (should be like $20 usd). This will save you from causing a vacuum leak and will not add any time to the job (replacing 6 o-rings). I would also advise moving #3 coil to the #2 position (bottom left as you are standing in front of the car working). This is accessible without having to remove anything later. So, should it be a bad coil, you can buy a new one and install it in a matter of a few minutes.

As for testing the coils, really the tests are more a go/no-go test. In your case, you have a coil that is iffy. So, the checks are not going to really tell you much. Doesn't hurt to try, but I think you are going to find that they are giving "good readings".

As for spark plugs: KISS - Keep it Simple ....... Do not think that you can gain a little bit of power or mileage by going to some split fire/multi-spark spark plug. If anything, your kitty will hate you for it. I have not found a single person that had a good experience with those fancy plugs. All they did was cause more grief and lighten their wallets. Stick with a quality platinum (some places call them a double platinum) plug like from NGK, Denso, or other well know manufacturer. As for lube, they go in dry. Due to the heat, adding a lube is just as likely to make the plug get stuck in the engine later as it is to help. If they go in dry, a little bit of penetrant fluid and they will pop right out. Also, regap the plugs regardless of whether they are "pre-gapped" or not. The plugs have been tossed around who knows where and it is possible for the gap to shift over time because of this. As for iridium plugs, those are acceptable for use too. They just tend to cost a little bit more than the platinum plugs. Again, KISS.

As for the upper intake o-rings, talk with your local auto parts store. If they give you some story about "oh, it is a jaguar and its parts just cost a lot, so suck it up", then ask them for the upper intake seals for a 05 Lincoln LS 3.0L engine. I bet you will find that they are much cheaper, yet, they are the same part. Shhhhhhh. You are welcome.

As for the check engine light and potential damage to the cats, it is possible there is some degradation that has occurred, but as long as you kept the time that the CEL was flashing to a minimum (say a few minutes at most), then you should be good. After the plug change, if you still have the P1313/P1316 codes, then you may want to start worrying. With that being said, changing the plugs, the CEL will not go out immediately unless you reset the CEL. So, keep that in mind. It takes 5 complete drive cycles (five 10+ minute drives) and on the 6th start, as long as the codes have not popped up in the previous 5 drives, it will go out. Or, you can use a code reader to reset the CEL. Worst case, disconnect the negative battery terminal for a minute and then reconnect. If it comes back after the reset, then you still have a problem and that will need to be addressed.

The P1000 code, you can ignore that. This is Jaguar's way of saying that the emissions checks have not been performed with no errors during a recent drive. When you reset the codes, you will have P1000 initially and after about a 100KM drive (some town driving, some highway driving), it should go away and return to a P1111 code (ie, all systems are running as they should).

 

Thats bloody brilliant Thermo thanks for such a thorough answer. Great idea re shifting the Cyl 3 coil to position 2! Doubt many Lincoln parts get stocked here in NZ but likely Ford Mondeo or equivalent do? Cheapest upper manifold seals I can find online are around NZ$32 each and pretty sure they come from overseas. I assume they are made in China these days so might try AliExpress or a UK parts place as my son lives in London at present. Looks like Aussie Swan ignition coils are a good bet at around $375 a set should I need them. In changing the manifold seals I suppose it makes any further maintenance a little easier down the track and avoids any vacuum leaks. Re plugs I can get NGK Platinum Spark Plug - TR6AP-13E for NZ$29 each. Cheers

PS Found the Lincoln set of seals in the USA for US$50 a set. My daughter in=law is in New York so will get them posted there and then onto NZ.

 

allyshake, take a look at: FEL-PRO Intake Plenum Gasket MS96494 (autozone.com). This even includes the 2 IMT o-rings (good idea to change them now as this will be an easy time to do it). They are only asking $26 USD. or around $40 NZD. But, those are FelPro seals which is a quality company in my parts. Not saying the best, but not a cheapo company either. The Mahle version was $32 USD, but didn't have the IMT o-rings in the kit. I want to say the Mahle is the OEM company for the o-rings.

Wish you luck.

 

Thanks, found that Fel Pro set on Amazon, (less the IMT O Rings) for around NZ$41 delivered including the GST they collect. Whilst I could use the AutoZone and have my relatives in the States get them and forward the USPS is slow and expensive these days. Amazon Global is reasonable and relatively quick, plus they respond quickly for returns and issues etc.

Is there a Fel Pro Part Nos you know of for the IMT O Rings? Maybe I can find them on Amazon too. They don't seem to have the set including both inlet and IMT together though.

Regards

 

ally, the IMT o-rings are cheap. for the time you would spend trying to find them and then get them shipped to you, spend the extra dollar or two for each and buy them at your local parts store.

 

Thanks, the Amazon Fel Pro Kit MS 96494 actually includes the O Rings too, just not pictured on Amazon but they are the black ones not the green. Assume they'll be fine?

 

OK things never go to plan. The electrical plugs are brittle as hell. Snapped the MAF Sensor/throttle body clip already but the plug seems to hold OK?

Plus a vac hose on the rear of the inlet manifold was either broken already but just disintegrated when I touched it Orange colour. See pic from manual.

Not sure what Part Nos this is to get a replacement? Looks like C2S28870 INLET MANIFOLD LOWER VACUUM HOSE

I wonder if that was the source of the misfire? Probably not as I didn't get any Lean error codes??? However I had a rough idle and stutter on initial acceleration for ages which might have had something to do with this hose?

It looks like a thin tube not sure if its repairable or I need a proper part.

 

Ally, yes, that hose can be a problem. You will need to replace the hose as the whole thing has become brittle and repairing the one section is only going to put more stress somewhere else for it to break there. You can see if you can find some "self bonding tape" which will seal the crack if you put the two pieces back together and wrap in tape. May be a good idea to carefully wrap the whole piece in the tape to give it some added strength.

On a side note, your bottom picture shows the tubing going between the brake booster and the top of the intake manifold, that piece is looking like it is about to give you grief here in the near future too. that is 1 of the "big 3" things that we talk about when attempting to fix vacuum leaks. The second is the IMT o-rings (you are getting those) and the final piece is the rubber hose that goes from the PCV valve to the intake (runs parallel to the throttle body). If yours is ribbed (ie, not smooth), then you have an upgraded one and should be good.

 

OK all fixed. Thanks for all the input from other members. Swapped coil on misfiring cylinder as Thermo suggested from posn 3 to posn 2. All the new plugs were spot on at 51 thou out of the box. The old plugs were original and had gaps ranging form 68 thou plus and the worst one was from the misfiring cylinder at round 80 thou. The bad plug was a little fouled too compared to the others so it clearly wasn't sparking. Car running smoothly now with better fuel economy and no fault codes, so the fault was a dud plug and not the coil.

Didn't change any seals as they had not arrived from overseas yet but the manifold oval ones looked in good nick. Ill swap out the vacuum hoses when they arrive but I can't here any sucking and no rough idle or anything like that so Im assuming I have no vacuum leaks.

The only hassle I had was removing the manifold support bracket bolt at the rear next to the fire wall. What a sod of a place to put a bolt. And rather than removing the throttle body as the manual instructs I just took off one end of the cooling hose attached to the throttle body with very minor coolant leakage. This allowed sufficient manifold movement to get to the rear bank of plugs.

The MAF sensor looks a little dirty so next time Im in Taupo main centre Ill pick up a can of MAF cleaner spray and do that job.

Ill have the new seals, IMT O rings etc in the toolbox if I need them at a later date.

 

allyshake, good to hear that all is running good for you. Stick around, learn things from other members and that way, when you have the issue, you will know where to start and hopefully be able to fix it in no time flat.

 

Great you are back up and running again. I just thought I would jump in and recommend a product I used to fix a break in that same intake manifold vacuum line you have when mine broke in the same place. I had a different car with a bunch of vacuum leaks so ended up buying a "universal" vacuum hose replacement set. It is a set of soft silicone tubing in various diameters with wall thickness comparatively large to most soft rubber tubing so the hose doesn't collapse under vacuum. You can slide it over existing broken/brittle vacuum hoses and it makes an air tight seal if you get the ID right. If not a tie-wrap will seal it. This kit has saved me buying that vacuum hose in the Jag and a few others in my other car.

Currently around $25 USD on Amazon for 2m of each hose in 5 different diameters.