Sputtering when cold.

G

ggf

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Okay guys, I need your advice. My 97 Mark VIII is sputtering but only at low idle under a moderate load. I can still excelerate, through the sputtering. It reminds me of a dirty fuel filter. Problem is, I just replaced the filter and it did not help. Also plugs are only about a year old. It doesn't sputter when the engine is cold though. Any thoughts.
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

I agree with Dr Dave unless you have washed the engine lately.

If you have there will be moisture in the 1 and 8 holes.

If it is the boot you can buy them seperately from the coil pack. It is possible it could be the coil pack itself.
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

Thanks Guys.
It turns out I have a bad coil. The cars at the dealer now and it's going to cost me about $250, mainly for the diagnosis. To me that a TON of money for a simple change out. Does anyone know if there is a way to bench test a coil with common tools?
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

Most likely you have a bad coil "BOOT" and they are going to try and sell you the "ENTIRE COIL".

"Stealerships are like that".
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

Greg;

If you pull a coil and boot out, with the harness attached, and set it so that the spark can arc you can then start the car. You will be able to tell which one is bad because the arc will be slow or intermitent.

Test each one until you find the bad one.
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

Coils are $35 at autozone and are "cake" to install. Not hard to diagnose, either. I coulda done the whole job for you, including diagnosis and parts, for $60 (for one coil). You're not exactly close to me, though.
 
RE: Sputtering when cold.

Thanks guys. I'll know better next time.

Soooooo, why in the H@ll do they charge so much for diagnosis. Did it really take them two hours to figure it out and intall, plus another $60 for the coil?

I'm pretty sure it wasn't just the boot. I checked them all beforehand and they seemed fine. Actually, the one they gave back to me (the bad coil) had a newer boot on that I had replaced last year.

Can you really get a coil that cheap at Autozone? I figured it was kind of a specialized part.
 
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