Zoolander

iTrader: (8)

"One Thing Leads To Another" - The Fixx

That should be the official song of the FD....though it seems to be about lying girls. I guess the FD is sometimes deceitful...and some members refer to it as "she."

Noob mechanic working on an FC thermoswitch (done - feels good!), Efini y-pipe (still working on that rear air pipe), PFS intercooler (should be cake), and spark plug install. My RX has been misfiring and hesitating on WOT for awhile. Search tells me the first place to start are the plugs and maybe the wires. Just changed the plugs and didn't really want to mess with the wires as it seems to be a PITA and they looked okay. On second look the leading wires seem easy to replace so I tug on the bottom one and it's loosey goosey. Not even attached. Yank them out and this is what I see. That's a bad coil right? Is this a symptom of something else or will a new coil fix everything? Will call Ray for a new one but if anyone can give me a heads up price, that'll be great. Also, the FSM says I need to remove the extension manifold to replace it. Is it that easy? I can do this without removing the throttle body? Any thoughts on how/why this happened?

It does feel good learning how to work on this car and discovering all this, but I just don't know how much more I can take! Or how many more car parts can fit in my condo waiting for a nice weekend to install?! Why couldn't it just be the wires and plugs? Will I ever get use to this "lifestyle?" But I guess the silver lining is that now I know exactly why it was misfiring. Can't wait to piece it back together and feel that PULL on WOT. But then again by then.......the song will reverberate! "the deception with tact, just what are you trying to say?......"

Thanks for listening to my rant and helping. It's greatly appreciated.

First pic is the lower leading coil, second is the top one that looks okay, and third is the frayed wire.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

That happens a lot.

It may not mean the coil is bad. The only real way to know is to pry the metal piece left from the plug wire out of the coil, then test the coil per the FSM. Many people have reused their coils after having this happen. To keep it from happening again, use a little die-electric grease when installing your plug wires:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...ct.do?pid=8196

oo7arkman

iTrader: (2)

Have it tested and you will know a definate. But it looks pretty bad and personally I think I would go ahead and replace it if you have the cash. Yup, the TB will need to come off. BUT you could leave the TB connected to the UIM and remove them as one unit. It is really not that bad, just make sure you have all the wires under the UIM disconnected as well as all the vac lines and tps connection on the TB.

The spark plug wires are really not that bad to replace, definately doable without removing the TB, but it is FAR easier by just pulling it. It really is not that big of a deal to take it off and put back on. Might as well get used to doing it...

I don't know for sure how much a new leading coil is, just call Ray like you planned on. Why did it fail? Remember this is a fairly old car, that produces lots of heat, and things just wear out. The trick is to take car of it as much as possible and replace things as you find them appearing to be worn. Every time I get to working on one problem I usually find a few other bits that should be replaced and it is easier just to do it while I am already in there. I am sure it will save me headache in the long run.

Zoolander

iTrader: (8)

Thanks guys. I will pull that badly charred metal out and see if it's salvageable. I do have the di-electric grease and will use it there also. That can go right on the metal to metal contact then? I read to only use it on the ceramic of the plugs and boot. Please clarify.

Finally got my y-pipe out - definitely required manual dexterity and patience. Wow. I'm shutting it down for the day and won't be able to get back in for another two weeks, weather permitting. Can I leave the plugs and coil exposed to the elements? It shouldn't be a problem right? I stuff any exposed holes with red rags and get paranoid/OCD with the red lint escaping down a chamber......yes, it's THAT bad! Maybe I'll use foil.......

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

You can use a little on the metal contact area. Just don't glob it on.

Zoolander

iTrader: (8)

Okay. I pulled off the UIM and TB....and yes, a royal PITA - so many vacuum lines and electrical plugs! Hopefully I took enough pictures to get the right lines back on later. And like you said arkman, one problem to another. My long TB coolant hose was ripped...so I need to replace that. Shouldn't be so bad though. It seems there isn't a hose clamp on the far end...can someone confirm? Hoses can be a pain to remove though.

So...I tested the ignition coil per FSM and it's within the specified resistance. It's okay to re-use even with the charred interior? Any suggestions on a solvent to remove the corrosion? Also, is that a rubber or plastic coating on the inside of the plug holes? A new one (and the good old one) looks to be coated in something translucent in the plug holes....just curious to know what it is.

Thanks.