Good morning. Earlier this month I was looking for a cheap car and the only one in the whole area was a 2006 Ford Ka (have you noticed how, up to a few years ago old, cheap cars were in abundance, even going for £100 at the side of the road, but now there are none). It was going cheap because it had a stubborn misfire (1.3 Duratec) and with 6 months MOT I decided to give it a go. I have owned a lot of cars in the past, most of which would now be very expensive "classics" but in the day were just cheap cars. However, back to the Ka. I ordered a coilpack and some leads as the first thing but when the coilpack arrived I was dismayed to see that it was completely different to the one on the car! I sent a message to the supplier asking what to do, but when I looked at images on the internet I found that they had supplied the correct part, and the one on the car was an impostor - actually a coil from a Fiesta. I changed the coil and leads and there was still misfiring under load. The cause of this was that the leads are not very friendly to fit. At the coilpack end you have to jiggle the rubber boot about on the towers until the floating connector finds the electrode inside and then push it home. At the plug end, the rubber inner can slide up inside the metal tube making fitting the connector on to the plug difficult - and there is more rubbery indestinctness about knowing when the lead is home. All in all I now have a reliable, nippy and economical car which is fun to drive. My first tip is - if you have a misfire, check your leads at both ends because the connections are difficult to make properly and any gaps weaken the spark. Check that all four at the coil end are fully home, and check at the plug ends that the rubber inner makes its way all the way through the metal tube and is showing at the open end before fitting - if not it is very easy to slide the lead on to the plug leaving a big gap between the connector and the plug inside. I wonder how much has been spent on misfires when it is just this lead problem to blame - have a look if you have a misfire - cheers.

Did you use 'Dielectric Grease' on the plug lead connectors ?

They should have just slipped on (at both ends) with dielectric lubricant applied.

 

 

8 hours ago, Oriskany said:

Good morning. Earlier this month I was looking for a cheap car and the only one in the whole area was a 2006 Ford Ka (have you noticed how, up to a few years ago old, cheap cars were in abundance, even going for £100 at the side of the road, but now there are none). It was going cheap because it had a stubborn misfire (1.3 Duratec) and with 6 months MOT I decided to give it a go. I have owned a lot of cars in the past, most of which would now be very expensive "classics" but in the day were just cheap cars. However, back to the Ka. I ordered a coilpack and some leads as the first thing but when the coilpack arrived I was dismayed to see that it was completely different to the one on the car! I sent a message to the supplier asking what to do, but when I looked at images on the internet I found that they had supplied the correct part, and the one on the car was an impostor - actually a coil from a Fiesta. I changed the coil and leads and there was still misfiring under load. The cause of this was that the leads are not very friendly to fit. At the coilpack end you have to jiggle the rubber boot about on the towers until the floating connector finds the electrode inside and then push it home. At the plug end, the rubber inner can slide up inside the metal tube making fitting the connector on to the plug difficult - and there is more rubbery indestinctness about knowing when the lead is home. All in all I now have a reliable, nippy and economical car which is fun to drive. My first tip is - if you have a misfire, check your leads at both ends because the connections are difficult to make properly and any gaps weaken the spark. Check that all four at the coil end are fully home, and check at the plug ends that the rubber inner makes its way all the way through the metal tube and is showing at the open end before fitting - if not it is very easy to slide the lead on to the plug leaving a big gap between the connector and the plug inside. I wonder how much has been spent on misfires when it is just this lead problem to blame - have a look if you have a misfire - cheers.

hi welcome

On 4/23/2022 at 12:48 PM, unofix said:

Did you use 'Dielectric Grease' on the plug lead connectors ?

They should have just slipped on (at both ends) with dielectric lubricant applied.

Hi, I did consider using silicone grease but was put off by the combination of the coil having conical towers and the new leads having tightly-fitted rubber boots. I found that unless you mated the connector to the tower electrode really well, the rubber boot just rode up the tower causing a gap inside and I didn't want another misfire. Just been out and the car is still working great. Just noticed that my battery strap is missing and looks like it may have rotted away so I will have to fix that next, and I am waiting for my £20 eBay starter motor as mine sometimes grinds on the first try (£300 from Ford, new). I'll keep you all posted with progress. Lastly - bad coolant leak from Thermostat housing alert! The cause was a failed O ring around the temperature sensor - new one fitted and now all Ok.

Welcome to the club 

 

glad you got it sorted…