Misfire moving around

2006 FORD E-SERIES VAN
198,000 MILES • 6.8L • V10 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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NATE WILSON
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Bought this van used, it had a rough idle but no trouble code. I had a mechanic at buying site change all the spark plugs, I asked for COP's too but he did not do it, but I just had to deal with it. After about eighty highway miles I finally got a check engine light resulting in a P0304. I changed all the COP's, reset the computer and it still had a misfire and threw a P0308. I changed the number eight COP for another and reset the computer. No change in misfire. At this point I thought it could be fuel delivery, so I put two bottles of Sea Foam in the tank. I drove the van for fifteen miles and pretty much had the same misfire that it has had all along. During this drive I got a P0300 first, then when I got close to home it threw a P0310. What would cause the codes to move around like this?
And for what it is worth, it runs really rough in reverse for whatever reason.
Apr 14, 2018 at 4:12 PM
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STEVE W.
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Check the fuel pressure and volume. Also check for any vacuum leaks. Both will cause "wandering" misfires due to the lean mix each causes. Worn timing chains can also cause them but we will try the items outside the engine first. Especially as the fuel pump control module on them loves to corrode and fail internally.
Apr 17, 2018 at 2:27 PM
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NATE WILSON
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Thanks. I am going to take it to a mechanic who has more diagnostic tools. Rumor has it that Fords have been know to need some sort of calibration for ignition timing. I will let you know what the mechanic has to say.
Apr 18, 2018 at 6:40 AM
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STRAILER
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Steve W is one of our best!. Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Cheers, Ken
Apr 20, 2018 at 4:31 PM
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STEVE W.
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Fords can be interesting, but no worse than some others. Especially with some of the new "features" they are getting. Have already had one with the automatic collision system acting up. Think how great it is to be humming along at 65 and have the car decide that it needs to brake NOW, on a clear road, because a sensor calibration was wrong. Or the BMW that refused to start because the passenger door handle passive entry antenna was shorted!
Apr 20, 2018 at 8:22 PM
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NATE WILSON
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Okay. One more detail: when I bought the coils I bought them on Amazon. They were 25% of the ones at the auto parts store. So before I took it to a mechanic I needed to address all the variables I knew about. I went and bought some quality coil packs and duplicated my work and changing all of them. Guess what? No more misfire. I have been driving it for a week now and everything has been good from a misfire standpoint. Now, when I am on the highway and in a high gear and the rpm's are low there is a rumble. It is not as bad as something you would feel when you go over a rumble strip but similar just a lot more subtle. What would cause this?
May 2, 2018 at 7:18 AM
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STEVE W.
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Yeah bad coils will do it, I made the assumption you bought known parts. But you just discovered the old axiom "you get what you pay for". Although the way the parts are these days it always feels like Russian roulette when I install any of them...

Felt rumble or heard rumble? If felt where seat or steering wheel? Any change if you steer left/right to shift the weight?
May 2, 2018 at 10:34 AM