Code P0308

Tiny
PACKERS27
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 FORD F-150
  • 5.4L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
I know this means cylinder eight plug misfire. That is the plug next to firewall on drivers side. Question is, is it 100% certain that the plug is the problem? Someone told me the coil pack could be the issue or a dirty injector can cause it. He told me to swap something, then recheck the code to see if it has moved. This is for eliminating possibilities. What is your take on this?
Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 AT 10:22 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,467 POSTS
Misfires can be all of the above plus. The way to figure out which part is the issue without spending a bunch of money would be to swap the plug and coil to two other cylinders. Unless you discover the plug is bad or if it has been a long time since the plugs were changed just change them all and swap the coil to a different cylinder. If the misfire goes away it was the plug. If the misfire moves to the cylinder you put the coil on, the coil is failing. If the misfire stays on cylinder eight then it could be a dirty/failing injector or a problem inside the cylinder.
With OBD codes they only point you at whet the computer sees as a problem. For this code the only thing the computer actually detects is that number eight cylinder is not contributing with every power stroke as it should. It does not know why.
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 AT 11:53 AM
Tiny
PACKERS27
  • MEMBER
  • 192 POSTS
Well actually the coil packs can have their codes as well. So if I replace the COPs and plugs and it is a cylinder problem then I just ate that money.
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 AT 3:58 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,467 POSTS
Yes, there can if the coil actually fails and is causing a constant miss or if the PCM sees an issue inside the coil itself causing a problem. If it is an intermittent misfire the coil code will not set because the PCM still sees the coil firing. That is why I suggest just moving it to another cylinder for testing. I did not say to replace them all. It may be carbon tracking inside or have a simple connection issue. So if you moved it to cylinder five and now the miss is on cylinder five you suspect the coil. If the miss stays on eight then it is the plug or internal issues like a valve or compression loss or injector that is dirty or sticking.

If the plugs have not been changed in a while they will all have worn gaps. Those worn gaps stress the coils and can set misfire codes as well. So if you remove the number eight plug and see it is worn you know the other plugs are likely just as bad, so you replace them as well.

You can do a relative compression test using an oscilloscope to see if the compression is close to the same in every cylinder. As most people do not have one I do not consider it a DIY test. You could do a physical compression test. Not hard to do but it means pulling every plug, which if they are worn would be a waste of time to reinstall.

What test equipment do you have?
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 AT 8:14 PM

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