Replacing ignition coils in 2004 Mazda MPV

Posted: August 12th, 2009 | Author: Jacob Hammond | Filed under: Car Stuff | 18 Comments »

Turns out the Mazda MPV, unlike most of the older cars that I’ve been familiar with, has an ignition coil for each cylinder — six coils in total. Long story short, failed ignition coils seem to be a common problem in Mazda MPVs from 2001 through 2006. My first failed coil happened about a year ago, and manifested itself through hesitation and jerking while driving once the engine had warmed up, along with a check engine light. When it happened the first time, I took it to the dealership and had the coil replaced for around $250 total (roughly half parts, half labor).

About two months ago, the car started jerking and hesitating again, and it gradually got to the point where it took a good amount of gas-pedal-coaxing to get it to hold 25 mph up a steepish hill. I decided that rather than taking it in to the dealership for another $250, I’d just order a new set of coils and replace all six at once myself. This ended up being a little more work than I had anticipated, but, all in all, was a great success and not too difficult, and certainly well worth the potentially huge savings I netted by avoiding a trip to the shop.

Firstly, the subject of acquiring the coils. The coils seem to run anywhere from $65 to $100 when ordered individually or purchased from an auto parts place. Here is what you are looking for:

  • Motorcraft part DG513.
  • Standard part UF406.


Now, rather than paying a lot for all six and buying them individually, order a set of six from Amazon using the link here. It should run $155 plus shipping, which is a great price for the set of six. These will fit a 2002 through 2005 MPV, and possibly a year or two under or over.

Under construction. Stay tuned for the rest of this post!


Interior renovation on 1984 Ford Bronco

Posted: July 7th, 2009 | Author: Jacob Hammond | Filed under: Car Stuff | 2 Comments »

I bought this Bronco about a month ago. The drivetrain and mechanicals are in pretty good shape but the interior was shot, so my first task was to redo it. Exterior work (fixing a bit of rust, polish/wax, maybe new paint) will come next, but at least the interior is mostly done now.

This post is big with a lot of images, so click below to view the whole thing.

Read the rest of this entry »