Ignition Coil Bolt Broken

[RoyDaGeneral]

Today I decided to change my spark plugs. I was all ready and as I started clearing the way for the passenger side,I discovered the bolt holding the front coil was barely holding on and as I reached with my hand to see why the coil was wobbly, I saw the bolt, which had number 7 om its head, just sitting inside the coil hole. The rest of it, about half, was still screwed inside the female receptacle. I knew then I was in big trouble. I started to question how car was running with that coil not being secured to the engine block.

I have a broken screw extraction kit and decided to use it to get the broken part out, but the drill bit was too short to reach in there and the angle was not the best. So I thought about removing some things that were in the way including a fuel line. To make the story short, I was able to drill a hole about 1/8" deep and that was how far I went. I was not able to extract the broken bolt or what was left of it. So, I worked on changing all the plugs. As to "that" coil, I found a smaller bolt which I tried to screw in that little hole I created, and it appears to be holding, but not sure how well or bad it's sitting there. I then started the truck and all was well.

Now that coil is not well secured in place like the rest of them, what's the likelihood of me running into trouble due to vibrations and potential movement to that coil?

[mdmellott]

You're probably going to be just fine. No worries. I replaced my coils with WeaponX Performance ignition coils for my 2002 Pathfinder SE which do not even have a hold down screw mount to secure them to the block. Since the coils (OEM and aftermarket) snap onto the plugs, they hold secure enough to assure good contact and retention.

[RoyDaGeneral]

That's very assuring, thanks for sharing this!