Help!! Running Rough after plug change!

[Rusty]

Well here is the story in a nutshell...

Today i changed the plugs and wires in my explorer v6 ohv got all of them done and even got the infamous passenger side back 2 with not too much trouble.

SOOO i decided to do my wifes explorer.
My wife's explorer is the v6 SOHC. Months ago.. actually i think last year! I went to change here plugs and wires and ended up not getting the rear 2 on the passenger side! No biggie it has run ok, bad gas mileage, but has run. So today seeing as how i did my explorer with no problems, i thought i would do my wife's. After alot of fun I finally got both of them and replaced all the rest of the wires.

NOTE: when i changed the plugs the first time i used Bosch junk... these 2 that i bought are motorcraft platinums. This may have some effect!?

SOOO i go and start the car up and it sounds/runs like junk. IT feels like it is only running on a few cylinders!?
I checked all the wires and they are connected well.

ALSO: i did end up snapping 2 of what i think are small plastic(brittle) vacuum lines. one of which i think i fixed.

Help me out.. i have no clue whats going on
My thoughts are:
1. I need to go back and change the other four plugs to motorcraft plugs
2. I jacked up the vacuum system somewhere other than where i know of
3. Something i overlooked

By the way I was doing this because i have to take a trip tomorrow afternoon.

Help me out if you can please!

 

[Turdle]

spray the spark plug wires down with water-
start the engine and look under the hood , turn off all the lights and look for arcing (sparks) along the spark plug wires-look very closely at the spark plug boot area
Are you absolutely sure you didn't cross connect a couple of them?

 

[Rusty]

on spraying them down... unfortunately i can't tonight.. my landlord will probably freak on me because it is after midnight..

crossing them...
I dont believe so because i did them one at a time

I think I have them hooked up

1cyl to 1dis
2cyl to 2dis
3cyl to 3 dis

cyl Dis
3 4 1 2 3
2 5 4 5 6
1 6
( I made this graph thing up and don't imply they are the correct cylinder #'s)

 

[Turdle]

36
25
14

cylinder arrangement-standing in front of the engine
try switching the 4 and 6 wires-

 

[Rusty]

i can try but i honestly don't think i touched that side of the engine today on my wifes explorer(the one with the problem)
It is possible though.. between the baby crying and running to the parts store... who knows

 

[Turdle]

I misunderstood sorry. I thought you changed all of the plugs in --

I'd et a plug wire was broken by mistake.

 

[Rusty]

the plugs being different wouldn't cause it to run so rough? ie. 2 motorcrafts and 4 bosch's?

Well I tried to run it on one set of wires first(the ones that were there)
Then i replaced the two with new wires and same story on both.

 

[Pensa]

"ALSO: i did end up snapping 2 of what i think are small plastic(brittle) vacuum lines. one of which i think i fixed. "

Depending on the vacuum leak it can cause rough running, you need to make sure you have all vacuum lines hooked up and no leaks.

It is also possible to get a bad plug, I had that happen once. If after checking your vacuum lines if it is still running rough change out the plugs you just put in with the old ones. See if that helps, if so you have a bad plug.

You said you changed the two plug wires, make sure they are good. If you changed them one at a time they should be installed correctly.

 

[Pensa]

I was reading your original post and didn't see where you had switched the plug wires and got the same results on both. Forget that.

I suspect it is a vacuum leak that is causing your problem.

 

[Rusty]

well i made it and got back from the trip.. the next morning i went out and pulled the first plug i put in and found that there was NO GAP!!! once i gapped the plug and fixed the vacuum lines it ran like a dream!
Seriously i can't believe i missed the gap thing before i put it in but i believe i dropped it during installation and maybe didnt look at it closely enough before trying to get it back in!

Thanks for all your help! Especially jtsmith for the late night advice.. you are what got me thinking to check the gap! It definately sounded like it was not running on all cylinders.

Thanks again!

Problem solved!... for now! haha

 

[MarcHenry]

My '97 XLT v8 seem to be doing the same thing. I was driving down 288(on cruise control set to 67) when all the sudden the rpm's reved up to 3000 and the car started to to shake. Then the sulfer smell started to fill the car. I still had about a 30 minute drive to get back to the house(i made it). The car didn't seem to want to go. And going up hills(big or small) it struggled. I've changed plugs and wires but the problem is still there. What advice is there for me to do? I don't know what to do now..

 

[sstewart777]

Hi Marc,

That sounds serious! You might want to start a new thread in the 911 section then more people will see it.

Did you get fuel someplace just prior to this happening?


Good luck!

 

[seth247]

marc can't post in the 911 cause he's not an elite but definetly need to post it in you years prospective forum.

I used to dose at the wheel just a bit (don't know why, hypnotized bybthe road maybe) and one time indrifted into the highway divider (thank god it wasnt a van full of kids)(and thank you previous owner for putting on wider wheels) and I bounced off it pretty hard and the car started running rough I thought foe sure I had bent in the front end and the tire was rubbing but when I got out and NO DAMAGE (thanknyou guardian angel) so I limped to the quik trip and I the bounce had knocked loose a spark plug wire so check those

Also check for broken vacuum lines. They would cause the rough running and the cruise is vac operated so it might have caused the rpm jump.

 

[Cobraguy]

MarcHenry...is your transmission light flashing any codes? That's the first thing that came to mind with your story. Something had to give to allow the rpm's to rise like that.

 

[MarcHenry]

my check engine light blinks after driving for 5-10 minutes.
i have all new plugs and wires and have checked them time and time again.
The exhaust gets loud. So i'm thinking it's the cats being clogged.. Would that cause anything like this?