interesting find while changing plugs

[roughrider17]

Hey guys
So a little background quickly, about a year ago i started hearing the dreaded timing chain rattle, and before i knew it my chain had jumped the guides and i was looking at an engine swap
fast forward to today and i now have a "new" engine (it had 80,000 km's on it when it was put in) and everything is running great.
Now the "new" engine was put in by one of my dads friends for a much cheaper price than the ford dealership wanted (dealership wanted 10,000 and i had it done for 2500)
Because of this, i figured he hadnt done much in the way of checking over the engine before putting it into my truck, so i figured id start doing some maintenance. Today i got around to changing my spark plugs, so i went down to my local autoparts store and picked up 6 NGK platinums.
I started on the drivers side with 4,5,6 and had minimal problems. The plugs i pulled out of the drivers side were very dirty autolites.

When i got to the passenger side, i couldnt find my swivel extension, and i was pressed for time so i figured id just try my luck on #2 . When i i finally got it out i noticed that not only was it much cleaner than the drivers side plugs, they were also gapped MUCH narrower, and they were MUCH cleaner.

Not knowing a hell of a lot, i decided to say whatever and i put the new NGK in there, went to fire the engine and it struggled to start (i assume because the gap was too wide)

So finally my questions:
WHY were there two different brands of plugs from drivers side to passenger side? (i dont know what kind were in 1 and 3, i could only get to 2)

Next why was the gap so dramatically different from the drivers to passenger side?

Finally, the NGK's i bought say they are gapped at 6mm which i assume is a .06 gap, is this too much? and is there an easier way of gapping them, without using a special tool?

Sorry for the very long post, and any help will be greatfully appreciated.

 

[swshawaii]

Many threads regarding Ford's EDIS "waste spark" ignition system.

Dead Link Removed

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1256469

 

[swshawaii]

I believe every 2001-05 Sport Trac had different plugs installed on each bank from the factory, maybe all 4.0L SOHC engines.
Mine came out very screechy at 61k. I applied a very thin coat of copper anti seize on the threads regardless of the Motorcraft SP500 FineWire Platinum replacements being nickel plated. Excessive gap on the drivers side is caused by center electrode wear due to the wasted spark ignition, not from a wider gap setting from the factory. Recommended gap is .054, check your hood decal.

 

[roughrider17]

Very interesting, i have never heard of any manufacturer using two different kinds of plugs and i wouldnt have known what to search so thank you!... than again this is my first time changing plugs...

you said reccommended was .054, should all of them be gapped to .054?

 

[BrooklynBay]

It sounds like the clean plugs with the small gap might have been getting a very low spark or no spark at all. Check the cables to see if there is damage. Did you check for P03XX codes?

 

[roughrider17]

the weird part was i swapped the small gapped plug out and my trac had trouble starting up... i would thing a greater spark would help start it faster. i havent checked for any codes as i dont own a code reader however i could check the wires but i assume that if my truck isnt missfiring as of now it has something to do with the plug itself.

is there any reason the passenger side would need a smaller gap?

 

[BrooklynBay]

As far as I know, all of the plugs should have the same gap. There's no reason to interchange brands. It sounds like a previous mechanic had difficulty removing some plugs so he left them.

 

[swshawaii]

Oops, I missed different "brands" in the OP, not different model numbers. Before racking your brain any further, replace
the two old passenger side plugs. Also make sure #5 & #6 firing order is correct because the coil is not sequential. (4-6-5)

 

[colintrax]

All plugs should have the same gap. And FYI 1inch=25.4mm so 6mm is not .06
So if your measuring in MM gap the plugs to 1.38mm

 

[colintrax]

Also on an unrelated note, NGK makes a great plug. What I run in every dirt bike.
But they're a Japanese brand, and are better suited for Asian cars IMO. For your Ford, autolight, motorcraft, and some of the cheaper brands work just as good.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Our Ford 4.0's don't take kindly to different brand plugs other than Motorcraft, or Autolite. A lot of people have had ignition, spark, firing and burning out the coil pack problems when they used high dollar or fancy plugs other than oem. Double check the wires to make sure they're on correctly, use alittle dielectric grease on the ends to seal and for better spark. Your wires if original especially or even new could be torn and arcing or the wire isn't seated fully on the plug (I had problems getting a couple seated fully on the plugs and caused the same issue).

 

[roughrider17]

swshawaii: When i changed number 2, and put a new NGK in it had trouble starting, so i put the old motor craft back in and it started perfectly. im afraid to put a new one back in again and have troubles starting. Also how do i got about checking the firing order?
Colin/midnight: Maybe i will just pick up some auto lights, avoid any troubles in the future. For the tracs ive seen alot of people going with the autolight double platinums? ill probably grab them.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Firing order is 1,4,2,5,3,6.

Just curious, what Job motor do you have? Your truck is an '01, correct? They had two different types of intakes and other parts on the '01. Easiest way to tell is if the oil filler tube is on the right side than you have a Job 2 motor which has the better intake and timing chain tensioners.

 

[colintrax]

swshawaii: When i changed number 2, and put a new NGK in it had trouble starting, so i put the old motor craft back in and it started perfectly. im afraid to put a new one back in again and have troubles starting. Also how do i got about checking the firing order?
Colin/midnight: Maybe i will just pick up some auto lights, avoid any troubles in the future. For the tracs ive seen alot of people going with the autolight double platinums? ill probably grab them.

The NGK is fine, what I'm running in my explorer right now. As well as my KTM.
Your gap still isn't 6mm correct? It should be 1.38mm
6mm isn't going to fire

 

[roughrider17]

Midnight: i have a job 2, 2002 trac
colin: i just picked up a gapping tool from my local parts store, i beleive the gaps are currently at .060, my mistake i thought it was 6 mm, the box they came in was very misleading haha

 

[swshawaii]

Regardless of brand, wouldn't be the first time a new plug was bad out of the box. Also make sure you didn't break the ceramic.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

They should be gapped at .054. If you're looking at the coil pack from the grill/ frontend from left-right the plug wire order goes as followed 1,2,3 top/ back and 5,6,4 bottom/ front.

The plug order on the motor looking from the front/ grill is passenger side front to back 1,2,3 and driver side 4,5,6.

Hopefully this helps and it solves the problem.

 

[bluestream1]

Also on an unrelated note, NGK makes a great plug. What I run in every dirt bike.
But they're a Japanese brand, and are better suited for Asian cars IMO. For your Ford, autolight, motorcraft, and some of the cheaper brands work just as good.

Thats too funny! :bsnicker::bsnicker: Asian cars need Asian plugs

Kinda like an automotive form of racism. BTW, NGK makes AC Delco plugs, and NGK are also found in many European made automobiles