serious problem......

[izackary]

OK this all started when i heard what i thought was a louder exhaust leak. I got the check engine light when i was on the gas at all. Went to autozone and they scanned the codes and found cylinder misfires on 4 and 6. I bought a new coil pack. Started the truck and got a steady check engine light so i killed it immediately. Sure enough, I crossed some wires. Redid the wiring and got it right, now it won't fire at all. I checked and rechecked my wiring. I didn't move anything since swapping the coil pack. Upon further inspection, i found spark plug #6 (one that had been misfiring; it's the one closest to the passenger seat that you can't see on a SOHC 4.0L) DANGLING FROM THE IGNITION WIRE OUTSIDE THE MOTOR!!! :fire: I tried to put it back in, no luck. The threads were stripped on something. The spark plug looked somewhat normal, so i'm afraid that an explosion tore up the threads in the motor. I'm starting to think what i thought was a very loud exhaust leak was actually noise comig from where the "missing" spark plug should have been.

WTF DO I DO NOW?! I'm rarely stumped on these but this one's got me. Not only this, but I also found somehow my front right shock lost the lower mounting bolts, came loose, and is now in front of my axle instead of behind it, and has worn my CV boot in half!!! I'm NOT pleased, and my be parting out this beast soon. (Stay in touch, Matt, Tim, and Aaron!!!)

:fire: :frustrate

 

[section525]

Do you mean it won't turn over at all? Or all it does is turn over and not start?

It sounds like you still don't have something hooked up right. If you don't have the spark plug back in it... that could cause it to not start. I know my truck will barely start on 6 cylinders. I'm sure all that happened is the plug came loose (ever heard a motor run with a missing plug?) and now it doens't have enough power to keep itself running.

 

[izackary]

tries to turn over but dies and tries again.

 

[section525]

Yeah. Unless youre running on all cylinders.. that will happen. Get that plug back in, check all your other plugs, and wires and get back on the road. Also, be careful not to cross-thread the plugs while putting them back in.. just start out fiunger tightening them.

 

[izackary]

dude i can't get it back in if the motor threads are stripped! I tried holding it in while my brother cranked it, and still nothing. I'm gonna try a new plug soon.

 

[Robb]

If the threads on the plug are good, and it won't hold in the head, it is time for a heli-coil kit. The fact that it won't start is a kinda moot point, relative to the fact that you have a stripped plug hole.

 

[izackary]

what will a heli-coil kit do for me? i'm almost at the point where i may as well part this ba$t@rd out. I'll get more than i ever would trying to trade it in, and no one would bother buying an explorer that doesn't work. BTW: what is the engine block made of? cast iron or aluminum?

 

[section525]

Its not the block thats the problem. Its just your head. Well, not YOUR head, but the head on your truck. But it's cast iron.

 

[izackary]

Got it....Iron heads. If this requires any kind of engine tear-down, I don't think I have the patience for that.

 

[izackary]

Update: The electrode at the tip of the old plug is very brown, and the 2 prongs of the Bosch Platinum2 by the looks of it have been beaten into the electode insulator, though it's not at all broken. picture to follow....

 

[izackary]

pics:

 

[jared ajlouny]

the threadson the old one looked screwed up

 

[izackary]

well it got blown outta the motor, so yeah they'd be a little wacky

 

[Robb]

come on dude...........................

Does the new plug thread into the head or not?

 

[izackary]

i haven't been home for hours....i just got in and am untirely unmotivated to try it at this hour.

"I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink." -Merle Haggard

 

[section525]

I can guarantee that the plug did not get blown out of the motor. It was probably damaged from dangling by the wire for however long. If it was blown out.. the threads would be bent the other direction. I have a feeling the new plug will easily thread in the hole.

 

[AlaskanJack]

well they do sell a spark plug rethreader and I would suggest the before a heli-coil since that will make the plug hole larger. When we stripped a spark plug hole we got a re thread kit kinda like a heli coil but it had to be epoxied in and that was useless and finally had a mechanic put in a heli-coil.

Had we known about the rethreader we would have tried that first before all the other mess

 

[izackary]

so if it was dangling, how would the electrode prong thingies get pushed into the insulator? You probably can't see it, but the prongs have been struck into the insulator somehow, possibly by a valve or something?

 

[Robb]

The outer electrodes being pushed against the center electrode was caused by a person, or some other physical force outside of the engine.

 

[AlaskanJack]

The outer electrodes being pushed against the center electrode was caused by a person, or some other physical force outside of the engine.

That's what I am saying!!!!