tune up opinions?

[warchild]

just need some opinions on what plugs, fuel filter and pvc valve to use. i usually stick with OE stuff,but i know theres better stuff out there.

 

[crash594]

Stick with OEM. Most will agree. The only thing I have that is not OEM is a KN air filter

 

[aldive]

For plugs go with Motorcraft.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

For plugs go with Motorcraft.

Or Autolite...Same thing.

There's a lot of junk out there in the automotive aftermarket. Your best choice is going to be OEM or a very comparable equivalent. Avoid anything that brags that it's going to give you more power, better MPG, etc. It won't. Some examples are Bosch Platinum spark plugs, any type of "spiral" or "ferro core" or other fancy label on a set of plug wires. The OEM Motorcraft wires are fantastic, and hard to beat. They're also priced competitively to the decent aftermarket brands. The only aftermarket brands of wires I'd trust are the Carquest premium line, made by Prestolite, and NAPA's Belden Max line. The rest are mostly garbage.
One brand of performance wire that I really like is Magnecor, but they're ridiculously priced. A set of the Magnecor KV-85 race wires is $147.00 for a Gen III 4.0 SOHC! They're also gross overkill for daily use. If one was running a hotter coil then they'd be the only thing I'd recommend, but again, a hotter coil for street use is also a waste of time. Save the ignition upgrades till they're needed, like when forced induction or nitrous is added.

As far as PCV valves, etc. goes...Again your best bet is OEM parts. Lots of the aftermarket parts such as these will fit, but not necessarily match. I ran into this with PCV valves on the GM 3800 V6 engines...I tried a Purolator PCV valve in one, and it idled rough, and I saw my fuel trims jumping around all over the place when I scanned it. Something that seemingly simple would make or break one of those engines. That lesson learned, I rarely buy aftermarket PCVs for any late-model vehicle I work on.
Edit: I don't think you can even get an aftermarket PCV valve for the late-model 4.0 SOHC engines. Interestingly, there's an electrical connector attatched to them! I searched everywhere, and although it mentions the electrical connector in Mitchell OnDemand, it fails to say what it's there for. (Anyone? Anyone?) It does mention that any time the valve is removed it must be replaced.

I haven't found a whole lot of difference in fuel filters, but I avoid Fram filters in general. The quality of their oil filters makes me question the quality of the rest of their products. I'd go with a Wix, Hastings, or genuine Motorcraft filter if it were my vehicle. I've got a Wix (Carquest) fuel filter in mine and it's fine. Matched OEM perfectly.

 

[warchild]

sweet

thanks allot guys.

this Question is off the topic. My explorer being a "flex fuel" vehicle, can you just put the E85 in and go or is there other things you have to do?

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Just fuel and go. Make sure you put in at least 5 gallons of fuel when you do. The system checks what type of fuel is being used immediately after a re-fuel. If you have the message center, you can see when this takes place if you have it on Distance To Empty mode. The display will read "---" for a short period of time as the vehicle determines the type of fuel being used.

Don't expect to get the greatest MPG on your first tank of a new fuel...It takes a while for the system to fine-tune what fuel you're using. Run a few tankfuls of one fuel before checking your MPG. This goes both ways, from gasoline to E85, and vice versa.

 

[warchild]

..

Ok, so do i need to almost empty the tank of gas before i add the E85? which one is better(gas or e85)?

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Ok, so do i need to almost empty the tank of gas before i add the E85? which one is better(gas or e85)?

There's no need to empty the tank before refueling. The system is able to run on any percentage of ethanol from 0% to 85%, hence the term "flexible".

As for which one's better...That's a topic of heated debate. Each one has its pros and cons. I for one use E85 almost exclusively, because it's a dollar a gallon cheaper than gasoline here, it's convienient to obtain, and it runs nicely. I do lose some MPG running it, typically about 2-3 MPG less than what it gets on gasoline.
Here's a handy calculator that will help you determine which fuel is going to be the most cost-effective.
http://e85prices.com/milesperdollar.htm

My agenda reaches beyond simple cost savings though...I also run it because it burns cleaner so my oil and other internals are staying cleaner, it makes more power than gasoline (E85 is typically 100-105 octane), and it produces less emissions than gasoline. It's also a domestically produced renewable fuel. I'd much rather support local farmers than rich oil shieks. Cost savings is my primary objective though...Saving $20 on each tankful does add up. Whether I'm looking at the big picture or not doesn't really concern me...I can think of a lot of things I could buy with that extra $20 rather than dumping it in the gas tank. A nice dinner, a case of beer, etc. Money saved is money saved.

My dad wouldn't care if E85 cost more than gasoline...He'd still run it. Mostly for the reasons I touched on above...He'd rather support the local farmers than overseas oil tycoons.

Some anti-ethanol people will try to convince you that running E85 is the reason why your food prices are going up, and that you're using food to fuel your vehicle rather than feed starving people. Well, the thing they fail to see is the fact that only 1% of all ethanol produced ends up being sold as E85. The other 99% is used as an oxygenate additive in gasoline. Since MTBE was outlawed as an oxygenate, almost all gasoline now contains "up to 10% ethanol", whether it's required to be advertised on the pump or not.

You're going to have to ask yourself what are the primary reasons why you want to use it, and then figure out if it's going to work out for you.

The only real "pro" I can think of with gasoline is a bit better MPG. For me that's still a moot point as it costs more to fill it, and costs more per mile to run it.

 

[aldive]

Call me old school .... I take my corn "on the cob".

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Call me old school .... I take my corn "on the cob".

Ok...Old school. :
I do agree with you on that one...It's pretty good that way too.

Roasted atop a charcoal grille with melted butter...Yummy!

 

[warchild]

wow

that was really informative i agree with the reasons aswell. I've never noticed any gas stations around here selling e85??, i guess i never really looked tho.

I do love corn on the cob, its getting warmer out and its awsome at cookouts

 

[JohnJ]

Or Autolite...Same thing.
Edit: I don't think you can even get an aftermarket PCV valve for the late-model 4.0 SOHC engines. Interestingly, there's an electrical connector attatched to them! I searched everywhere, and although it mentions the electrical connector in Mitchell OnDemand, it fails to say what it's there for. (Anyone? Anyone?) It does mention that any time the valve is removed it must be replaced.

It's probably for a heater. Ford uses a lot of heated PCV valves. Some of them are electrically heated and others have a little pipe through which coolant flows.

 

[dhays]

that was really informative i agree with the reasons aswell. I've never noticed any gas stations around here selling e85??, i guess i never really looked tho.

That may be due to the economics. By the time you ship the corn to a distiller, then ship that the ethanol to a refinery, then ship the E85 to a station near you, it would actually burn more dino fuel than it would save. E85 only makes economic (and environmental, political, social) sense if it is consumed near where it is produced. IMO of course.

 

[tower]

There are no oil wells near me but plenty of gas stations.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

that was really informative i agree with the reasons aswell. I've never noticed any gas stations around here selling e85??, i guess i never really looked tho.

Check www.e85refueling.com for a list of stations in your area.

 

[crash594]

No stations with in 200 miles of me. What a crock

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Bummer...They're building more and more every year though.