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Shocker, I know. But a lot of the SP-509 eBay plugs for the 4.6 5.4 3v are fake non-platinum knock-offs. This should come as no surprise but the sales numbers show that a lot of people are buying them. One seller had 447 sets of eight sold. I picked up a set for $32 to compare them to the ones from the dealer that cost $76.
The blue printing on the plug was darker and actually looked better. The stamped lettering on the metal part was less deep but looked more precise and also looked better. The problem was at the tip. The center electrode is does not have a color change or different looking metal at the very tip so probably no platinum. The side electrode is made out of the same zinc coated metal as the body and also does not have the platinum tip. The gap was at .059. The dealer plugs were .041 and had a stainless steel looking side electrode. They also had both platinum tips visible. The eBay ones had older, bigger, boxes from 2011.
Anyway, just trying to stop people from buying these crap plugs. You would be better off leaving the old ones in. The gap is too big and will just continue to open up. My old plugs with 135,000 miles were at .055-.059 with one at .065 (rear-most cylinder on the passenger side).
Dealer plug and box is on the left.
The 4 pack box UPC was the same as the right box single plug.
I tried to leave a review on eBay but is has not shown up yet.
A lot has changed in spark plugs over the last eight years. Almost everything has gone to a more "fine wire" design, and visually the neural plugs seem to have a narrower tip that is welded on than the older platinum plugs. The ground strap electrode is only platinum if the plug is "double platinum", which these aren't. Otherwise you only get a platinum center electrode and plated copper ground strap. The gap seems high, but plugs are generally supposed be gapped with the exception of fine wire iridiums which can be damaged by doing so.
I like the detailed photos, and you point out some things worth looking into, but I'm not sure you got ripped off here. Dealers liquidate old stock all the time, so that they reseller may simply purchased a lot of old-stock parts.
Having to gap plugs for a specific engine is normal.
If too big, close it up.
Too small, make it larger.
Plugs have been this way for 100 years. I went on a spark plug changing spree a few months ago, put new plugs into about 80 engines, had to regap most of them from out of the box.
Having to gap plugs for a specific engine is normal.
If too big, close it up.
Too small, make it larger.
Plugs have been this way for 100 years. I went on a spark plug changing spree a few months ago, put new plugs into about 80 engines, had to regap most of them from out of the box.
Sure but not true for multi-tip (which the newer and/or revised MC plugs are) or iridium where a gap gauge WILL fit but you risk damaging the extremely fine electrode.
Increasingly on newer vehicles plugs need to come properly gapped, and IME if you purchase OEM like Motorcraft for your application even those that CAN be adjusted by the consumer are already correct 7 out of 8. Gaps being all over the place would also make me *suspect* counterfeits
I had had to replace the hood struts in my ‘03 last week and the choice was between $6 a pop Chinese junk on EBay or $30 a pop at O’Reillys. I seriously can’t imagine chancing plugs after trying out some Chinese center caps from a local seller last year that didn’t come with the spring fingers to hold the cap on over the lug nuts.
I had had to replace the hood struts in my ‘03 last week and the choice was between $6 a pop Chinese junk on EBay or $30 a pop at O’Reillys. I seriously can’t imagine chancing plugs after trying out some Chinese center caps from a local seller last year that didn’t come with the spring fingers to hold the cap on over the lug nuts.
That's cool, you paid an $11 insurance premium to O'Reilly for their "LT warranty."
That's actually not bad compared to things like alternators and water pumps where they double or triple the price to hedge their bets.
It's your money, you have the right to spend it as you choose!
Yeah I'd be careful, lots of fake stuff on ebay mixed in with real items. I avoid all that by purchasing my OEM spark plugs on https://www.fordpartsprime.com/ . I have a busy work schedule so buying online is a big convenience for me.
Last edited by FordCommander; 02-18-2020 at 01:36 PM.
Reason: revision
There are a lot of great eBay sellers out there, and I still don't think the OP's plugs were counterfeit. A Motorcraft plug from that long ago is goinh to look a little different than one made eight years later.
RockAuto isprobably my favorite, though, with Amazon a close second. You have to be careful with what you find on Amazon, though, as third-party resellers are very common. Which is fine in most cases, but not necessarily any better than a third-party seller on eBay either.
There are a lot of great eBay sellers out there, and I still don't think the OP's plugs were counterfeit. A Motorcraft plug from that long ago is goinh to look a little different than one made eight years later.
RockAuto isprobably my favorite, though, with Amazon a close second. You have to be careful with what you find on Amazon, though, as third-party resellers are very common. Which is fine in most cases, but not necessarily any better than a third-party seller on eBay either.
Absolutely agreed! And fraud was rampant on Amazon just 1 to 2 years ago with fake sellers listing EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine and then simply never sending anything out. Some were hacked accounts, but some were new accounts with zero feedback. It seems Amazon has largely gotten that under control as I haven't seen it recently, where as in its prime I was seeing it on nearly everything -- and I mean seemingly random stuff like a Magic Heat heat exchanger for wood stove flues. The seller would list an unbelievable price but they were just hoping you'd never notice when you didn't receive it.
Looking at 3rd party fb on Amazon is just as important as on ebay. There's some good third parties. Sometimes you gotta be willing to do a little legwork - many hacked accounts haven't listed anything for months or years, then suddenly they come alive with hundreds of items at too-good-to-be-true prices. You can get a feel for a dormant account by looking at the last time feedback was left, and of course if a seller used to only focus on, say, home goods and suddenly they're listing everything from industrial tools to cosmetics, that should raise an eyebrow.
The good news with Amazon is that like PP they'll make you whole no matter what, often much faster than PP ever will............and if you go about it right you can probably even get additional Amazon credit/gift card or months added to a Prime membership. Furthermore my charity gets .5% of all my Amazon Smile purchases, and that adds up.
But yeah, it sucks that we've gotta do this or that we have to be suspicious at all..........although there's reason "caveat emptor" came about when Latin was still a thing.....as long as there are people buying there will be people scamming. OTOH plenty of honest sellers have to deal with dishonest customers who claim an item was never received, broken upon receipt, etc
Overall I've saved tens of thousands in online purchases with very few bad experiences. You can further protect yourself with payment methods like Amex that'll likely stand behind you on your word alone if all else fails, but that should be an absolute last resort.
Ford verified that the plugs were fakes. They also stated that none of their newer platinum plugs should have to be gapped.
New video about it on YouTube:
Here to confirm Fake plugs all over Amazon and eBay
These SP509's were purchased from Servimac a third-party Amazon seller in November 2019. I should've investigated these forums which I've found invaluable multiple times over the years.
11-27-2018, 09:14 AM
Here to confirm Fake plugs all over Amazon and eBay
