I'll probably get hammed for this but here goes; chingao,the manual says that our 4.2s are made to run on 87 octane."unless you have a chip". If you start running super unleaded you are going to be masking the problem your motor is trying to tell you.And,most likely what is happening in your motor is from carbon buildup.

Now,about the plugs; if it were mine ide use Motorcraft. Our 4.2s dont like Autolites.I learned this the hard way.I tried saving a few dollars and installed some Autolites; my motor shook so bad I thought I was gonna lose my teeth! Autolites and Motorcraft are both made by Allied-Signal,which is owned by Honeywell. I emailed Allied-Signal and they told me Motorcraft plugs are made to Ford specifications and Autolites are not.In short,use what came in your truck,Motorcraft.And check into getting the carbon cleaned from your motor.Look around in the forums,I along with others have posts on how to do this.Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I've been running the autolites for quite some time now and they are a direct replacement for the motorcraft. My suggestion is this....Never ask Ford techs anything because they are fumbling/bumbing idiots. The most stupid bunch of guys I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. I never listen to any of them becuase they are ALWAYS wrong and have almost caused near death to my truck on many occassions from making the mistake of listening to them. They are idiots and they should all be fired and forced to live out of boxes on the side of the road.

Go to your search engine and type in Autolite 764 and you'll find hundreds of mustangs that are using this plug for racing.

NEVER LISTEN TO ANYTHING FORD TELLS YOU.

Autolites work great. You can also use NGK TR6's

Tom

 

Busa,if you are so hell bent on Ford then why are you driving one? Never listen to Ford? You think the guys who made your truck are idiots too? Or just a few are and some are not? I agree with you somewhat about Ford techs; there are some idiot ones out there.But,ive found a Ford dealership I can trust; Gator Ford.

About the Autolites; you look around the forums and other truck sites and see who is running more Motorcraft then Autolites. I know they are ***** because I tried them and my truck ran like ***** with them! Just because Mustang owners use them means they are good? I guess i'm missing something here! Oh,wait; racing! I see the point; if we want to race our trucks we need these plugs?

Oh,chingao,throw your Ford manual away,you dont need it! "NEVER LISTEN TO ANYTHING FORD TELLS YOU".

 

Blue,

Forgive me if I came accross anti-Fordish. I love Ford. I love my truck. I would buy no other, ok?

You may have found a dealer that hires knowledgeable tech people, but I have not. I have heard of Gator Ford.

I have only a few Ford dealers in my area, and the tech guys are idiots. This says nothing about Ford, as far as a manufacturer goes, this has to do with the owner/manager of the Ford dealer and who he hires to work at his dealership. This has nothing to do with Ford.

I have so many stories that I can tell you were the tech guys at my local dealer almost screwed me up. For instance, when I decided to run Nitrous in my truck, it is extremely important that you do NOT have platinum plugs in your vehicle.

Upon completion of the install of the nitrous kit, I called my local Ford dealer and asked the head tech guy if my truck came stock with platinum plugs....he told me NO, that they were copper plugs.

So, I went to the track for 3 weeks and blew nitrous the whole time. Then, upon the installation of the Autolites, 2 steps colder to help with detonation, I pulled the stock plugs out and right on the plug it said "Motorcraft Platinum". so I called the tech guy up and he said "Oh yeah, your right, sorry".

I could have seriously blown my motor because of his stupid mistake.

Also, when you purchase Autolite 764's, you have to gap them yourself. If you pop them in the way they are, your truck will not run. They are gaped way too big. You need to reduce the gap to .035.

My truck runs excellent, with or without nitrous, with these plugs.

and YES, you NEED to run 2 step colder plugs with a reduced gap when your racing with nitrous.

You have other plugs to choose from other than Autolites, if you don't like them.

All three of these plugs are designed to run 2 steps colder.

Autolite 764
Motorcraft AWSF-32C
NGK TR6

Pick whichever you like, but you won't find a difference in performance. I race my truck at Moroso every weekend and have run many different plugs over the years and I know that you can run any one of the above 3 and find the exact same 1/4 mile results, as long as you gap them properly. They are NOT pre-gapped from the factory at .035

Tom

 

I was running 32Cs but having to change them at 20k miles dont thrill me anymore. As far as your Ford dealer horror stories,I can relate to that.Thats why I have settled with Gator Ford. They actually seem to care about the customer.Anyway,I didnt mean to sound so sarcastic but ive done alot of research on Autolite plugs and I myself think they are trash.When I use to race and build small block Chevys I ran just regular Bosch plugs,at .99 cents a piece.AC Delcos were ok,but the Boschs just seem to run better.Anyway,to each his own.

Happy motoring!

 

Well,

Problem is that it's hard to find a company that knows which plug to use as a 2 step colder plug. I went with Autolite's, not because they are my " Favorite " plug or anything, but because when I called Autolite and told them I wanted a 2 step colder plug for running nitrous, they knew what I was talking about and was able to give me the plug part number and gap.

I called motorcraft, AND I asked the Ford tech guys and neither one knew what I was talking about. They just kept telling me that I need to run the plug that listed in my manual. I found out about the 32C's from another guy later on.

The NGK's came recommended from Nitrous Express themselves. So when it comes time to change out the Autolites (yes, probably in 20k miles because they are colder plugs and will foul out quicker than normal plugs, price you pay for running nitrous, I have no choice) I will probably go with the NGK's.

No, Boch is a thought. However, If I call them on the phone and tell them that I need a 2 step colder plug for my truck, will they know what I'm talking about and will they be able to recommend a part number, and will they be WILLING to do so due to liability reasons???? That's the problem.

I am not an Autolite lover by any means, I'm simply stating that in MY case, they perform excellently gaped at .035

I was thinking about trying a .034 or .033 gap on them, and run it 1/4 mile, just to see if small changes in gap make differences in 1/4 times, just out of curiousity.

Tom

 

At what miles should I change my stock plugs? I will hit 40k i the next few days.....DANG still need to change my oil?

 

Service manual says 100k, but I'd change them at 50k. It's a real simple job cause there's so much room in the engine compartment to move around in. Only takes me about 30 minutes tops.

 

Good, can you make it up here in march?

 

Sure, is there anything cool to do in your hood?

 

No I think I am gonna try and save up for exterior mods right now.....Crager SSs, hard cover for the bed, a body kit I saw that was nice, (need customwork to get it short enough) and a slight drop. Maybe I can at least get one or two things done? of course I still need to fix my door. Of course when I get the Cragers, I can always sell whatI have and purchase an intake and chip? man I need about 30k for all three of my vehicles.

 

You should drop 30K per vehicle I have unloaded roughly 4K into mine already.


Garrett

PS I have a body kit email for an extended cab, I think. I will emeail it to you..looks sweet

 

yeah, about 4k or more into mine too

 

Well, the kit I was lookin at wa for an extended cab, but I have a shop, same one that is fixin my door, that will put the kit onto my R/C, with needed mods of course, and paint for 600-800 bucks.....

 

Ok, I see I've been cut from this conversation. I'll leave you two guys alone and check out another thread.