Uh yeah, does anyone know if there are any long term side effects from running colder plugs, such as carbon buildup? I've been running cold plugs since my nitrous racing days but aren't running the nitrous anymore. The cold plugs are still in there though. Could they be causing excessive carbon buildup or anything of that nature. If I pull a plug, they look perfect.

Tom

 

Not that I know of...but I'm not the best with spark plug questions.

 

ok, here is the strange part.

The colder plugs are installed when running nitrous to keep your motor from detonating due to an extremely lean situation.

Today, I removed my cold plugs. They were soaking wet with dark thick sludge all the way past the threads. You can check a picture out here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=58061&width=0

I installed new Motorcraft platinum plugs gapped at .052. As I suspected, now the motor detonates even worse than before i took out the cold plugs. Hence the cold plugs purpose.

So, that would lead me to believe that my truck IS running in extremely lean. I haven't ran nitrous through it in along time and that kit has been removed.

However, If in fact, I am running extremely lean, enough to cause serious detonation above 3500 rpms, why were the colder plugs drenched in oily sludge, which would lead anyone to believe that I was running extremely rich. However, If i was running rich, then i wouldn't be detonating and it wouldn't of made it worse by switching back to the hotter plugs.

So, what the heck is goin' on with my truck?????

My truck has 17K miles on it and is now returned completely back to stock except for the diablo chip, airaid and flowmaster. If I turn off the chip, the problem is not as bad but still there. So, I don't think it's my chip that got fried after I blew my coil pack.

What else would cause my plugs to be oily, but at the same time have my motor running so lean that it detonates. Oily plugs and a lean detonation situation does not make sense. If I'm running THAT lean, how can my plugs be coated with oily sludge?

Yet, still NO CODE!!! Man, it's gotta be my PCM all screwed up. It had to of gotten fried during the blowing of my coil pack from the open arcing of my plug wires that had fallen off.

I'm stumped.

 

I always thought you were American? wierd...

Well, I would love to have the glorious answer to your problem, but I too am stumped...though I'm American too. Gawd, I think I just confused even more!

 

Actually, I've taken my truck for a really long test drive today, several hundred miles. And it's getting better.

I think that running the colder plugs was not burning off all the carbon and fuel properly and that sludge buildup resulted in the smaller/cooler spark. My gas mileage has improved and am able to run a steady 85 mph on the highway. I think...possibly...that a few dozen more cans of expenive engine cleaner might very well clear this whole problem up all together. I have my fingers (and legs) crossed

And I'm Italian, not American. I was born here but my parents were born in Italy.

Tom

 

Ahh.... But can you cook Fetuccini Chicken Alfredo! We shall see!!

On the other hand, if that clears up the problem...who knew huh?

 

Dude, That is the ONLY thing it can be outside my PCM being shot. Hotspots inside my combustion chamber which ignite the fuel before the spark at high rpms due to the excessive heat generated at those rpms. It's gotta be it. Especially with all the carbon buildup on my cold plugs, there MUST be an equal amount of carbon built up on everything else inside there right? I gotta go with this for now anyway, gives me a sense of hope

 

I concur in accordance with the prophesy...

For the first time in a while I know it can't be the voltage regulator!

 

dude, i ruled that out along time ago right along with the burning grasshoppers

 

I think you are exactly right. I run stock heat range plugs,and 87 octane gas. I occasionally get a little pinging at a part throttle cruise. Changing to colder plugs has helped in the past, but the trade-off, is not burning up all the carbon. As for yur plugs being sludged, I'm stumped also. Detonation can be caused by hot spots, increased spark timing, or an increase in compression. Too much buildup can actually increase compression, which could either call for a cleaning, or a jump in octane.What octane are you running?

 

93 with a chip programmed to run on that octane. So the a/f ratio is already leaned and the timing already advance. I've been running cans of expensive engine cleaners through my gas tank and it's seems to be getting better. last night I had my truck up to 90mph on the highway...that's the fastest it's went in a long time. So i think the solvents are working.

 

noticed in your gallery that your plugwires are blue, what brand? Taylor SpiroPro wires are what caused my problem in the first place. The popped off my coil pack while driving and arced all over like crazy until the blew my coil pack up and left me stranded. It's after that moment that all these pinging problems began. Make sure those suckers are on there tight!!!!

 

Nah, those wires were JBA. They looked really good,and ran great.The only problem, was that the "clips" inside the boots that click on the plugs, fit so tightly, that you would pull about half the ends off of them when you change plugs. I got tired of splicing the ends back on when I would change plugs.

I would say that if you turn your chip off, and try to wean your truck back to 87, with little to no detonation, then you may be ok. Have you considered a borescope, to look inside your chambers, and see the buildup.

 

If I turn the chip off and run 93, it still detonates, although not as badly.

I've thought about looking inside my cylinders but I already know what I'm going to find...oxydized carbon buildup, question is how do I get rid of it other than running can after can of expensive cleaner through it. Tried the SeaFoam...didn't help one bit. I think that treatment is not lengthy enough. It's actually starting to drive really well and the detonation is getting less and less and the power is returning with each fresh can of solvent I pump through my tank. I think it's just a matter of time before everything is back to normal. I'll tell you what though, I learned a good lesson. I won't use anything else other than Motorcraft plugs and wires from here on out.

Tom

 

Tom, could the sludge have come from the Seafoam treatment you just did? Your first post in this thread mentioned how clean your colder plugs were when you pulled them???????