Preferably, yes.

 

complete tune up,nice.... (have to let auto zone know this cap and rotor i just bought and installed will need to be replaced) they know me well in therewhat are good wires to buy for this van? what plugs would be good ?motorcraft cap or something else?coil? do they make heavy duty coils for this van or high performance coils for this van?all info appreciated.here goes another $80 to 100 on this ****bucket!

 

Amen to ColonyPark's comments. Use Motorcraft parts only. These engines also can crossfire when wires are not routed properly. Here is a story that might add some humor...... I once worked on a IH pickup that would start and idle. As soon as you stepped on the gas , it died. Would start right back up...... After pulling my hair out for hours with tinkering, I found the wire ( to the points, what the heck are those?!?!!!!) that came out of the condensor inside the distributor was broken off at the base. When the throttle was depressed, the vacuum advance moved inside the distributor and the wire disconnected, engine died..argh!!!!!!........Good luck, John

 

To answer a couple of your questions. Motorcraft is the best ignition parts for your van. The Motorcraft cap, rotor and wires are made by Standard so they are as good. Use the plugs speced in your owner's manual, not platinum plugs or any other aftermarket type or brand.

The fuel pressure regulator is located on the left rear (driver's side) of the engine. Open the doghouse to gain access. One quick test for it that I came across about a year ago is to remove the vacuum line from the top of it and turn the engine over. If gas squirts out of the vacuum nipple where the line was attached, the diaphragm in the regulator is bad and the regulator must be replaced. Only do this test when the engine is cold, the van is out of your garage and with a rag around the base of the regulator to absorb any gas that may come out. This is not the only thing that you should test regarding the fuel pressure, but if the regulator fails this test, it must be replaced. When the diaphragm goes bad it allows unmetered raw gasoline to be sucked up the vacuum hose and into the engine's intake and at the same time the regulator is no longer functioning to match fuel pressure with demand. This is one of the reasons that I ask for some information from the plugs because if it has this condition the engine will run very rich and that can be noted by the appearance of the plugs.

I try not to just throw parts at a car and hope something sticks because of the expense of that approach but there is nothing wrong with replacing normal service parts that are overdue for replacement to establish a base line. I wouldn't put the fuel pressure regulator in that category. It is easily tested by the above method as well as by putting a fuel pressure test gauge on the schrader valve on the fuel rail. This is also on the driver's side and best accessed from the rear with the doghouse open. It will be the valve that looks like a air valve on a tire and will have a plastic cap on it. It's about half way forward on the engine. A test gauge can be had fairly reasonably from AutoZone.

If you have time to wait for shipment you can buy all of your OEM Motorcraft parts and many other brands as well from Rockauto online.

Gene

 

I agree that Motorcraft parts are excellent and will work like they're supposed to. I also know that they're more expensive and harder to get. May I suggest Autolite? They're premium quality, and usually in stock at most places. I know that Advance almost always has the Autolite wires that I've used in stock. I've NEVER had a problem with any Autolite ignition part.

Also, while AutoZone is not a bad place to shop necessarily, RUN from their ignition products. This pretty much goes for any store branded ignition products, especially plug wires.

 

hi everyone,update pulled all the plugs off of engine and they all seemed to be oil fouled??they are autolite 25.they were replace about 1 year ago..also when i took the wires off the engine on the passenger side front of engine it seemed to me that wire was not even connected to plug??all the others had given me a time to take off but this 1 seemed to slip off like it wasent even connected>?also i found when i took the battery off to look in this area i found 2 hoses that go to a can of some sort that have smaill pin sizeholes in the hoses.they run to the back of engine near the coil and plug into some kinda connection.i am going to change the plugs with the same auto lite plugs but get better wires autolite.i will also ask parts dept for vacum hose to repair hoses that go into that can.i will send pics of plugs a little later on how they all looked.also when i took plugs out a a few of them were out of range of gap,some were at 42 a few @ 40 and a few more @ 46??? maybe this can help in which direction i am going to look for??? all help is very much still appreciated>have a great day all now time to go shop!!

 

Seems we've found some problems! Excellent. The fouled plugs indicate inconsistent firing, which is what I expected. PLEASE replace the cap and rotor again too. I know it's another $20, but it's better than not doing it and then having to replace the wires twice.

The vacuum leaks are NOT uncommon. You definitely need to fix that too.

 

You say they looked oil fouled? How many miles are on this engine? Were they black and wet and did they smell like gas when you took them out or were they actually oily?

Did you ever mention if your check engine light is on or not? If it is running very rich you will normally set a code for left bank out of range, rich. That is indicating that the O2 sensor (just one in your case, but the computer recognizes it as the left bank) has detected too rich of a mixture in the exhaust stream and is trying to correct it but it is so far out that it is beyond the range of adjustment. If that is the case be sure to check the fuel pressure regulator.

Gene

 

the plugs came out a lil wet and black around the treads.no gas smell on any of them.this van has 109 k miles.the emissions light comes on when i start the van and disseapears soon after it is running.i have today replaced the plugs autolite 25 gapped at .044 and also installed a coil.also replaced vacuem line near battery where it coes into a can with 2 vac lines there.when taking out plugs 7 of the 8 were a lil tight to get out ,1 of them on the passenger side of van in the front of van the 2nd 1 seemed that it was not plugged into spark plug as it came out really easy.(im wondering if this plug wire was barely making contact to the spark plug tip,which would create my runningl like crap??maybe @ times it gave spark and sometimes no spark?) just a thought .i will tomorrow replace cap rotor and spark plug wires,and try to fire it up.i will keep you all posted and please keep in touch as i could not have done this with out all of your help.

 

Be sure to check the fuel pressure regulator while your in the doghouse.

Gene

 

where is that located gene? how can i test it ? all info is appreciated.with a new fuel filter and fuel pump why would it need to be tested if van starts up all the time ,and when i give it gas it seems to hold the gas im giving it?????

 

Back of the driver's side valve cover on the fuel rail. Two bolts hold it in and it has a vacuum line on it. At a minamum remove the vacuum line and turn engine over for about 5 seconds and watch for gas comming out of the nipple where the vacuum line was. If so, replace the regulator.

If you have a fuel pressure test gauge there is a schrader valve on the fuel rail, left side about midway foeward from the rear of the engine. Install the gauge there and crnk engine. My best recallection is the spec is around 38 to 40 PSI. If not, could be regulator, pump, debris, transfer valve etc. Check your repair manual for the exact spec but that number is close enough for government work.

Gene

 

ok i will run this test on the fuel regulator when i install wires in van.also i was just reading about vehicle speed sensor,as my spedo goes crazy in early morning,but when van warmed up its working ok>? any thoughts on this or ideas? does speed sensor control iac,.?????????if speed sensor is bad would it cause the symptoms im having with low speed stalling and tranny shifting eratic??? also missing at certain times but not all the time??????

 

Your speedometer is not controled by VSS. It's controled the old fashioned way, by a speedometer cable. It's not unusual for them to get jumpy when they're old. You can take the inner cable out of the shield and lube it. That often fixes the problem.

 

Cool mom, it sounds like your thorttle position sensor may be out of range. you said you found a plug wire that was loose (not attatched) that will definately cause those symptoms.