I had a code miss-fire Cylinder 5, after going thru a really big puddle. The Haynes manual says this is the Front left cylinder ( Drivers side, towards bumper) Is this correct? I changed that plug and it looked good. Still have the stumbling, with no codes. I noticed the coil pack spring is loose on the plug, the boot is tight, is this okay? Coil pack knocked me for a loop when I tried to test it with a Fluke Hi-voltage tester. Also where can I get Motorcraft plugs, besides the dealer at $8.27 each.

 

AutoZone should have the plugs. Blow out the pocket with air to make sure that there is no moisture in there, Also do the boot. Then put some dielectric grease on the end of the boot to help seal the boot to the plug and eliminate arcing. That should fix it.

 

I'll bet getting hit by that coil was no fun at all.

 

I checked Carquest, NAPA, Advance, Auto Zone, Walmart, and none of them have the Motorcraft plugs. I found out the number one plug was also miss firing even though OBD didn't indicate this. Cleaned up the, spark plug well, boot, and spring. I checked the plug and its good. Put dielectric grease on the boot and the problem went away. I picked up four new boots and springs this evening from NAPA, and will replace the forward boots. Any ideas on how to make the boot more water proof? Still havn't figured out how I got zapped, my probe is good for 40,000 volts. Will get it tested next week by the electric company.

 

How were you testing it?

I purchased Autolite Double Platinum for my truck. Good for 70k so far. The old motorcraft only lasted 50k.

 

most of the time when you develop a misfire condition after a watering it is the coil, not the plug. i carry a spare coil/boot for when it happens. let it sit and dry for 2-4 days, and it is good to use again, and becomes the spare for the next time it happens. to check to see if it is truly the coil just being wet, swap it for another cylinder. if it is the coil, the misfire will move to the other cylinder. .i have done this 4-5 times on the 4.6 in the crown vic so far.

 

Just a little info from the V10 forum's. I was also having trouble locating Motorcraft plugs and was given info from numerous sources that the Motorcraft and Autolite plugs come out of the same manufacturing plant. Just different boxes. My Autolite's are working great in my 6.8L. Also use dielectric grease where the spring contacts the coil pack and also where the spring contacts the plug. This won't make it water"proof" but it will help fight off moisture. Good luck

 

I was told the same thing about Autolite's, so I have always used them. Double Platinum ONLY, not regular Platinum, but DOUBLE Platinum or you'll be sorry!

 

Good catch, 99Expy, you definitely want the double platinums!!

 

While Autolite does manufacture the Motorcrafts for Ford, they are made to Fords specifications.

Autolite will only claim that their branded product "meets or exceeds" OEM specs. They will not claim that they are identical.

A bit of semantics, perhaps, but enough so that no one should claim that they are the same plug.


The new standard for Motorcraft plug replacements is the newer "fine-wire" plug. It is a single platinum design that makes the double platinum unneeded. The older style double plats are readily available and do perform well. They are still a good choice for those who prefer them although they will not benefit from the fine-wire's improved operating characteristics.

Steve

 

ProjectSHO, I have seen you answer many questions and be dead on accurate. I have no reason to disbelieve what you are telling us. You seem to know what you are talking about. I did come across this however:

The Autolite team manufactures Autolite® branded spark plugs and ignition wire sets, and provides plugs to leading Original Equipment Manufacturers like Ford Motor Company and General Motors.

Now I know that just because its on the internet, doesn't make it true, but I tend to believe that Ford must get their plugs from somewhere, so if it isn't Autolite, who would it be?

 

Thanks fo noticing. I try to provide factual information. While I will occasionally miss something, I do try to research my answers before posting them. If I'm providing opinion or commentary, I try to make certain that this is known.

I invite you to re-read my very first sentence of my previous post. In it, I believe I made clear the origin of Ford's spark plugs as being manufactured for Ford by Autolite to Ford's specifications.


Regards,

Steve

 

Are you sure that you didn't edit that first line after the fact? I've obviously overlooked another one.

Not to argue with you, but my thoughts are that Ford found a way to make it so that the plugs ARE NOT identical, simply because of the way they do the Motorcraft branded platinum plug, whereas Autolite just did the double platinum and killed 2 birds with one stone per say. Do you think that Autolite would actually change all of their equipment just to run their own specification which "meets or exceeds OEM"? My opinion is nope, they do it the cheapest way out, and that is simply by changing the material to make the double platinum. Nearly identical plug, except that they are double plats. That is my guess and opinion!

I look forward to reading more of your wisdom, I come across your name a lot on the forums, and I think you usually hit the nail on the head in the first swing.

Thanks.

 

I put the Autolites and Motorcraft plugs under the big magnafier at work and couldn't tell the difference, other the the color bands on the insulator. Also Fram and Autolite are Honeywell companies now, wonder if peoples opinion on Fram and Autolite is based on when they weren't Honeywell?

 

Fram makes good filters, it's just that their anti-drainback valve in the Ford oil filters isn't as good as the Motorcraft ones. This can cause oil starvation on cold start-ups and that's where most engine wear comes from.