i just bought a 92 ranger and it has the 4 cylinder engine in it. my question is, why all the spark plugs, and what do they all do? they arent special in any way are they? i need to replace them because the engine cranks over a bit too much before firing up and i pulled one out and it definatley looks worn. thanks.

 

what? if i'm reading this right you, ?have too many plugs?. there are four, one for each cylinder. if you get more than that, put the fuel injectors back in, because that is what you likely pulled. each sparkplug in the cylinder strats the combustion process. if it were a deisel it wouldn't need these. they create enough pressure to burn the fuel without a plug. you need to replace them all, so your cylinders all fire the same.

i think this answers what your asking.

 

Does your engine have 8 plugs or four? My '93 four banger has 8, i wonder if that is what you are asking. I guess with the technology of the early 90s to get a more complete combustion reaction and fully burn the fuel they had two sparks per cylinder in some engines.

 

they put four extra in? hum. well now i see what he's asking, and not that he doesn't understand how an engines works lol.

 

Yeah there are 8 plugs in some of the four bangers, really does make for a complete burning and efficient engine.

Though it creates some fiasco when it's time to change them!

RP
Zach

 

The first time I saw a dual-plug per cylinder engine was in the seventies - it isn't a new idea. Datsun overhead cam 1600 to 2000 cc engines switched to what was called a "NAPS-Z" engine with the dual plug idea, otherwise they were the same. NISSAN held onto the arrangement in later models, but I was suprised to see it turn up on the ford 2.3 engines. Usually japan robs our ideas, not vice-versa...

Oh, pardon me. They don't rob technology - they simply place patents for our ideas in moratorium for 8 years while they build our products under license. meanwhile of course they incorporate everything they see into their own designs since none of it is patented in their country... (in case you wondered how THAT worked)

The idea is based on promoting more complete combustion by lighting the flame front in the upper chamber in 2 vice only one place, thus theoretically igniting twice as much air/fuel charge in the same amount of time. Flame travel then procedes outward across the upper chamber and piston top in the usual way.

The method was originally driven mostly from emissions considerations, but obviously it has fringe benefits. Faster, more complete burning must obviously be more efficient, produce increased combustion pressures, and therefore realise more horsepower both from a per-gallon viewpoint and in terms of overall torque at the crank journal. The additional plug also makes it more likely you'll have ignition even if one of the plugs is fouled - so then reliability is another factor.

It is more costly and complicated, but there is a trade off in benefits.

 

thanks Greywolf for that explanation. im suprised how many people thought i was insane when i asked this question, i was thinking it was going to be fairly common. so because there is no distributor, per say, what is it that sends the spark out? and how does it know when to send the spark out? im not going to, but how would you advance or retard the timing on this engine? thanks again

 

they must have continued the 8 plugs in 4 cylinders because my cousin has a 97 with the same deal. strange

 

What I see, the more I look into my 89/90 Ranger is an ECM (Engine Control Module) that uses input triggers from a crankshaft position sensor located next to the vibration damper and lower front pulley. -In other words, computer.

This means that there may be a chip available, either programmable or replaceable with one burned with a performance program. It is possible to make a bracket to move the sensor a few degrees, but why bother?

A lot more can be done with a chip than by physically tinkering with the setup.

Either way though - I don't see modifying a 2.3 without going right off the deep end into Cosworth territory...

 

This isn't an old idea from '70's Japan, it's an old idea from American cars back in the teens and 1920's. IIRC, Nash was one make that used multiple spark plugs per hole.

There's nothing new under the sun.

--van

 

Also, the dual plug head serves as a ground for the ignition system or so I have read from various resources. The 4 plug engines were known to have problems starting up and this must have helped as I don't have any kind of issues with the ignition...

Of course, Ford had a choice between a DOHC Lima 2.3L or the dual plug head, which was "better than sex" in this one particular engineer's words...we know what path history took.

 

My 01 ranger with the 2.5 had 8 plugs, and a factory header, supost to burn better, and cleaner.

 

wow i thought ford abandoned the two-plug route after '96. I didn't realize they were using it for so long. When did they switch back to one per cylinder?

 

burns more effeicently better gas millage and more hp!!! quit complaining. i wish my 4.0 had 12 spark plugs... thatd be kool

 

They stopped using 8 plugs in 02 when they switched over to the duratec, or nmaybe it was 01 and a half. My 01 had the lima 2.5, but others have 01's with the duratec 2.3.