Air Care Help
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Air Care Help
Way up here in BC we are required to have our vehicles "Air Care" inspected periodically depending on the age of the vehicle. My '90 Bronc needs it every time I renew my insurance. So being the diligent, environmentally sentitive guy that I am, I changed my fuel filter, air filter, pcv valve AND spark plugs yesterday. Prior to this my truck ran smooth and fine (the "check engine" disappeared when I changed the fuel filter).
So with new filters and plugs, my truck ran like a Briggs and Stratton "one banger". No power, poor idle. The Air-Care guy said it was the worst "FAIL" he had ever seen. Obviously I screwed up somewhere.
I bought NGK UR 45's, gapped at .044. I figure I have broken or somehow buggered on of my plug wires. I ran it in the dark garage looking for a misplaced spark (ground), but no.
How do I figure which wire(s) or which plug(s) aren't firing?
So with new filters and plugs, my truck ran like a Briggs and Stratton "one banger". No power, poor idle. The Air-Care guy said it was the worst "FAIL" he had ever seen. Obviously I screwed up somewhere.
I bought NGK UR 45's, gapped at .044. I figure I have broken or somehow buggered on of my plug wires. I ran it in the dark garage looking for a misplaced spark (ground), but no.
How do I figure which wire(s) or which plug(s) aren't firing?
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
NGK's? Probably most of 'em. Sorry had a bad experience with 'em years ago.
At any rate, if you are sure the firing order is right, you can test with a timing light on each plug wire. Thats the safest way. The inductive trigger on a timing light will show whether spark is traveling down the wire. Since you have run the engine with those plugs, they should show signs of having fired as well
At any rate, if you are sure the firing order is right, you can test with a timing light on each plug wire. Thats the safest way. The inductive trigger on a timing light will show whether spark is traveling down the wire. Since you have run the engine with those plugs, they should show signs of having fired as well
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Ngk's???
Not sure what you mean by that. Local outfit recommended them. I don't know. Will my timing light tell me which isn't firing? Wouldn't it find a spark even if it doesn't reach the plug? The truck ran like crap as soon as I changed the plugs. I removed the plugs to re-check the gap and all seemed okay other than some were rather black, most likely from when I re-installed them and rubbed them over existing crap on the manifold where the plugs insert, but I doubt that, they were clean when they went in, and I didn't rub them around in grime.
The dork (attendant) said my timing was too far advanced, but you can't change the timing. I am convinced 1 or 2 plugs aren't firing. I have probably buggered the wires but I have no idea which one(s).
If I put my timing light on all of them (individually), it will still flash even if there is a ground fault, right?
By the way, it was NGK's I replaced, and it ran smooth and good until I changed them.
Thanks for your help
The dork (attendant) said my timing was too far advanced, but you can't change the timing. I am convinced 1 or 2 plugs aren't firing. I have probably buggered the wires but I have no idea which one(s).
If I put my timing light on all of them (individually), it will still flash even if there is a ground fault, right?
By the way, it was NGK's I replaced, and it ran smooth and good until I changed them.
Thanks for your help
Last edited by re_fill; Oct 2, 2006 at 11:30 PM. Reason: phonix
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Well I put the timing light on the wires and all lit up like I think they should. So I went out when it was dark, started it up and hung a small mirror and low and behold, one of the plugs was shorting to the manifold. I took it out today and found a crack in the porcelain insulator. I suppose I did that when I installed them. OOPS
Thanks for your insight, it is running great now.
I could only get 3 months insurance, if it fails again (you can only fail once), they won't renew until it passes.
The attendant told me it was the "worst" fail he had seen. I guess when 12% of your exhaust is straight gas vapour that will happen. I have to get it "fixed" before I can renew for a full year.????
Thanks for your insight, it is running great now.
I could only get 3 months insurance, if it fails again (you can only fail once), they won't renew until it passes.
The attendant told me it was the "worst" fail he had seen. I guess when 12% of your exhaust is straight gas vapour that will happen. I have to get it "fixed" before I can renew for a full year.????
Tuned
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 495
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From: Western US
I had a shop do the oil pump a while back on my 351 the morons ran the plug wires from a 302 diagram. Way differnt firing order my truck ran the same way like only 1 cylender was firing. Took it to ford and when they got done laughing they explaind what had hapened as far as firing order charge me $80 and things worked right. Original shop said they could not have done anything like this and never admited to any responcability...needless to say I have never been back to that shop.
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That's kinda funny...... when it happens to someone else. I knew it wasn't the wiring because I did 1 plug at a time. So how long will it take for my computer to recognize new plugs and filters? The reason I ask is because it now idles fairly low (500 - 550 rpm) and seems like it wants to stall at times. Other than that it runs great, great pick-up and high end.
